Title: Seeking Fairness at Work

Author: H. Hasl-Kelchner, MBA, JD

Genre: Nonfiction / Business Leadership

 

Unhappy employees will lead to an unstable work environment. Workers who believe that their supervisors don’t respect boundaries or provide enough autonomy will begin to decline in productivity, pay less attention, or resign from the company. The significance of managers engaging with their employees can’t be overstated as high engagement improves production and less attrition.

Conversely, disengagement yields less work and more absenteeism. An office environment where the employees believe fairness is lacking can be perceived as poisonous. The balance of power has favored the company hierarchy, but this balance has shifted as employees begin to quit signaling their unhappiness. The affected employee(s) will need to air their grievances to management and management will need to be willing to listen.

Author H. Hasl-Kelchner approaches the topic of fairness in the workplace with a legal and empathetic mindset. The book is broken out into two parts where the introductory chapters delineate the employee perspective while the latter half concerns itself with the management viewpoint. Kelchner provides useful methods for company bosses to be more accessible to their worker’s needs and restore the harmony in the office. Communication is paramount.

One of the key concepts of the book is respect. If an employee feels as if their contributions aren’t being appreciated, they will either begin to slack off or find opportunities elsewhere. A lack of recognition for a job well done will discourage an employee but the perception of management as unavailable often proves more frustrating. Hasl-Kelchner provides excellent examples of long-term employees who gave notice once situations with leadership became untenable.

Empathy is another key component of the narrative. A leader can’t run a company without consistent productivity. Workflow is directly related to employee satisfaction. Even if a worker doesn’t verbally express their unhappiness, an empathetic boss will be adept at picking up on non-verbal language. In order to get the most from their team, management should be willing to give their people an open door for communication. Hasl-Kelchner insightfully defines empathy and how it differs from sympathy, yet illustrates how they are both crucial in improving the relationship between superior and subordinate.

The onus to provide fairness at work lies primarily with the manager. When work begins to suffer, the real leadership test begins. An empathetic leader must have a moment of self-reflection and determine where they may have faltered and how they can improve. The author brilliantly references Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how these should be considered when evaluating the employee-manager dynamic.

The author has provided a wealth of research along with a few anecdotes in her guide to improving the work environment. The book’s impact would be strengthened with an additional chapter where personal testimonies of employees/managers were given with respect to workplace equity.

Seeking Fairness at Work is a helpful guide that aims to revitalize the flagging connection between workers and management. Hasl-Kelchner has written an instructional book that is also infused with heartfelt sentiment. This is a must-read book with broad appeal.

 

 

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