Miscommunicating in the Workplace
BCOM/275
05/21/2012
Steve Hynds

Miscommunication and misunderstandings happen all the time in the home, workplace and even when we are in our favorite store. Today I am going to focus on a few examples of miscommunications and misunderstandings that I have experienced in the workplace. At times the miscommunication could be at the fault of the sender or receiver with the misinterpretation of the message delivered or received and other times it could be that the information given is correct but it is not used for its intended manner.
Example 1: Misuse of Correct Information In one of my positions at a major bank, I was a telephone (the channel) support representative for the branches. I had a caller (the receiver) ask me (the sender) a basic policy question about how to stop a direct deposit from going into an account incorrectly. I advised him that he needed to contact the appropriate department and also gave him the phone number to complete this task (the message). Several weeks later his manager happened to get me on the line. She was calling in because of the actions of this employee based on information he received from my department. I was able to verify that it was me that spoke to him and asked her to simply ask me the same question because the policy is the policy and my response should be the same regardless. The question was the same and my response was the same but the banker had taken the correct information and used it to stop a direct deposit on a family member’s account which is where the misunderstanding took place. Being that this was a family member’s account, he had no authority to make changes on it or to service it in any way. I could have avoided this misunderstanding and possible corrective action on my end by asking more clarifying questions and actually reviewing the account itself. Although not all family members have the same last name, I was saved because he did not disclose that it was a family member’s account that needed to be serviced and my notes on his call log showed the question and response I gave, which was accordingly.
Example 2: Say what? On any given day a policy can be changed or modified slightly or in total. I received an email (channel) from our Business Documentation Group (sender) that listed changes that would take effect with an upcoming merger. The message referenced specific document numbers that could be searched for further information and proper delivery of the information. Unfortunately, the document numbers didn’t exist in the system nor could information be found using a search of the topic. Being that this was from a nonresponse email address and the department was housed in my building, I personally emailed a member of the team informing them of the error in document number and that the policy search site also didn’t have any merger related information on it. Ultimately, in the response I received, I was told the email was sent out prematurely and the information was to be rolled out a few days later in the system. This mishap and scramble to be up to date on new policies could have been avoided if they had included in the initial email that this was to be rolled out shortly but that we needed to be on the lookout for the upcoming changes to certain policies and procedures. In conclusion, this activity has made me become more aware of the need for clarity, which also seemed to be the main cause for the misunderstandings I provided. Whether I am the sender or receiver of a message, in order for all parties to achieve a successful exchange there has to be total clarity in what is being requested of them or the instructions being given to them. By asking follow up questions in the appropriate tone and language it will allow everyone involved to be on the same page to successfully accomplish the task at hand.