Creating work agreements for home and work
A work agreement is a critical strategic vehicle for building trust and commitment, lowering stress, and boosting productivity both at home and at work. Here are some examples of how work agreements can help avoid stress, and the steps to take in structuring such an agreement:
• AT WORK: You have been on the road all week and are anxious to continue a project that was started before you left. You even came in on Saturday to get a head start. The accounting department has an important role, and you will be working closely with them on the project.
Before leaving, you asked Linda, the accounting supervisor, to produce a series of reports crucial to the project. You expected to find them stacked neatly in your box. Guess what? No reports. On Monday, Linda says she wasn’t sure what you wanted or when you wanted it, and her week was just too crazy to deal with the project.
• AT HOME: You have been on the road all week and drive up to find your grass is knee-high and the garage is a disaster. Your teenage son, the one responsible for these chores, is shooting a few "hoops" and enjoying some Sunny Delight with his friends. When you ask about the unfinished chores, he immediately responds with uncertainty about what, how, and when the chores were to be completed. He also felt that the garage wasn’t his responsibility.
• THE PARTNERING RESPONSE: A work agreement in both situations could have proven valuable. A formal or informal agreement whereby everyone knows exactly what is expected is the basis for any effective partnership. A work agreement is most effective when it is established at the beginning of an assignment and reviewed and updated throughout. A work agreement that clearly spells out objectives, roles, responsibilities, and results could have pushed both your son and Linda to complete their assigned tasks.
• CREATING A WORK AGREEMENT:
Select a "client" or team with whom you want to clarify expectations. Confirm roles and responsibilities, and document your collective agreement.
Using the list of work agreement topics, outline your understanding of each area based on what you now know. When it’s completed, read through it and identify any areas about which you are not clear or for which you need more information.
Meet with your client or team and discuss those areas about which you have questions. Also confirm that:
— Your client or team is clear about the project.
— The expectations each of you have are defined.
— Potential obstacles are identified and planned for.
Ask the client or team for feedback on creating the work agreement. What worked? What didn’t?
Source: The Consultative Approach, by Virginia LaGrossa and Suzanne Saxe. Used with permission.
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