Real Communication An Introduction

Chapter 11  Communicating in Organizations 329

c Clearly and firmly tell the harasser that his or her advances are not welcome.

c Immediately report the incident to someone who can assist you: a trusted

professor, a counselor, or your boss. If the harasser is your boss, you can con-

tact a representative in your organization’s human resources department.

c Document each incident in writing. Include a description of the incident,

the date, the person or persons involved, and any action you took.

c If anyone else in the organization witnessed the harassing behavior, have

each witness verify the details of the incident and add that information to

your documentation.

Likewise, be careful not to inadvertently behave in a harassing manner
yourself. For example, if a friend e-mails a dirty joke or pornographic photo to
you at work, don’t forward it to anyone else in the organization. It’s not appropri-
ate under any circumstances. And if your organization is like many, it may well
fire you on the spot.

Zappos

At the beginning of the chapter, we took a look at how Zappos

endeavors to create a corporate culture that is based on core val-

ues. Let’s revisit the culture at Zappos now that we’ve learned a

bit more about the way organizations shape, and are shaped by,

communication.

c Hsieh calls culture the company’s “No. 1 priority” (Hsieh, 2013, para. 2).

But a nice place to work won’t remain a nice place to work for very long if

the company fails to grow and be profitable. For that reason, the company’s

core values reflect not merely worker-centric ideas like pursuing “weirdness”

or building team spirit but also bottom-line realities like “do more with less”

and “deliver WOW through service.”

c The company also places a premium on communication (see core value #6,

“Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication”). The new

headquarters is designed to foster face-to-face communication with central

entrances and corridors where top corporate officers, including Hsieh, work

not in posh corner offices but in an open-plan, common work space in full

view of coworkers and anyone taking a tour of the space (Spillman, 2013).

c One key issue facing large companies today is the debate over flexible

time and work-at-home policies. At Zappos, the goal is clearly on keeping

employees in a face-to-face environment where they can interact with one

another spontaneously.

c Another level being explored at the company is the importance of becoming

part of the surrounding community. Hsieh envisions a downtown lifestyle

Z

Atth b

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