Art of checking in with staff while respecting boundaries

Naliaka oversees a handful of employees in their firm’s Kakamega office. Observers report heightened tensions in the workplace as intrusive personal questions overshadow necessary professional responsibilities.

Employees report cornered sensations whenever Naliaka pushes into personal matters without concern for decorum or limits.

Negative jokes about personal details circulate among coworkers, causing sustained embarrassment. A detectable drop in performance results from the dysfuntional relationship, and employees regularly wish for respectful boundaries.

Nyongesa is in charge of human resource management in another department in Malava, Kakamega County and uses a more compassionate style.

Workers quote frequent brief sessions that touch on personal well-being and career advice. Nyongesa, for example, provides free airing of topical issues within respect for privacy limits workers necessarily guard.

Such a gesture fosters trust, enhances morale, and opens up collaborations that achieve departmental goals more effectively. Experienced workers acknowledge Nyongesa's gentle leadership because respect at the personal level and professional requirements coexist in delicate harmony.

Research by Karyn Twaronite shows that regular check-ins between co-workers and from managers counteract workplace isolation because they instill a sense of belonging to professional communities.

Relationships that are too formal or too shallow very rarely result in meaningful connections, and hence employees crave greater personal recognition and affirmation.

Studies point out that fulfilling the deep human evolutionary need for acceptance creates more engagement, motivation, and performance.

Employees who get personal attention from leaders have greater commitment and trust, which results in greater productivity from teams.

The respondents to the research surveys said frequent interpersonal contact was more important than impersonal top leadership contact.

Data collection included surveys from 1,000 working adults in the US, and over 40 percent of the respondents reported emotional distance at work.

An additional 39 percent reported personal contact by fellow workers as most significant to generate a feeling of belonging, irrespective of gender and age.

Karyn Twaronite and her team concluded that genuine recognition of individual situations raises morale and lessens turnover.

The majority of those interviewed favoured the typical contacts over large-scale executive meetings which were not warm. Survey results also confirmed that in-person human-to-human contact is likely to produce far more loyalty than superficial e-mail membership or sporadic remote leaders' check-ins.

In our Kenyan context, from an organisational development perspective it is advisable that organisations implement formal management training that empowers managers with empathetic listening and constructive conversation.

Strong policies can mandate bi-weekly or monthly one-on-one check-in meetings in which supervisors inquire about personal circumstances and career development aspirations all within the boundaries of avoiding challenging private sensitivities.

Sadly, most companies just rely on the outdated concept of performance evaluations to require one-on-one discussions and hope that employee feedback on managerial communication styles will come forth and establish a system of accountability for continuous improvement. However, that does not work.

Instead, regular forums in which best practices in developing authenticity and cohesion in diverse teams should be shared among managers and are favoured in most progressive corporations. Continued sensitivity to cultural matters enables leaders to craft outreach initiatives with optimum positive effect.

Also, this author in researching Eastern African workforce dynamics, found a cultural preference for guarded personal disclosure in workplace relationships.

Most regional workers guard private information and prefer respectful but restrained interaction with managers. This is unique compared to the rest of the world.

Aggressive managerial questioning can cause discomfort and potentially drive valued employees to seek less inquisitorial environments.

Careful moderation throughout workplace check-ins encourages retention and trust in a healthier manner. Our Kenyan businesses can gain from communication which is open but boundary-respecting, yet still supportive in nature.

In summary, leaders who respect personal dignity and establish rapport readily tend to become closer to their staff. Intrusive question traps can be evaded by managers through empathetic communication styles that enable employees to contribute at their comfort.

Inclusive conversational contributors are more innovative and stronger, and they propel organisational success. The effectiveness of gentle but firm outreach advocated by Karyn Twaronite and others shows the merits of attempts at reaching out to individuals in a soft and sustained manner, yet always with cultural sensitivity here in East Africa.

Structured training, accountability, and attuned empathy are all integral parts of a healthy, effective workplace. Building relationships remains the cornerstone of long-term growth, particularly where companies honour the boundaries of personal revelation. It is respect for those boundaries that generates trust, stability, and rapport, and motivates teams to function optimally.

Have a management or leadership issue, question, or challenge? Reach out to Dr. Scott through @ScottProfessor on X or on email [email protected]