Making your way around the office in tough times

By Mehru Jaffer

JAKARTA (JP): The big, bad world of the office empowers some people with overconfidence about their abilities and fills others with such insecurities that defensiveness born from fear becomes second nature.

And that is where Eileen Rachman sees her opportunities -- lots of them.

About 10 years ago, the Jakarta-based psychologist got tired of lecturing and decided to try to practice psychology to improve her life and of those around her. She started Experd, an executive performance development and consulting firm with the resolve to act as a partner to professionals here.

Inspired by Lifeskills International, Britain's leading people's performance company in the field of culture change and employee development, Eileen developed ideas and technologies to help Indonesians look at their personal and professional lives afresh. She has since become a regular columnist in magazines and a TV talk show guest.

The challenge ahead is the rapidly developing job market combined with entrenched "old-fashioned" social values. She believes it is particularly important with the long reach of globalization so her countrymen and, increasingly, women are not left out in the cold.

"The main challenge before us remains to improve our human resource capabilities," says Mira Tripuspita, business development manager at Experd.

They are people like Hanne Dhali, 39, who has all the qualifications of a smart salesman with over 15 years of experience in the market, but who sometimes feels professionally handicapped by the way he was brought up.

He told The Jakarta Post that although well-qualified, he is still shy, uncertain and often hesitant in a world that is transforming before his eyes with urbanization and technological advances.

Hanne was born and brought up in Jakarta in a typical Javanese environment that defers to elders, and which is played out in the asal bapak senang culture of just keeping the big boss happy.

While this hierarchal social setup has worked in the past in providing much stability and order within the family and the community, it has also given birth to people who find it very difficult to express themselves in a straightforward way.

"The worst aspect of the asal bapak senang culture is a one-man show on whose whim both a business and a family revolves, providing little security to employees," said Mira.

But she feels the culture is already challenged in the workplace by the change here from dictatorship to democracy, leading eventually to a more performance-based management that will hopefully provide a reward and promotion incentive to its workers.

In the past it was family connections and extreme personal loyalty to the management that was regarded as the main criteria for doing well professionally. Today, the emphasis is slowly but steadily changing to merit and consistent performance in getting ahead on the job.

What Eileen would also like is to see Indonesians become more assertive without necessarily resorting to aggression. In a society where a smile does not necessarily indicate happiness and where women still break down while expressing their deepest feelings, it is important for people to be able to express themselves more freely.

"If women want to be taken seriously, it is not enough for them to express the way they feel or what their intuition is telling them but also to be armed with facts and figures," Mira insists.

Hanne came out of the organization's workshops -- which include games, mock interviews and other exercises -- feeling better about himself.

"Nothing was said at the workshop that we did not know. But it was important for the instructors to help me separate things that matter in life from what does not," he said.

"I am still the same person, but I feel more alert about things that have to be looked into immediately. I know for sure that procrastination does me no good. And whenever that thought hits me I pickup the telephone and get on with business."

Office politics

Eileen also offered advice on dealing with the different personalities which can make the office a minefield if one is not careful.

Stir crazy: Every office has one of the smart-ass, sarcastic, vengeful person who loves to be at the center of intrigues and also to make others feel terrible. The motto here seems to be why give a nice comment when a mean one will suffice?

"Keep your distance from these ones," advised Eileen, warning that care is needed as to what is said in front of all mischiefmakers.

Since such people bask in getting a charge out of others, especially the meek, through providing their own "advice" on a situation which is often cloaked in, "I'm just trying to help" manner, it is best not to provide any opportunity to them where they can be entertained.

The right touch: The more open, transparent and impartial the top management is, the more healthy will be the working atmosphere.

Whether it is a man or a woman at the top, it is the boss who has to discourage closed-door gossip sessions and favoritism.

It is best when all rewards and punishments are doled out in an impartial manner. However, once it is known that a particular employee is unable to tolerate even constructive criticism, it is best to have a talk in private.

This is especially important if people are useful to the office in order to help them feel reassured about their position in the firm.

There is nothing better for the office atmosphere than an open-door policy where the workers feel that the boss is there for all of them at any time.

Do nothing: The worst office is where the supervisor can never take a decision, or is unable to convey complaints from his workers to the management. The spineless one will always let things be because there is no courage to call a spade a spade.

In a situation like this, it is important not to lose one's temper but to consider a cool assessment of the problem and to speak out openly but objectively at an office meeting where everyone concerned is in attendance.

Eileen insists the purpose will not be to get even with individuals, but to create an atmosphere where what is supposed to be done gets done.