Managing Perceptions In the Workplace
Over the years, many articles have been written about perceptions in the workplace. Countless soapboxes have been rendered espousing the evils of such things like inappropriate clothing, workplace romances, and whispering or gossip. Managers everywhere have attempted to use these articles as weapons against a generation of subordinates, suggesting that these employees are somehow supposed to placate the perceptions of others in every one of their workplace decisions. I have to wonder if any of these managers have ever stopped to consider how their own choice of weaponry is perceived by their workers. We are, by the way, suggesting that each individual is responsible for how their statements and actions are perceived by those around them. Why wouldn’t managers too be included in that reflection.
