[smile95]

Just started a new job alost 2 months ago...all wa going well. The 3 girls there already have been there for 5 yrs and have 0 schooling or college. Their grammar is awful and when they speak I cringe. One thought Montreal was in FL! They are not that bright. I was hired along with another girl and we had great new ideas to help out and make the dept run more smoothly. My boss loves the ideas and we had a meeting to talk about the changes. Well.....the 2 girls in the dept(who both happen to be black so if anything is said to them they will scream that it is becasue of thier race and I am not racist at all) are so rude and have such attitudes now....I understand that they prob think that we are coming in trying to "show them up", but we are NOT. We just have ideas and have a fresh look at things. They HATE change. HATE!!!!

I am not sure what to do anymore.....I want to be productive and think of new ideas, but at the same time, I do not want to be hated either? My boss told me that if they do not go with the changes, she will fire whoever she needs to. I hate going to work knowing people hate me or have an attitude with me. My boss cannot fire them or these will claim it was racially motivated and it is NOT.....they just happen to be the ones not cooperating. Do I just stop coming up with ideas? Or do I keep it up and just take comfort in the fact that my boss likes me? Or do I confron the two and ask why they havea such a problem with me? They always make comments about me and the other new girl and get mad when we get more complicated reports to do or a heavier work load. It is just frustrating. I think it boils down to they have been there when the co started and they have grown so much and they are trying to do the work the same way they did when they had 10 customers and now they have 10,000. Why do people hate change?????

[Outcast]

People often feel the workplace is 'their turf' and they highly resent a newbie coming in and changing the things they think are fine. Besides, if those people are the ones who came up with the ideas you are now changing, it may make them feel personally insulted.

There's not much you can do about that. It's not your business to deal with their issues but you can try to approach them and see if you can get them to buy into your ideas. Be nice to them when you can and try to engage them in the changes. If they're unwilling and the boss dumps them, that's their problem.

[megabit15]

Outcast is right. If you can include them as much as you can in the changes, they will have much more enthusiasm and interest. Ask them for their opinions. Build them up. They've been there 5 years for a reason. Pick their brains and encourage them to contribute.

[lindya]

Originally Posted by beth5201

Well.....the 2 girls in the dept(who both happen to be black so if anything is said to them they will scream that it is becasue of thier race and I am not racist at all) are so rude and have such attitudes now

Beth, I have to ask - and don't take this the wrong way PLEASE!!! Are you 100% certain that they will accuse you of racism if you have an open and robust discussion with them about this? Sometimes there's an unfair assumption in workplaces that certain people will be quick to claim racism/sex discrimination etc if ever the opportunity to do so presents itself. Having worked in pretty diverse settings in the past, it's my experience that most people just want to get on with things and not have the hassle of raising grievance proceedings unless absolutely necessary.

Rather than falling into a pattern of negative thinking about these girls, I'd do a silent appraisal of their skills. After all, if they've been there for 5 years then there are going to be certain areas they have very useful knowledge and abilities in. Some people aren't that hot on grammar, but nonetheless have valuable things to offer.

I think they'll probably be more adaptable to change if the blueprint for that change is presented in a way that clearly includes them and values their skills.
I guess I'm pretty much parroting what Outcast and Megabit are saying. Good luck.

[megabit15]

Lindya - I agree with what you've said. I'm just responding to give you a little background....

Beth lives in the southern US where mutual racism is a much larger issue than anywhere else I've lived, visited or read about (okay - except South Africa). Very different racial culture here, so I understand Beth's comments.

I've been in Atlanta for 7 years. I have found that southern blacks do require extra effort on a white person's part here: more than you'd have to give any other race. (And I work with many different races here in Atlanta) This was a big culture shock to this ex-New Yorker. But ya know what? It's always always always been worth the effort. In the end, race doesn't matter.

Like you and Outcast have said - extra effort for genuinely appreciating and encouraging the talents and knowledge all people have (and politely ignoring the negatives) will eventually overcome this cumbersome and destructive mindset in south. It has become a non issue for me after practicing this a while. They know who I am and what I believe in my heart. All people respond best when they are consistently shown that they are valued and respected.

Hey - wonder if that will work on the creature you work with!

[lindya]

Originally Posted by megabit15

Hey - wonder if that will work on the creature you work with!

I'll PM you to share what I've said to that bint. Not for public consumption.

I take the points about things being very different in the South of the US. Clearly there's much more in the way of racial tension.

[SuperMonk]

"People who come to work, who are especially newer than me and want to change the workplace annoy me."

[smile95]

Ok I am not really sure how to describe these girls.....I am not being mean....this is the consensus of the whole dept I have found out today.....they are lazy. plain and simple. They hate change and always have. They are the people you ask "well why do you do it this way?" and they say, "we just always have" THey are uneducated and happened to work in the warehouse of a samll co. that grew so fast and landed in the dept I am in now by chance.

It is so fruastrating to have experience and want to share ideas with them when they do not want to change anything. They do everything the hard way and it is frustrating......

As far as the racist stuff.....they have made comments ALREADY that they think that my boss brought us in to push the "blacks" out. WHich is sooo not what I am there for. It is very uncomfortable to have to work there now.

I guess I have to keep my ideas to myself if I weant peace. My boss said not to do that and she values me so much, but I would rather do things the hard way then make enemies. I am pretty sure I will hit a point where I will have enough and have to ask them why they have such an attitude with me.

Oh and the SOuth is a BIG change for me! HUGE! I came from a smalll NE town where I had MAYBE 4 blacks students in my class of 400 in HS. So coming here and working with and interacting with the Spanish and other races is a big change....I will prob get slammed for this, but I have heard that the S is more lax in their work ethics and they get mad when Northerners come down and work with them and seem to be very productive. I truly beleive that I am a threat to them.

Thanks everyone....would you all rather be friends with everyone? or please the boss? I have to spend a large chunk of my week with these people.

[slubberdegullion]

Originally Posted by beth5201

...would you all rather be friends with everyone? or please the boss?

A position of authority demands that you separate your life into distinct and mutually exclusive categories. Being buddy-buddy with work mates is not an effective strategy. That's not to say that you shouldn't treat your subordinates with respect and decency; quite the opposite. But trying to be friends with them - hanging out after hours, joking around, letting them "get away" with stuff, etc. - always, and I DO mean always, backfires.

Their accusations of racism, however unfounded, are a calculated and deliberate attempt to put you off your game. Having disagreements at work can actually be a very productive way to generate new ideas and make improvements. But as soon as the word "racism" or its derivatives is used, the discussions immediately degenerate from a constructive exchange into an emotional morass.

It's a tactic that's grown to diminish almost all constructive criticism within the workplace, leading to lower productivity and bad morale. It's also a widespread social ill, and you won't be able to take it all on by yourself.

Try seeking their input on decisions. Ask their advice. Give them the background of what you're trying to accomplish and then the alternatives that you have considered. That doesn't mean that everyone's advice will be valuable, but simply the act of consultation can pay dividends.

Remember, though, that it's your boss who signs the paycheques and makes the decisions. He or she is the one you'll ultimately have to answer to, and it's extremely bad form to go to him/her and say that you couldn't get such-and-such project completed because your staff were obstructionist.

I don't know much about the south, but from what I understand, there's still bitterness about northerners. One would think, given that the civil war has been over since 1865, they'd get over it by now, but that seems not to be the case.

Good luck. Keep us posted.