How about we make your manager-employee conversations a talkshow?

How RTO is hurting employee development and trust

Imagine this: you are scheduled for a 1 on 1 with your direct manager. There are some issues you’d like to raise with them. Some of those issues are professional and may involve other people. Some are personal. There’s this training course you are interested in, and you know it’s slightly over budget, so you are prepared to make your case.

Dalle thinks that this is a pop art drawing of a lady with a high-neckline ball gown, wearing a tiara in an open-floor office. I guess she does have a neck…

As you walk into the meeting room, your manager is already waiting for you.

Dario from finance is also sitting there, staring at his screen. Mirko, who’s leading the other team in your division smiles at you. He’s having a conversation with Ryla, the new hire who just started last week. Across the table Louis you see Louis taking off his headphones, as you greet your manager.

Yet again, you’ve commuted to the office to dial into your conference call while having an audience. The building simply doesn’t have enough meeting rooms, and even the best noise canceling headphones and top-notch mic will keep your colleages from hearing every single word you say. Even if they don’t intend to.

From a leadership perspective, this is unacceptable.

How are your team leads supposed to create a trusting work relationship with their direct reports if every conversation is potentially overheard?

How can you foster a feedback culture if there’s no room (literally) for candid conversations?

And while we are at it - why do people have to commute from their private space to a crowded open-plan office to have conference calls with other people in the same predicament.

Seriously, that’s how you plan to foster innovation and collaboration?