3. Constraints to communication

Workplace culture

Every workplace has its own already established culture or way of doing things. There are also subtle signs in a workplace that complication or difficult situations may already exist for workers who may not be coping with them. The following are a list of traits that may be associated with such situations:

• under-performing workers
• disengagement
• high staff turnover
• increased rates of sick leave
• non-compliance with workplace processes
• uncooperative and non-collaborative behaviour
• disrespectful behaviour and language
• workplace bullying and exclusion
• breaches in privacy and confidentiality processes
• a rise in disputes, grievances and complaints.

Conflicting differences

We also know there are early warning signs or signals that can help us to be aware of impending complicated or difficult situations. These are:

• people with incompatible values such as their preferences, beliefs and practices
• people competing for power and influence over decision-making processes
• competing demands and priorities for the use of limited resources
• privacy and confidentiality laws restricting information access
• external pressures such as economic instability.