It's Just Business

by Emma Jenkings - Qualified Workplace & Employment Mediator

Otto Berman, an accountant to the Mob in the 1930’s, is said to have coined the phrase “Not personal. It’s just business.” This phrase - that he apparently used whilst collecting protection money or dealing out punishments - is now used widely in the business world. Ironically, the phrase is generally employed when a decision has been made that will impact an individual or a group of people negatively – i.e. a decision that will feel very personal to them.

Business decisions need to be made and the outcome may not be one that affects employees to a great extent; however, decisions regarding promotions, pay rises, redundancy, job structure or contractual changes do. Regardless of how well-meaning the decision-maker is, the reality is that a decision that has any bearing on a person’s job will always feel personal.

A person’s employment is emotive – it affects their sense of identity, their self-esteem and their finances. Any decision made regarding their job can feel like a reflection of how much they - and their skills - are valued.

It is worth bearing in mind how a decision may affect their personal life as well as their work life. For example:

• Being passed up for promotion may lead to confidence issues, and someone may have seen that promotion as being the answer to relieving financial burdens.
• A change in job structure is likely to cause added stress and pressure anyway – but especially so if they are going through a time of personal instability; such as experiencing relationship issues, the illness of a loved one or changes to personal circumstances.
• Redundancies may be a welcome ‘get-out’ to some people, but for many it can damage to their confidence and create anxiety about the future. For those whose income is relied upon by others, this burden could be felt even stronger.
• Moving someone from one team to another may seem like a logical step to management but it can cause great anxiety - particularly if they are moving away from a team they enjoyed being with, to a team or area they either don’t know or to one that has people that they don’t get along with.

So often conflict is the result of people expecting something to happen which doesn’t, or at least not in the way they expected it to. Communication is a key factor in reducing unnecessary conflict.

For example, if an employee is led to believe that a promotion is certain and it is then given to someone else, that will feel personal and is likely to damage trust between the parties.

Similarly, if someone is told that they are doing OK in their role and then suddenly is made redundant, it will be both a shock and feel like it was unjustified.

On a different note, if a manager is unaware of personal issues going on in their staff’s personal lives but which are impacting them at work, they they may not be aware of how their decision may impact the individual . Therefore, they may make a decision that they wouldn’t have done, had they been aware of the external issues involved.

However objective people attempt to be, the reality is that human beings are emotional and do take things personally – especially when that decision has a tangible impact on them personally. As much as it would feel easier for people to 'just accept the decision', have no feelings about it and 'roll with it', human beings just aren’t built that way .

Most employers are genuinely trying to make good decisions for the benefit of both the organisation and the employees. Often, tough decisions feel like they need to be made objectively - to avoid emotion determining the outcome. And, sometimes tough business decisions have to be made where it feels impossible to please everyone.

The important thing to remember, if you want to avoid unnecessary conflict, is that just because a decision was made for the benefit of the business, does not mean the person affected by it will see it that way.

It pays to be sensitive in communicating the decision, to remember that it will feel personal and to be aware of what external factors may already be causing stress or pressure to an employee. It is also worth trying to be creative with ideas so that as much as possible there is a ‘win-win’ scenario.

Just as it is important for management to remember the human factor in decision-making, it is helpful for staff to consider the difficulty in making tough choices and that it is likely to also feel personal to those implementing such decisions.

If you are on the receiving end of the decision-making process, even if it feels personal, remember that the intention of the decision-maker could still have been honourable. We are not in control over what anyone else does, but we do have a choice over how we respond – and a good response to a difficult decision demonstrates character, integrity and protects

When decisions are being made that are likely to be particularly controversial or emotive, it can help to have a neutral third party involved to mediate the situation.

If conflict has already arisen between parties over such decisions, or any other workplace dispute, please get in contact to see how we can help by contacting emma.jenkings@mosaicmediation.co.uk , or get in touch through the Contactpage.