Banter Can Be Good as Long as It's Limited
By Bernice Hurst, Managing Director, Fine Food Network
Surfing and social networking during work hours have become bugbears of late but one dilemma that has always existed is the amount of casual chat that is acceptable. MSNBC recently used the forthcoming Super Bowl as a kick-off point for a piece about when, where, why and how the line should be drawn between work and conversation.
While acknowledging that a friendly atmosphere, where employees feel comfortable talking to one another, can increase productivity, the piece quoted several bosses who pointed out that it was a privilege which shouldn't be abused. Marty Kotis, CEO of Kotis Properties Inc., a Greensboro, N.C., commercial real estate development firm, observed, "I want people to enjoy coming to the office and working. I want them to get things done, and I don't think the two are mutually exclusive."
Jonathan Segal of Philadelphia-based legal firm Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen LLP, pointed out the possibility that restrictions on conversation could result in an unpleasant atmosphere. "You don't want to have an inhuman workplace," he is quoted as saying.
Advice in the article on how to achieve the right balance came from Bob Burbidge, founder of Genesis Consolidated Services Inc., a Burlington, Mass.-based provider of human resources outsourcing. His suggestion was to use either staff meetings or e-mails to discuss the line and ensure that no one was either allowed to go too far or was embarrassed if asked to work more and talk less.
"You just have to kind of raise the level of awareness a bit, and try to keep it so we can respect each other's time," Mr. Burbidge said, adding that he has regular weekly sessions so that work can be done and rewarded with play, bringing different departments together.
One final word of warning concerned subject matter. Issues that can inflame tempers, particularly religion and politics, should be discouraged, the piece concluded. Or, as Mr. Kotis said, "If it's going to lead to hard feelings, I think it's going to be an inappropriate topic, no matter what it is."
Discussion Questions: Where and how do you draw the line when employees chat while they work? Should there be different rules for customer-facing and office staff? How can you diplomatically establish what is acceptable?