Business
Business
1. You are now being
managed by expatriates:
Words: Edleen Elba
Dear MG,
I work for a management company that has recently been
taken over by expatriates.
Me and my other colleagues don't like the way that they
have restricted us with their new rules. Also they tell us
we smell bad. These new guys don't seem to respect us at
all. Do you think that we should write about them in the
paper and shame them?
Abu K. Freetown. Age 28
“Effective
management
always means
asking the
right question.”
~ Robert Heller
44 GOWOMAN SEPTEMBER|2013
Dear Abu K,
I am sympathetic to you and your colleagues as most
of us are skeptical about change and this cannot be
easy for you. As human beings, it is instinctive for us
to feel offended when criticised, but oftentimes we are
advised to consider the reason why we are so affected
by the comment. In my opinion, writing about them in
the papers is definitely not the solution to the problem. I
would deal with all the issues identified individually as
follows:
3. You feel there are too
many new rules:
Do you resent this because
the quality of service is being
affected or because they are
changing
processes
that
you thought worked? If the
latter, you need to realise
that different does not mean
wrong and as long as you
do not have ethical, legal or
major cultural issues, you
need to give them a chance to
introduce the new processes
and you might find that in
the long run they will work
better for the company and
by extension, you. If there
is an issue with the quality
of service, rest assured that
the shareholders or Board of
Directors will deal with the
management as soon as they
realise how it is affecting the
company.
In order for an organisation
to survive, there needs to be
policies and procedures and
these must be adhered to by
all employees.
When they
are first