Challenging Conversations

I heard a radio ad recently for an auto-collision repair company. The main purpose of the ad was to advertise how they take the confusion out of auto repairs after a collision, but the commercial begins with illustrating how everyone involved in a collision expresses their emotions differently. Some may be concerned about the others involved and ask if everyone is okay, whereas others may be angry and frustrated and take this out on the other driver. This makes the aftermath of a collision challenging.

Dealing with people in the labour relations realm is similarly challenging, especially during stressful situations.

One of our workplaces has been dealing with a contractor who has significant financial issues. These issues have been impacting the members at this workplace by way of late union remittances, late payments, and challenges with the supplier.

When this issue began, my first interaction with the employer was to confront him about the late remittances. I picked up the phone and told him everything he already knew and that it needed to be fixed. As you may imagine, the phone call didn’t go as planned and ended in an argument without any resolution.

Shortly after the call, I realized that I had made a poor situation even worse. I hadn’t considered anything beyond the need to have the issue resolved. I hadn’t considered that we wouldn’t have even had this conversation if he had been in control over the crisis. He didn’t wake up one day and just decide to have a financial issue!

The next day, I contacted him again and approached the situation very differently. By acknowledging my earlier mistakes and listening to him, we were able to have a healthy conversation and plan a resolution for the situation.

I’ve realized that we often approach conversations with only our own agenda in mind, rather than having consideration for the other party involved. If we can approach situations with consideration for the other side, we may be able to achieve better results.