Ghosting

The contractor you took off work to meet doesn’t show up and doesn’t call.? The company you visited four times to meet with key leaders about a job that excited you, goes silent.? You wait for candidates for the opening in your team who never show up for their appointment. You submitted a support ticket and heard nothing.? Colleagues don’t get back to you.

These are all examples of ghosting and informal research suggests that it is on the rise.? But why? There are no ghostbusters for us to call to tackle this kind of ghost, so what do we do about it?

Let’s start with why.? In some cases, the sheer volume of inquiries and information to process gets in the way of responding and following up properly.? That’s an explanation, but not a good excuse. ?Systems and processes can help manage volume. ?In this world of interacting on our phones and behind video screens, are we losing sight of the fact that it’s a human being who is waiting for us, who may have taken time off work for us, and who needs to hear from us?

In other cases, people don’t get back to others because they’re waiting for updates themselves.? They think “well I don’t have the information, so I’ll hold off until I do.”? The problem with that is that your contact is sitting there with no update.? In that case, the update is “I don’t have the update yet, but I will stay in touch until I do.”? It’s amazing how helpful it is to keep everyone connected and on the same page.

Whatever the driver, it’s time to focus on finding ways to improve this.? It’s a key indicator of company values.? Everyone wants to feel valued where they work, so having standards and expectations about responsiveness to each other and to customers needs to be part of the culture.? Sure, some companies have SLA’s about responsiveness, but how much better for all concerned if responsiveness is embedded in company DNA.

If you’ve been ghosted, don’t accept it.? Calmly share the impact that ghosting has had on you.? Help the other person see why their response is needed.? (Believe me, I know this won’t always work, but this kind of feedback is important.)

No ghostbusters are coming. ?We need to solve this problem. ?Employees and customers deserve to feel valued and respected. Valuing and insisting on responsiveness are important steps in the right direction.?

Adapt.Lead.Succeed

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