James Pinchbeck, partner at Streets Chartered Accountants, delves into the problem of ghosting in business.
The term ghosting is widely known or referred to in the world of dating, when a person suddenly or unexpectedly experiences an end to all contact or interaction with a person – a date or partner. Any attempts to gain a response or engage in communication is fruitless.
However, the world of dating is not the only place it is experienced. It seems that ghosting is increasingly prevalent in the world of business. Its escalation, perhaps in part, is a legacy of lockdown when we worked remotely and were less connected to people, with face-to-face interaction switched to more faceless and less personal digital interactions. Hybrid and remote working, which has been more widely adopted post pandemic, may also be a contributor. So too may be the wider use and adoption of digital communication and working practices.
Everyone also seems to be busier than ever, and juggling workload and work pressure has meant people don’t do or can’t do things the way they might have in the past. It is perhaps a little cynical to think that standards, behaviours and ways of working are just not what they used to be.
How then might you experience ghosting in the workplace?
Interviews – you invite someone to attend for an interview, they accept but fail to turn up and don’t tell you they are not attending or make any contact.
Hiring – you make a job offer and give a start date, but the person doesn’t turn up or tell you they are not starting.
Quitting – someone decides they no longer want to stay in your employment and without going through due process leaves without notice.
Leavers – an employee is let go or leaves by agreement and prior to their departure they are given the cold shoulder or experience a sense they are not a part of the team or organisation.
Prospects – you have pitched or quoted for some business. The process seems to be going swimmingly then it ends abruptly, and you hear nothing and get no response.
Networking – you meet someone at a conference, networking event, or connected with them on LinkedIn and seem to really hit it off, agree to get in touch but never hear from them again or get a response.
Meetings – how many of us have sat in meetings and experienced the person more interested or engaged in their mobile phone? When it comes to online meetings there seems to be a host of people that neither have their camera or sound on – are they ‘in the room’?
Emails, calls and texts – you try to communicate with someone but find you get no response from a work colleague, someone you line manage or external contact.
Ghosting behaviour certainly adversely impacts the performance and productivity of an organisation, as well as, if widely experienced or prevalent, has a negative effect on culture, morale, recruitment and behaviours.
Perhaps it might be understandable, if not acceptable, in difficult situations. It does seem to be increasingly rife in circumstances where individuals prefer or just don’t want to deal with things, either because it is outside their comfort zone, it makes them anxious or more anxious, they avoid or can’t deal with conflict, might get a kick back, they are just too busy or even perhaps because they don’t care. It may even be learnt behaviour from more senior colleagues or peers.
Managing or considering how your business or organisation might be affected by ghosting surely is a matter which cannot be ghosted. Whilst individuals may have experienced some work-related ghosting few have probably considered its more widespread impact.
See this column in the January issue of East Midlands Business Link Magazine here.
