Successfully Dealing with Bureaucracies

02 Jan Successfully Dealing with Bureaucracies

Last month, I shared my first four tips on how to get the best result when dealing with bureaucracies. Here’s the remainder of my list.

5.             Be proactive

Have some solutions up your sleeve. Nobody needs to know about more problems.

Just because someone works in a bureaucracy, that doesn’t mean they know the best solution for your situation.

Like everyone, bureaucrats have bad days and brain freezes.

For example, a government decision was going to adversely impact one of my clients. The government department had consulted, but not with my client. While we were negotiating an outcome, we arranged for my client to sit on the department’s consultation committee. This meant my client could add their issue to the committee agenda and have input to future decision-making.

6.             Be resourceful

There is more than one way to skin a cat – try other ways of resolving the issue.

A friend’s elderly parents recently had two fires outside their house in short succession, both at the same time of evening. The first fire was bigger than the second one. The elderly couple was scared that the fires might keep happening and burn down their house. They rang the police, who put the second fire down to electrical issues. The elderly couple was disappointed and still scared.

I suggested they ask the police to increase patrols in the area. If people were lighting fires, an increased police presence might deter them. Or the police might notice strange behaviour and talk to the people concerned.

Another option is to look around for abandoned vehicles. (They generally have not moved for a very long time, have spider webs and a lot of debris around the wheels.) You can report these to the police on 131444 and they will come and investigate and arrange with council for removal of abandoned vehicles.

7.             Be knowledgeable

Do some research on the possible consequences of the bureaucratic decision. Understand what has, and hasn’t, worked elsewhere.

For example, a client was substantially overcharged by a car hire company for repairs. By the time the issue came to me, the company’s finance department had issued numerous threats and it had been going on for nearly two years. Clearly, the finance department wasn’t where we would find a solution. We bypassed the finance department, went straight to the top and the “debt” was wiped.

8.             Be concise

Before you contact anyone with your complaint, work out what you want. And tell them as soon as you can. More often than you might expect, they will just give you what you want.

They don’t always need to hear your life story. Or even to hear how you might feel taken advantage of.

Recently, I rang my bank for some information. The information they gave me was outdated and, now, incorrect. Following their incorrect advice cost me money. I lodged a complaint with the bank, stated the facts simply and requested a refund of the costs. Within a week of lodging the complaint, I had the refund in my bank account.

Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash

This article comes from my column entitled “Here to Help” in Hunter Local, January 2020. If you have an everyday problem just begging for a simple, real world solution, send it to “Here to Help” and let’s see what we can achieve.

Elaine Abery has a closet full of great ideas and empowering solutions. She’s also the Director of Unravelling Red Tape, a company dedicated to helping everyday people, not-for-profits and companies change the world through improved decision-making and legislation.