New York Lawyer
March 21, 2002

Q:
I think in my firm we have a problem with pettiness. Everyone wants to have the last word. And people wrangle about the stupidest things. The latest witch-hunt is about cleaning the kitchen. We have people practically at each other�s throats because some claim they wind up cleaning the kitchen all the time and that others don�t do their share. I agree that everyone should pitch in but I think people are taking this a little far. Is there anything we can do?

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A:
The atmosphere in an office can turn petty for a variety of reasons. It can happen when people perceive inequities, especially a lack of respect between and among employees. For instance, when it appears that some people get special favors and treatment based on politics, that can breed a backstabbing atmosphere. And when employees believe that they are being taken advantage of, without any intervention from management, they can start to reflect some of the behavior you�re talking about. Another breeding ground for pettiness is stress. When people are exhausted and overworked they can start to sound pretty childish. A further source of strain is severe personality clashes.

This sort of thing cries out for leadership. It�s tempting for higher-ups to dismiss these complaints as a trivial dust up involving only underlings, but allowing this ethos to flourish is damaging to morale and to people�s sense of self-respect.

Those in leadership positions can get some quick wins on the board by doing some simple things. Kitchen cleanup does seem to be a flashpoint in many offices. This is understandable because the kitchen represents a funny hierarchical crossroads in an office � it�s part of the office and yet includes domestic duties one normally does at home. Consequently, many people -- especially secretaries -- who willingly perform mundane office chores as part of their job aren�t pleased to play the role of office scullery maid.

So if you want to send a quick message of egalitarianism, there�s no better place to start than with the kitchen. Have a schedule, make people stick to it, and have senior partners scrubbing up at times when other people can see them. Or insist that everyone clean up after themselves, and again, have partners visibly pitching in.

More broadly, you and your colleagues might want to examine the underlying reasons that lead to this atmosphere. Sometimes the problem is with systems and organization, or lack thereof. What�s the attitude about salaries, expenses, and perks in the office? Often pettiness comes along with nickel-and-diming approaches to money, or other obsessive approaches to management. Are employees so busy and stressed that they lash out in petty ways? Too much stress and an out-of-control atmosphere calls out for better systems, organizing things so that you are managing the practice rather than it managing you.

Even greater problems are presented when underlying attitudes about management are very informal and based more on personality than performance. Is there a lot of secretiveness? A lack of transparency can cause people to speculate about what�s going on behind the scenes and get angry about purely imagined slights and inequities. Are people promoted based on criteria that�s unclear? This leads to huge resentments, as it creates uncertainty and instability, with people jockeying for position but unsure about exactly how to get ahead.

In short, pettiness can be simply an unfortunate by-product of a well-intentioned but overly stressed workplace, or a symptom of more serious problems. Either way, it�s not a fun, supportive or comfortable work atmosphere. Keep at it so that your colleagues start to focus on more inspiring topics than whose turn it is for kitchen duty.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work