Bobs Family Dilemma - Essay Example

Introduction Bob is an accountant at audits Inc. whose wife is to deliver twin babies in two months. Lee, who is Bob’s wife; wants Bob to take paternity leave in order to assist in carrying out different house chores and stand by her. However, Bob is unsure on whether to ask or not to ask for the six weeks paternity leave, worried about the way it might impact his life long career. While Audits Inc. lays claim to being a family oriented organization as far as policy, winning numerous policy awards, it seems that the company’s internal structure suggests otherwise. Employees who wanted to further their careers at the company had to work hard and keep family out of it. If Bob would take his paternity leave, his teammates would have to fill in for him, which he is afraid would create resentment. Additionally, he is worried that it will harm his career. Summary Bob decided to take the advice of his colleagues on the issue. Mike, his married teammate, told him that the job’s structure required one to be quiet regarding family needs if one wanted to move up and talked to him about the use and abuse of the policies. Manuel, who is his best friend and single, is of the belief that those without children face discrimination. Judy, a 38-year-old single mum, was of the opinion that the uses of benefits made an individual seem less dedicated and affected their performance appraisals. Finally, Jessica, who is a recent college graduate, opined that company policy provisions are there to be used. Theory One communication theory that applies in this case is formal communication vs. informal communication. Communication involves sharing of information for purposes such as influencing, motivating, persuading and informing (Hamilton 11). Formal communication is distributed across an organization in an organized manner downwards flowing from executives regarding company policy and upward from the staff in the form of reports and data. This kind of information is well planned and established. Informal communication, on the other hand, works to satisfy emotional and social needs without basis on the positions that individuals hold in the organization (Hamilton 20). The most common term for it is grapevine and is considered as rumor or gossip. Information flowing through this channel can be exaggerated or deleted, causing inaccuracies. Employees use this channel when they feel vulnerable, such as in this case where Bob is searching for help on his issue by talking to colleagues. This channel allows Bob to reduce anxiety and stress, serve a social purpose, and permits him to comprehend the fact that there was a lack of satisfaction with the policy on paternity leave. However, it is difficult to formalize this cannel and, as such, the organization needs to provide timely, respectful and accurate information regarding the status of paternity leave. While the grapevine cannot be eliminated from an organization, it can be reduced via removal of the need for information (Hamilton 25). Managing of the grapevine can be achieved via supplying sufficient information to the employees regarding paternity leave through normal channels. Audits Inc. also needs to provide information to the employees regarding this issue as soon as they get information. Additionally, they could also keep the information coming regularly in order to avoid conjecture on the issue and avoid stress for employees such as Bob. Regular communication on policy change may help reduce the stress that bob is suffering (Hamilton 27). Finally, they should also open the lines of communication to receive concerns and feedback from employees. As long as this does not happen, rumors will continue to fill the communication gap and increase employee stress and performance levels. Practice and recommendations Bob is desperate to stay home and reassure his wife in her time of need. However, this solution might not be in his best interest since it will affect his career. Bob is also unsure of the manner in which his fellow employees will react to the request, especially since he is not under any physical stress himself that stops him from coming to work. Because Audit Inc. has a strict schedule, it is very difficult for Bob to find some time off, without having an effect on the productivity of his team. Additionally, he has told the supervisor of his performance review that he would sacrifice his personal life in order to further his career with the company. He is now worried that a failure to stick to his word may give a wrong impression about him. On paper, Audits Inc. has a policy that is family friendly and Bob cannot be fired if he seeks for paternity leave. If he seeks for 6 weeks, there is a chance that he will not receive it. However, Bob could get a couple of weeks off, and if there is resentment, Bob could cover for some of his employees after getting back since they also seem to be in need of some time off. The best solution for Bob would be to take a week off for paternity leave to help Lee out. Taking 6 weeks could create problems for him at work. If he settles for a longer paternity leave, he could offer to work, from home, to cover for a part of his audit. This could prove that he is committed to the team and organization, thus preventing him from being resented while also working towards furthering his career. Visualizations Audits Inc. could refuse any length of paternity leave for Bob. In this case, Bob would be required to come up with other arrangements for his wife via the hiring of extra help. In order for this particular recommendation to succeed, Bob should be enjoying a relatively fine financial position to afford the costs. The nature of Bob’s work could also prevent him from getting the chance to work from home remotely. Bob might be required to be, on site, to work on the designated tasks. In this case, he can attempt at switching tasks with teammates during the leave to work on the tasks that do not require his presence at the site. For this recommendation to be effective, Bob would have to get the support of his supervisor and the team. Conclusion This case study has shown that companies do not always honor what they put down on their policy paper, and that formal communication is the best way to communicate policy changes to the employees. Leaving employees hanging on policy could result in informal communication going into overdrive, which leads to exaggerated and deleted the information. Informal communication shows the direction that a company is taking, especially in the absence of formal communication and could actually provide a more accurate picture of the company’s policy than formal communication channels do. Works Cited Hamilton, Cheryl. Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Read More