Language is important, and in the workplace, can be an indicator of workplace health. Consider how language is used in your workplace. How well do people listen to each other, and act on what they hear? You can gain a sense of this during scheduled meetings, in which more senior people may take the opportunity to pass on information, when participants ask questions and receive responses, and when action items are assigned. Observe the informal meetings that take place between colleagues after a meeting, to see how well communication is translated into action, or to see how participants understand the underlying meaning or political maneuvering that may have taken place between colleagues. Other cues can be picked up on meetings, such as who is invited to speak, how employees are addressed, and how open the chair is to accept differing opinions or to respond to questions. How closely the meeting adheres to a set agenda may also be an indication of how efficiently the organization operates, or, on balance, how open it is to changing priorities or to review a timely issue. Then too, meetings that become diverted or hijacked to particular interests of a few individuals are an indicator of some internal disturbance.
Consider how language is used between colleagues, who are set up to be equals, and between supervisors and employees. If there are marked differences and level of ease between colleagues as between supervisors and colleagues, this can be a sign of inherent distrust of management, or at the least, of a divide into us-and-them between employees and supervisory positions. Similarly, if there are different groups, classes, or categories of employees, such as administrative and officer level, or credentialed and non-credentialed, technical and non-technical, entry-level and those of higher seniority, language may be used by the groups to identify themselves and to maintain their distance from others. Jargon or acronyms, for example, can be used to both include and exclude, as can in-jokes, subject-matter references, or references to past employees or events.
Consider the overall level of discourse at work. Visionaries always have words and catchphrases used to energize and rally the staff towards achieving goals, and speeches in which they outline the way forward. Beyond this, is the CEO seen to be approachable and to speak the same languages as the staff? Besides meetings, are upper level communications readily accepted, or do they need to be ‘translated’? Larger organizations have communications and public relations departments who deal both with internal communications strategies and media and public inquiries. Find out and follow the means by which your organization communicates types of information to staff. There may be an intranet, or internal newsletter, or information forwarded through email addressee lists, presentations to staff, or other means. Particular departments may communicate differently. For example, human resources may have their own site on benefits, along with job opportunity posting information. If you find that jargon or acronyms are interfering with your ability to understand, you can provide this feedback to others, who may not recognize this, or who can provide a glossary or background reading for context.
It may be a good idea to monitor your organization’s reputation in the media and the content of external communications, to see if there is a reasonable match to the information received by internal staff. You can also gain a valuable contextual understanding of your organization by how it communicates externally, with stakeholders and shareholders, or in support of community events or sporting or cultural events and sponsorship.
Monitor your own speech and how often you feel you are speaking in an authentic way that reflects your true opinion and thought processes, and how often you feel you are going through the motions. Note that candid reserve is often better than bluffing your way through a situation, empty words are recognizable to others and dismissible, defensiveness in speech becomes a noticeable pattern, and ‘speaking truth to power’ will truly be appreciated, though the manner in which it is done contributes to how well it is received. You will wish to have a job in which you can speak freely and feel that you are heard, taking into account when you are asked and when you can take the initiative to offer information. As your influence increases, your voice will be sought out, and you will be invited to share in meetings or as the informal go-to person when you are recognized as having ownership or insight of a particular issue or project.
The manner in which communication is done indicates trust. If you work in an ethical organization with decisive leaders, verbal agreements can be used, but in other cases, commitments made in writing carry more weight. Language is important in the workplace because agreements can be binding, and written agreements in particular can be used in cases where there is conflict, and in legal cases. Consider also that conversations in person may be reserved for performance discussion or other sensitive professional or personal issues or resolving complex work processes. Email, as we know, can be misinterpreted or can escalate when intent is misconstrued. You can seek to generalize across generations or cultural background, but it is best to adapt to individuals you communicate with. Learn from experience how they prefer to work, and how to make this work with your own style. If you adapt to others, your range will increase, whereas if you are rigid and cause others to adapt to you, you will be less agile and open to incoming information and to interactions with others.
Consider also the frequency of cursing, sarcasm, self-defeatist talk, or joking with an edge to it of frustration or resentment, as these may be the characteristic language of a particularly workplace culture but also reflect patterns of thought which can be ultimately destructive. It is particularly revealing what people joke about, or what people find to be humorous. If colleagues have an easy banter among themselves with the purpose of amusing one another out of genuine affection, defusing conflict, dealing with stress to get through the working day, or even to assist in working through a work process, this is an affirming use of joking. If joking undermines the prohibited grounds of discrimination, or constitutes a personal attack on you or a colleague, you have a right to object, first to the individual making the joke, and escalating to your supervisor or to human resources.
Another aspect of ‘noise’ in the system are rumours. In these cases, as in life, it is best to keep your distance from gossipers, avoid propagating unconfirmed information, give others the benefit of the doubt, and reserve comment or judgment until information is given to you directly or officially announced. Rumours are not harmless, and in fact, change people’s perceptions of others and can have an adverse impact on reputation. If you are the subject of a rumour, you can choose to seek out the source and set the story straight, which is not always effective, depending on how malicious the person is, or to ignore the rumours, and continue to speak the truth to those you trust in the workplace, who will look out for your interests on your behalf. If a rumour gets out of hand, or you feel that someone is seeking to damage your reputation, it can be considered harassment, so be cognizant of your rights and responsibilities in that case.
All this being said, I propose that the best way in which language is used is when colleagues or a team use the language of gratitude and encouragement. When members of a team choose to work closely together, they will enjoy each others’ use of words, will take on each others’ idiosyncratic expressions and word choices, and communicate with an understanding of each others’ styles. Words will be tested to establish and maintain shared understanding, and there will be bonding through talking to bridge age, culture, and other gaps that may exist. There is not enough that can be said for an environment in which employees have professional respect and trust for one another, such that they can be honest and direct.
Finally, recognize the differing needs that you and others have for interactions in the workplace. Among colleagues who are friends, you may check in on each others’ mental and emotional health when you see one another. Members of a team may be invigorated by technical talk. With some, you will seek to have culture and values-based exchanges for mutual enrichment, while with others you will discuss career development or share professional development opportunities.
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