UNIT 5: WORK AND CAREER
My name‿ is Grace. I manage‿ a small team,│ and‿ I have come to believe that workplace culture‿ is determined by two things:│ how much‿ autonomy people‿ are given,│ an(d) how honestly failure‿ is discussed.
In my previous company,│ the hierarchy was rigid‿ and‿ every decision was reviewed twice. The resul(t) was‿ a predictable mixture‿ of resentment‿ an(d) passivity:│ nobody took‿ an‿ initiative,│ because‿ an‿ initiative was‿ a risk. Our manager micromanaged‿ everything│ an(d) then complained│ that his team had no ideas. Retention there was poor,│ an(d) the company concluded that‿ its staff were not‿ ambitious,│ which was the wrong conclusion.
What we do differently now is simple. People decide how and│ where they work,│ as long‿ as the collaboration works‿ an(d) the deadline‿ is met. The workload‿ is discussed‿ openly,│ because burnout does not‿ appear‿ overnight,│ and‿ it‿ is cheaper to hear the firs(t) warning than to replace somebody in‿ a crisis. If‿ a projec(t) fails,│ we examine the decision rather than the person. Trust‿ is not‿ a benefit that‿ a company grants;│ it‿ is the mechanism that makes flexible working possible‿ at alladall.