Managing during a global pandemic: getting up close and personal with the frontline library worker
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Siobhan Stevenson from the University of Toronto presentation at the CILIP Ireland/LAI Joint Conference 2021
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Managing during a global pandemic: getting up close and personal with the frontline library worker
- 1. Managing during a global pandemic: getting up close and personal with the frontline library worker Siobhan Stevenson University of Toronto CILIP Ireland/LAI Joint Conference, April 2021
- 2. Managing during a global pandemic: getting up close and personal with the frontline library worker. Siobhan Stevenson, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto Ontario, Canada
- 3. Background: Why do the Survey? CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 4. Findings from the open textual data “Is there anything else you would like to tell us?” CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 5. People wanted to talk about their experiences with: Impact of COVID-19 on their public service work, their mental & physical health, their lives outside work and their feelings & perspectives about the library’s response to service demands. CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 6. People also wanted to talk about other people and groups… Managers communicating with staff Staff communicating with managers Staff communicating with staff Staff communicating with customers/patrons Customer/patrons communicating with staff …And the outcomes of those communications CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 7. Outcome of the analysis “The single biggest illusion about communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Bernard Shaw Evidence of miss- communication: gaps, breakdowns, and empathetic errors CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 8. Feelings/Affect Fear Anticipatory anxiety CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 9. Feelings/Affect Lack of control & agency Discouragement/frustration Mistrust Cynicism Absenteeism Mental/physical/emotional exhaustion CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 10. Feedback regarding communications/ information • Too much • Not Enough • Not relevant • Poor timing of communications • Unclear, lacking transparency https://www.dreamstime.com/ CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 11. Flashpoints Photo by Malte Luk from Pexels • Changes to protocols without discussion/explanation • One-size-does-not-fit all (from masks to workrooms) • The onsite/off-site [or back of house] divide • Exemptions for some, not others? • It’s hard to say “no service for you,” "your nose is showing”, or “you’re standing too close to me.” CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 12. Perceptions based on communication breakdowns • Management does not care about our health and safety • Managers do not know what goes on from one day-to-day (because they aren’t here) • Customers and the delivery of uninterrupted services privileged over our health and safety CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 13. Photo credit: Alex Pang A fix for empathetic errors & miss communication? CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 14. Media Richness Theory CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 15. One fix for empathetic errors? Rich media • “Take a walk-in-my/our shoes…please” • Need you to be up-close and personal • Rich media for communicating ambiguous, sensitive, rapidly changing information • Tell us why CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
- 16. Thank-you Stevenson, Siobhan. (forthcoming) Learning from COVID-19: revisiting organizational Communications from the bottom-up.” Public Library Quarterly. doi: 10.1080/01616846.2021.1906616 If you would like a copy, please email me CILIP Ireland/Library Association of Ireland (LAI) Annual Joint Conference 2021.
Notas do Editor
- Hello and welcome to our session, entitled Working on Shifting Ground: Health & Safety Issues during a pandemic. My name is Siobhan Stevenson and I am going talk about the results of a survey of frontline public library workers in Toronto Canada. This was an online survey which ran for 4 weeks between September and October last year. It contained 49 questions about workers experiences with opening and working during the pandemic: for example, experiences with ppe, feelings regarding communications from library leadership, day to day challenges, etc. Over 400 members responded. The specific focus of my presentation is a analysis of the answers to the open question “Is there anything else you would like to tell us?” Followed by a major takeaways and a recommendation for best practices.
- But first, why do a survey of frontline library workers? Because frontline library workers are no different from any other frontline customer service workers (including grocery-store clerks and retail workers) They meet customers face-to-face and providing assistance and access to products and services. Important to remind ourselves that less than a year ago, none of us would have been familiar with social practices like masking, physical distancing, and frequent handwashing. Nor would any of us have been able to imagine a complete lockdown, never mind what the process of re-opening would look & feel like, especially as the pandemic raged on with new more contagious strains emerging. We would also find ourselves challenged to parse the often competing, and sometimes contradictory messaging from various levels of government. The one common element seemed to be: this is a rapidly evolving situation and we just don’t know…. Finally, each person has had to manage the emotional and physical demands of the pandemic within their own family situation. So it’s useful to remind ourselves that this is the context within which frontline library workers returned to their public facing work mid-summer 2020,. In September (at the time of this survey), there was no vaccine (we were told we were close) and a second wave was on the horizon. This survey was one vehicle used to reach out to frontline library worker.
