Employee Bunker Strategy

Navigating Workplace Challenges with a Transactional Colleague

Leanne is a relational team member who values collaboration, mutual support, and shared success. However, she faces persistent challenges with Sandra, a colleague who operates from a transactional mindset.

Sandra’s behaviors include:

• Withholding information or resources
• Prioritizing personal recognition over team outcomes
• Avoiding tasks not explicitly assigned to her
• Creating division through favoritism or exclusion
• Only engaging when personal benefit is evident

To maintain her professional integrity, Leanne can build and rely on her bunker—grounded in workplace policies, shared values, and governance frameworks that promote fairness and respectful communication.

1. Building Leanne’s Bunker

Using Workplace Structure and Governance to Navigate Peer Conflict

Rather than confronting Sandra emotionally or allowing her behavior to erode team morale, Leanne protects herself by anchoring her responses in written rules and team agreements:

• Team Charters / Shared Agreements: Outline mutual responsibilities and expectations.
• Company Policies / Code of Conduct: Set standards for cooperative and respectful behavior.
• Performance Measures / KPIs: Keep focus on outcomes and contributions, not personalities.
• Documentation & Transparent Communication: Maintain clear records of responsibilities and deliverables.

These tools become Leanne’s bunker, allowing her to uphold relational values while addressing transactional behaviors constructively.

2. Strategic Responses to Sandra’s Transactional Behaviors
3. Withholding Information

Issue: Sandra only shares updates when it benefits her.
Bunker Strategy: Promote transparency as a team value.

• “Could we agree to share key updates during our regular check-ins?”
• “I’ll send through my project notes by Friday—could you do the same so we can coordinate our timelines?”

1. Seeking Credit

Issue: Sandra claims credit without acknowledging team effort.
Bunker Strategy: Reframe recognition to highlight collective contribution.

• “I really appreciate how the team pulled this together—our combined efforts made a big impact.”
• “In our project summary, I’ve noted all contributors. Let me know if there’s anything else to add.”

1. Avoiding Tasks

Issue: Sandra refuses tasks outside her defined role.
Bunker Strategy: Reinforce shared responsibility and planning.

• “We all have specific roles, but helping each other where possible supports deadlines.”
• “Let’s list out who’s covering which tasks to keep it equitable.”

1. Creating Division or Exclusion

Issue: Sandra withholds collaboration or forms cliques.
Bunker Strategy: Rebuild team unity through shared values.

• “Our team charter encourages open communication—can we bring this back to the full group?”
• “Let’s make sure all voices are included in this conversation since it affects everyone involved.”

1. Only Engaging for Personal Gain

Issue: Sandra contributes only when she benefits directly.
Bunker Strategy: Refocus efforts on shared team goals.

• “This project ties into our team’s quarterly targets—when we all contribute, the results are stronger.”
• “Let’s each present our section in the meeting to show how we’ve worked collectively.”

3. Implementing the Bunker

Leanne’s Next Steps

• Document everything: Keep a paper trail—meetings, responsibilities, and deliverables.
• Frame conversations around process: Use policy and standards to guide interactions.
• Avoid personal confrontation: Focus on actions and impact, not intentions or personalities.
• Seek support when needed: Involve supervisors or mentors when patterns persist.
• Hold the line with relational integrity: Model the behavior you want to see in others.

4. Outcome

Leanne’s professional integrity and team contribution remain intact.

✅ Instead of feeling isolated, she leans on structure and clarity.
✅ Instead of escalating conflict, she models values-based behavior.
✅ Instead of reacting emotionally, she stays focused, fair, and effective.

By grounding her interactions in policy, team agreements, and strategic communication, Leanne navigates Sandra’s transactional behavior without compromising her professionalism.

Final Reflection

“Thank you for walking alongside us on this journey. From all of us at Maggie’s Legacy, we hope you’ve discovered new perspectives and practical insights to ease workplace conflict. May this be the beginning of deeper understanding and meaningful connection.”