By Aung Kyaw Thant
IN fact, we have to consider that workplaces are similar to families. Generally, if any employee can calculate their active hours except the sleeping time, they can find a deniable answer that they spend many hours of active time at their workplaces and a lesser time at home. It shows they actually spend their time on longer relationships with friends and workmates at the workplace than with their family members.
Consequently, they have to uphold patience, tolerance, sympathy, compassion, friendly relationships and so on at their workplaces in joining hands with workmates. Only then will they ease difficulties and overcome challenges in working processes. To be able to do so, they all have to uphold the cooperation among themselves. Cooperation among the employees is a must in the daily routine of relevant workplaces.
The important role of collaboration
Collaboration in the workplace is a fundamental element for success. To maintain an organization’s efficiency, productivity, and quality of outcomes at a high level, agreement, discussion, and cooperation among team members are essential. Effective collaboration allows team members to coordinate their responsibilities and manage workflows more efficiently, enabling tasks to be completed step by step while minimizing the spending of time and resources.
In some workplaces, a lack of collaboration can lead to disorganized and disunited workflows, poor accountability, and diminished quality of work. When team members focus solely on their individual responsibilities and show little commitment to the organization, and when discussions and coordination are neglected, missions and visions cannot be accomplished, resulting in wasted time. Moreover, the absence of collaboration can cause low trust among employees, reduced morale, and decreased workplace performance, which in turn negatively affects the organization’s financial results, productivity, and the quality of its services.
A lack of collaboration can lead to miscommunication of information, delayed decision-making, and incomplete or substandard work quality. When responsibilities are not fully met and coordination is poor, business progress slows, and both time and financial costs can increase. Accountability may decline, and conflicts or resentment may arise among employees. If unnecessary interventions occur, unpleasant incidents between staff members can become inevitable. Therefore, when managing tasks, it is essential for team members to maintain constant agreement, discussion, and sound decision-making, and prioritizing collaboration to achieve the best outcomes.
Therefore, employees must work cooperatively within their workplace to achieve the best results while strictly following the operational guidelines set by higher authorities. Merely performing one’s individual duties is not enough; employees must also avoid neglecting workplace rules, failing to assist colleagues, bypassing established procedures, or taking action on matters that require reporting to higher levels without authorization. By clearly understanding and adhering to these expectations, the workplace can function properly and efficiently.
Team members should define their roles based on mutual agreement and discussion to implement appropriate actions aligned with the organization’s goals. Collaboration in the workplace increases efficiency beyond ordinary work, while enhancing comfort, motivation, and unity within the organization. Furthermore, collaboration provides a foundation for business growth, reconstruction, and technological advancement, improving employees’ skills and performance. With effective collaboration, an organization can achieve higher productivity, better service quality, and stronger economic outcomes, while also minimizing time and resource costs and ensuring smooth operations.
Collaboration in the workplace is fundamental to an organization’s success and effectiveness, while a lack of collaboration leads to wasted time, reduced performance, and poor organizational outcomes. Therefore, to build a successful workplace, team members must consistently prioritize agreement, discussion, and cooperative action.
Limit of the framework and authority
Employees have to thoroughly understand the limits of their framework and the authority of their superiors. They should not need to envy the authority of their superiors and should not cultivate pessimism over the authority of their superiors. In fact, those officials at the superior level have to exercise responsibility and accountability despite applying their authority in the workplace. Similarly, those at the superior level have to consider the benefits of cooperation and collaboration among the employees in operating their work processes. They do not intentionally turn a blind eye to the possibility of benefits based on collaboration for the sake of the entire workplace, even though the collaboration may harm their personal interests. If one is eager to possess authority in the workplace, it will spark unity among all.
As such, all employees have to uphold their collaborative efforts in operating their daily work, setting aside eagerness to secure authority in the framework. If they understand everything, they can know that the collaborative efforts among their friends in the workplace are better than the authority. In fact, for those who are not at the superior level, the authority in the workplace is not just an act of pride. If the authority is not granted by the relevant responsible officials, any so-called ‘absolute labour rights’ claimed by workers are nothing more than an illusion.
Experiences once upon a time
I would like to share my experiences in the workplace. While serving at a daily newspaper some 30 years ago, I had a great experience. Once, while working, we sat at a large table where proofreaders used it to do their work. The proofreaders I have met were older than me. Even someone close to my age was about one month older. So, as I wrote earlier, at that time, he already had over ten years of work experience because he joined the workplace at 18 years old. Now, he holds a significant position and works in a famous book publication. What I want to say is that one night, he was sitting and carrying out the proofreading process. He was reading the page he was assigned, and after a short while, another form of the newspaper was printed out for checking.
Back then, the proofreader worked extra jobs during the day to earn additional income. In the evening, they joined their government jobs. So, they were always exhausted. As I mentioned earlier, when another form of the newspaper appeared, it was for another proofreader who had to check it. That proofreader, being very tired, fell asleep. During the daytime, he managed his household’s business on the other side of Yangon. In the late evening, he would come over to Yangon to start his government work. A single salary from one job wasn’t enough to support a whole household, so he had to make do carefully. Therefore, the first proofreader who was reading his assigned form of the newspaper just now didn’t disturb the other proofreader. So, he said he would read such a page himself.
Empathic relations among friends
I kept watching him closely. Like everyone else, for the sake of life and family, he had worked all day and, without rest, continued his evening duties. Life is like that. For him, once he finished checking and preparing the page he was responsible for, his duty was done. He could sleep and return home. However, seeing a friend who was just as exhausted from daytime work, he felt empathy. Even though it was past midnight, around one o’clock, and he himself wanted to sleep, he let his tired friend continue resting. Since he was reading on behalf of his friend, if any mistake occurred on that page, it would be his responsibility. Nevertheless, he carried out his duty diligently.
In this situation, the first proofreader who stepped in to help did so by fully engaging in his friend’s life challenge. If his friend had made a mistake while reading a page he was responsible for – perhaps due to fatigue or drowsiness – it would have caused problems, and everyone would have been upset. By assisting, he shared the consequences his friend might face, and no one could feel entirely at ease.
Valuable assistance
When a page appears while someone is asleep, they might feel alert and lively, and could even refuse help, thinking, “Why should I check your page?” But in this case, by helping a sleeping friend, the first proofreader’s assistance became valuable. It not only benefited his friend but also brought peace of mind to those around him. Eventually, the workmate would realize that someone had supported him in this way. At the very least, the page could be completed on time, and a sense of trust and reassurance was established.
Interact with one another in society
In the workplace, employees need to interact with one another on a peer-to-peer basis with a spirit of equality, while also maintaining respect and care in hierarchical relationships, similar to that between parents and children. If every employee in a workplace embodies this mindset, it creates a joyful and positive working environment. Employees will enjoy their work and feel fulfilled.
Such a culture fosters a community where people are willing to help and support one another. When many workplaces cultivate this kind of environment, the broader human society built through their cooperation also becomes harmonious, setting aside jealousy, envy and hate. It creates a world full of fairness and justice, where peace and goodwill flourish through the valuable collaborative efforts.
