I recently got into a physical confrontation with a colleague at work. The matter escalated to our boss. A memo was issued to both of us, indicating that we should wait for the next course of action. My worry is that I might be demoted from my managerial position. I am remorseful. Can I be demoted for this?
In the workplace there are regulations that govern how we relate with each other irrespective of how aggressive our colleagues behave towards us. We have a responsibility to carry ourselves with decorum and use the established company’s grievance procedures to manage any disputes that might arise from work relationships. In our interactions, we don’t always agree with the views of our colleagues. However, that is not justification to get into a fight. We all have different personalities which are influenced by our experiences, our upbringing and exposure. The diversity brought about by the different personalities complement one another and make us people with diverse temperaments which we must embrace and use to our advantage rather than expect all our colleagues to have a similar personality, which then would make the workplace a boring space.
When you are a manager, in a position of power and influence, you must be more careful since some might think you are misusing your power. At that level, you are expected to be in better control of your emotions and unfortunately, you will be judged more harshly since it might be seen as though you are fighting because you are beyond reproach due to the perceived power.
You are likely to be taken through a disciplinary process together with your colleague and asked to show why you should not be disciplined. Fighting at work is classified as gross misconduct which warrants summary dismissal. Regardless of who was on the wrong, you should not have fought. You should apologise and show remorse in your response during the hearing, rather than try to justify your behavior. In fact, you can use an emissary to reach out to your colleague so that during the session you both state that you have resolved your differences. In this case, a demotion would be better than summary dismissal. However, the committee listening to your case might extend leniency and issue both of you with final warning letters especially if you show remorse and demonstrate that you are ready to work together and solve your future differences more amicably. BY DAILY NATION