This week estate agent Philip Taylor was the latest Apprentice candidate to be fired after his lack of sales contributed to the teamís loss. After returning to the boardroom with an empty sales book, Philip also came under fire from Sir Alan Sugar for his allegedly negative influence on the team.
Monster.co.ukís Apprentice watcher observes:
Everyone has days when their performance isnít to its usual standard. However, the situation this week was exacerbated by team members failing to handle professional and personal relationships appropriately. Firstly, the clear evidence of Philipís dislike of Lorraine greatly reduced the credibility of his testimony against her in the boardroom. Secondly, the emergence of a relationship between Philip and Kate suggested unfair loyalties within the team.
Balancing relationships, negative or positive, in the workplace is challenging, but with the right level of professionalism it can be done. For anyone struggling to handle relationships in the office, Monster.co.uk recommends the following tips:
- Any demonstration of favouritism in the workplace is inappropriate. Keep personal relationships out of the office to ensure no one has a reason to accuse you of letting it affect business performance
- All team members are working towards the same goal. Personal dislike should have nothing to do with the task in hand
- Never be tempted to give feedback that is tainted by how well you get on with a team member, you risk losing credibility and the respect of your team
- Donít be tempted to blame poor business results on relationships between other team members. Itís more constructive to focus on improving performance moving forward
The Apprentice: how to handle office relationships
This week estate agent Philip Taylor was the latest Apprentice candidate to be fired after his lack of sales contributed to the teamís loss
