Are you familiar with the “Right to Repair” movement? “They don’t make things like they used to” is an oft-repeated phrase, and there’s truth to it – with cheaper materials, planned obsolescence, and the proprietary nature of information and parts, it can sometimes seem impossible to fix something that’s broken. It can seem like the only path forward is to buy the shiny new thing as a replacement. The Right to Repair movement advocates for the ability to fix your stuff rather than be forced into an unwanted upgrade, and supports reforms that remove barriers to repair. Our world of increasing disposability even spills over to people, in both personal relationships and professional ones. For Forbes, Maria Alonso wrote “How Employees Became Disposable In The Modern Workplace“, with this introduction:
“In the not-so-distant past, the relationship between employers and employees was viewed as a mutual commitment. Companies invested in their workers, offering job security, advancement opportunities and benefits that rewarded loyalty. In return, employees dedicated years, if not decades, of their careers to a single organization, contributing to its growth and success. However, this traditional bond has eroded over the past few decades. Today, many employees find themselves in a corporate landscape where loyalty is one-sided, with companies increasingly treating their workforce as disposable assets rather than long-term partners.”
My family and I recently hosted some friends whose house was being renovated. For a few weeks we lived life together, and so did our dogs. At one point, the dogs were home alone for a few hours, and got separated by a closed door. Their dog tried in vain to open the door, ripping apart the draft excluder under the door in the process. No big deal, we thought – we’d just order another one. But our friend, the dog’s owner – a talented sewer and quilter – asked instead if she could work to repair it; it was her dog, and she wanted to make it right. Sure enough, an hour or so later, it was fixed as good as new. Our friend felt grateful for the chance to repair something that she felt responsible for, and that she was able to use her skills to fix a mistake.
Perhaps there’s something in this for our teams. Often when a team member makes a mistake, a manager’s tendency is to step in and solve the problem – escalating the issue to show that they take it seriously and are righting the ship. The issue might then be passed along to someone else to handle instead of the original team member. Especially if this is a client-facing role, this approach shows that the customer satisfaction is a priority. But in doing so, we’re leaning into treating employees as disposable – and indeed if this happens repeatedly with a team member, they might be sent away for additional training, or given disciplinary action, or maybe even lose their job. All of this might suggest to an employee that it’s best not to talk through problems with their manager – to try and handle it themselves without support – but that too can lead to issues, not least of which is the manager potentially being caught off guard if they hear anything about it, leading to a contentious relationship between manager and associate.
What if, instead, managers afforded their team members the “right to repair”? To sew up the draft excluder themselves? In other words, what if they were able to fix their mistakes, develop their skills, and come out the other side more able to do their job in future?
This Week’s Tips:
For your team: Empower your team to repair their mistakes. Give them grace when mistakes happen, and use open-ended questions to help them see the skills and resources they can use to fix the situation themselves. Check in with them afterwards, and if you need to, you could also informally check in with the client/customer as a courtesy. Leave the repair work to your team, though. Creating a safe environment to discuss these situations as growth opportunities can lead to employees feeling more respected, more valued, and more able to develop in their current role.
For you: Work with your manager to show that you are willing and able to repair your own mistakes. Ask open-ended questions to make sure you’re hearing their perspective and getting their guidance, and then propose a next step that places you as the one taking action. This might mean asking, “Could I give this a go in the first instance?” If they push back, ask to hear more about their pushback, ask more questions if that feels helpful, and then reiterate your proposal. Let them know you’ll circle back to them with updates. If they still don’t want you to move forward, respect their decision, and let them know that if another situation like this arises in future, you’d like the chance to show you can take care of it.
Try these out this week, and let us know how it goes – we’d love to hear from you.
As always, you can subscribe to our feed here, or sign up for our weekly newsletter to get these articles directly in your inbox.
Building Bridges Leadership 