- In the interests of time, I cannot read you as many of the text excerpts—in the words of the staff member– but there is a paper coming out that is rich in detail– contains many direct quotes.
- Some specifics included Personal Protective Equipment Physical Plant New and evolving Practices & Procedures PPE: “It is not so much that the PPE equipment is lacking, it is more the fact that a lot of the customers don’t take this seriously, When they talk to you they pull down their masks and even if you ask them to please cover their noses and mouth, the get upset” Legacy issues “Understaffing!
- The following excerpt touches upon each of the interactions described above: I invite you to listen for them “Presently, since reopening we are having a VERY difficult time with patrons not wearing masks properly (masks below their nose or even below their nose and chin). We have been told that we don't have to help people if we don't feel comfortable, but that usually means that clerks are redirecting those patrons to supervisors, and then staff like myself have to put ourselves at risk in order to help them, or get yelled at for not being willing to help. It is a tough time to work with the public and I don't think any of the staff feel like the managers are understanding or appreciative of this fact.”
- Communication gaps including empathetic errors were evidenced by the numbers of respondents stating that they feel unseen and/or unheard when it comes to management, and disrespected when it comes to customers, and in both instances, the assumption was that their health and safety did not matter, or was secondary to uninterrupted service delivery. Most common sources of communication referenced by respondents came in the form of (1) directives and guidelines for evolving procedures and protocols, some training opportunities, and townhall sessions communicated by MANAGEMENT to staff via digital media (emails& virtual events). Another common source of communication was (2) that which passed from one staff member to the next via word of mouth or via the digital grapevine from branch to branch as evidenced by statements like: “I heard, they say…, did you know”– pften led to rumors and speculation especially around COVID incidents/positive tests and transparency (3) customer feedback and reactions to safety protocols, esp. PPE were communicated in the form of direct face-to-face contact. A representative comment: “The mood of frontline staff is dire and only further antagonized by [management] emails, underscoring the disconnect between working staff and the library. Patrons are not wearing their masks or not wearing them correctly, and people with food/ drink is a constant, never-ending battle. Library workers generally are invisible as frontline workers and cleaners during COVID "recovery." We are open and exposed and the generic instructions to social distance from info-seeking patrons is unrealistic and unenforceable. “
- Many of the respondents talked about their feelings: and fear and anticipatory anxiety were near the top in terms of frequency: “Our resilience is also effected by Covid and fear. There is so much change, hard to follow. Skeletal staff leaves me exhausted and worried about getting sick due to exhaustion, which could lead us to be more vulnerable to things like Covid. We need staff support.” “Covid numbers are rising, and I am very scared and don't feel the service warrants the risk.”
- There were also a significant number of references to the feelings associated with a loss of control and personal agency. And let’ face it, frontline workers: … are generally operating at the lower rungs of the organizational ladder so access to decision-making processes as well as the ability to act unilaterally are limited. … they often work in part-time capacities which effects one’s ability to control the working environment … have little if any control over who walks into their branch or over the behviours and demands of the customers they serve Added to this, is the lack of control any of us have over the virus itself. And all of this compounded by the endless unknowns, least of which: if I get it, how sick will I get? What if I can’t work? “Don't come to work with symptoms but also don't get paid is forcing people to work when that should be at home being cautious. It endangers everyone” In their own voices Discouraged/Frustrated We had someone test positive recently at our branch. I felt discouraged to come to work as no meaningful information was given to us. It caused multiple people in many departments to panic and now we're understaffed. Mistrust: Communication isn't always transparent or clear from upper level management, which results in mistrust towards decisions. Staff do need to understand why certain decisions are made and how they benefit workers. Otherwise, they seem arbitrary and put people at risk unnecessarily, or keep them in the dark Cynicism It's not that ppe isn't available. I can wear as much ppe as I want, the fact that customers refuse to wear masks/cough near us/don't respect us makes me feel unsafe Absenteeism There is a high level of absenteeism amongst employees and it is making other employees which are at work, burn out. Mental/physical/emotional exhaustion We are all exhausted and management does nothing but push us further. I'm ready to quit. I wish I could retire. Not enough discussion on how to handle different scenarios-anger of patrons, employee exhaustion as our major role is now enforcing covid rules along with our usual tasks.
