Do we really need answers?

It’s a common misconception that we should have answers handy for any problem that we might face in the near future. Like if you have an intuition or a clue that someone’s going to come to you with a certain issue, which is your job as an HR to resolve, you should keep the solution to it ready.

Yes, I called it a misconception. No, I’m not being lazy.

Think of a hypothetical situation: A bunch of employees come to you and complaint about the placement of their cubicles, which are next to the photocopy machine. They have space issues and also the constant murmur around the machine distracts them. But the machine must be accessible to all employees thus it cannot be moved from a convenient location. As soon as you hear this request you’ll either straight away reject it on the basis of improbable solution or delay it by exchanging the cubicles with some other employees only to get the same complaint a few months later. This is what happens when you are ready with a solution before analyzing the situation.

For you the question is- How can I reduce the distractions around the machine? Is it complete? Is it the whole situation?

To answer these, no.You should ask yourself- How can I reduce the distractions around the machine without causing inconvenience to majority of employees? Employees being the object of concern. Without an object of concern in your analysis, you’re not asking yourself the right question. And not just one, you can have multiple objects of concern, which are in this case- the employees who’s cubicles lie near the machine and the rest of the employees who need to access the machine.

Then create an equation as to what every object of concern wants. Do not forget the minor objects of concern like the electricity plugs and the adequate amount of space required. Consider each and every aspect that you can think of and you’ll observe that some or most of these equations align at some point. Now that, my dear friends, is your apt solution to the problem and not the one that you have pre established in your mind. Broaden the horizons of your mind as you open the gate of thoughts and gain some perspective.

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