Anybody working within a public or private organization has probably encountered challenges with hierarchy. The structure of reporting relationships can be tricky for employees to comprehend, particularly in terms of who to communicate to, how best to communicate, what to communicate and even when.
In my experience, each organization has their own code of conduct on how internal communications and information need to be transferred. I have learned that enforcing strict rules on who employees can communicate to can stifle innovation, trust, and relationships. However, it’s important for team members at all hierarchical levels to be strongly encouraged to always keep their direct reporting manager informed. The same applies to workplace issues; out of respect, employees should take any concerns or complaints directly to their supervisor before escalating to a higher level on the organizational structure. This also protects the time of senior managers who may not have the time to be fielding issues that could be handled by front-line managers.
The same applies to those in senior positions; it’s important for leaders to respect the reporting relationships of front line leaders. Direction and communication should always go through the reporting managers, or at the very least, the manager should always be copied or included on communications to front line employees.
I had an experience with a senior leader who would often send emails to team members to express discontent about performance; however, this would result in morale issues and de-motivation. I asked the senior leader to direct her concerns to me, which I would then communicate to my team members. Having already developed relationships with the team, it was easier to have those conversations and I was able to read and handle any response issues. Since this had never been flagged as a concern in the past, the senior leader was not aware of how her direct communication may be creating issues, and was more than willing to have me handle them going forward.
The one exception to jumping the hierarchical structure is if you’ve approached your direct supervisor with an issue, and she takes no action. If it’s something that needs to be addressed, then it is the employee’s right to escalate the issue to the supervisor’s manager. This needs to be handled with care, so I would advise that you first inform your supervisor that you plan to escalate before you jump to this decision. Otherwise, you may create some irreparable damage to building or retaining a trusting relationship.
The other challenge with hierarchy is when senior leaders are going directly to a front line employee to delegate work or a project. I have been the recipient of this, and have also had this happen to my direct reports. This can result in a lot of confusion, particularly when work has been distributed amongst the team to balance workload. Sometimes the employee might struggle with what work to prioritize — an assignment coming from an executive leader should be considered important, which is even more reason why the employee’s Manager should be informed.
I’ve also had the experience in which an employee has sent an email directly to an Executive regarding a problem. I was blind-sided. I had no idea that the employee was unhappy with something, and I wasn’t aware he had sent the email until the message cascaded back down to me. You may work in an organization where this action might be welcome and encouraged, but I was in a very large company at the time, and that was definitely not the culture we worked in.
As a leader or a senior leader of an organization, it’s important to talk about the culture of hierarchy and communication. Set expectations for the employee early on so they understand how to navigate the system according to the culture you’re in. Even better, try to build in some opportunities for front line employees to share and interact with senior leadership. It’s important for those at the top of the organization to hear first hand about the experiences of the front-line employees. After all, they are any organization’s most valuable asset.
How does your organization handle organizational hierarchy? What happens when employees or leaders sidestep the reporting relationships and bypass the chain of command?