- Too much = overwhelmed Not Enough = left hanging Not relevant/reflective of my situation/branch = feeling invisible, unsupported, unimportant Timing of communications (short notice/no notice = anticipatory angst Unclear, lacking transparency re. decision-making "It is not clear if management is reporting to us if there are any positive Covid 19 cases among staff. Not enough communication and info on this issue.”
- Change to protocols (Especially Covid screening, reporting and responding) I am worried about the changes to the new increased length of exposure time before branches will be closed. I am also concerned about material that has been handled by patron for a short period of time but is not quarantined. There used to be a scheduled cleaning after every two hour booking, but we just learned that this has been scaled back to twice a day. (Nobody told us - we just noticed the study pods weren't being cleaned.) One-size does not fit all “One size does not fit all: mask protocol needs to be fine tuned to the specific tasks that people perform. I suggest that the executive/director/HR level staff take turns at the service desk and on the floor with the public so that they know what they are asking staff to endure.” Onsite/off site divide I don't understand why some team members can work from home, while others take on the public service and opening challenges. Staff are getting burnt out. I witnessed my colleague break down over it. I'm tired all the time. We have staff that are allowed to work from home, and the rest of us are here, how is that a thing? With barely any work to do we are just sitting here, stretching out jobs to get thru our day. Can’t say no Some patrons do not wear masks (they say they have a medical condition) or do not wear these properly. We are expected to help patrons at the public computers or look for books. It is difficult to socially distance in these cases. I do not feel safe. We are suppose to be doing "quick reference" but it is difficult to say no we can't help you if they have arrived by WheelTrans or have very few computer skills and need additional help
- Perceptions based on nature/content of communications ”Managers are not listening to feedback, not providing timely communication, and I do not agree that staff health and safety are priorities as they continue to say” “Complaints and queries fall on deaf ears. Coming into this work situation is not safe, but no one does anything about it.” “Really low trust towards managment from staff with such a clear lack of responsability towards staff safety and well being over making sure that branch's are open no matter what and there is no "service disruption” “There are many patrons who come in without masks claiming they have health issues yet they do not respect the other rules and guidelines the library has set. They come way too close to staff and other patrons (stick their faces under the shields at the desk), do not cover themselves when coughing, sneezing, etc. I have seen many patrons sneezing on their computers and we have to clean them.The public, generally speaking, is well aware that they can state a medical exemption and not have to wear a mask. This is often abused, and I feel most unsafe at work when the branch is filled with individuals who have falsely claimed medical reasons for non compliance. “
- Management/ communications theory can help here. Daft and Lengel (1984, 1986)
- Criteria for evaluating richness: Speed of feedback Variety of communication channels employed Personalness of the source Richness of the language used Based on the media richness model, Daft and Lengel offer a number of suggestions to managers: Convey non-routine and difficult communications through a rich medium, such as face-to-face. Convey routine, simple communications through a lean medium (scheduling, policies, directional information, announcements, etc.) Use rich media to make your presence felt throughout the organizations Use multiple media on critical issues to make sure you are heard correctly. Evaluate new technologies critically instead of assuming they are appropriate for the entire range of managerial tasks.
- Take a walk in my/our shoes: “People who do not take the same risks should not be asking others to do so when they do not themselves. Very dissapointed and jaded with managments lack of empathy for their staff, and disrespect for staff's overll health and risks” (116) Managers/directors need to work in branch to see the everyday issues and stress. (46) Directors and Managers need to visit branches and talk to front line staff about concerns they have. (93) Up close and personal In person/group staff training (verbal question & answer training and discussion) is needed rather than relying on staff and supervisors to simply read health and safety protocols. Some staff do not read or understand them so meetings that check for understanding are required. Time needs to be set aside for training regularly. We need frequent brief training sessions to ensure everyone understands COVID-19 protocols. Only that this is extremely stressful and I wish our supervisors would help out at the desk on a continuous basis and not stay in their offices where they are less likely to be in contact with a possible COVID 19 situation, meanwhile it appears that we are dispensible, the people on the front lines Rich media for communicating ambiguous, sensitive, rapidly changing information The reliance on the "trickle-down" effect of info from managers to all staff is flawed. Some managers are largely absent with little to no physical presence in the branches. Tell us why?