Brown Bagger
This section is set up to provide a ready-made Brown Bag Session for you to use with employees and/or managers. Use as is, or adapt this information for a general employee group. You may reproduce as many copies as needed.
Critical Mistakes Made by Supervisors Dealing with Employees in Trouble at Work By Bob Gilson hen I worked as a management representative and employee-relations advisor, I frequently witnessed firsthand supervisors who started out on the wrong foot with their employees. Most of the supervisors I advised were apprehensive about what the short-term future held while they dealt with a person who was having work-related problems. The majority of the mistakes are common during the early stages of problem solving. Fortunately, most of them can be resolved before real damage ensues. Employees often deserve the disciplinary actions they receive. However, the lion’s share of supervisory mistakes I’ve seen resulted from poor training or leadership issues with higher-level management. While it’s true there are some bad apples in supervision and management, it’s been my personal experience that the majority of work-related problems are due to other factors – areas that will be discussed in this article.
W
Critical Mistake #1 – Failing to Set Clear Expectations or to Regularly Reinforce Them 5 Smart Move #1 – Make a list of performance and behavioral expectations for your staff. Pay particular attention to the requirements of individual jobs. The list should include areas such as expected behavior of employees with their superiors and customers. Work-related matters should fall both within and outside of the organization. Attendance issues should be high on this list, as this is the leading reason for workplace discipline. Also, update your list regularly as new issues emerge and work environments change. Scrupulously require staff to attend mandatory training, especially in matters such as financial responsibility, ethics, sexual harassment, etc. Personally meet with the entire staff to go over this list on at least a semiannual basis. Also meet July 2008
with individual employees at least semiannually to review the work expectations uniquely applicable to each person. Keep a record of each meeting and who attended. If someone missed a meeting on overall staff issues, schedule a makeup meeting just for them. Critical Mistake #2 – Letting Problems You’re Aware of Fester before Addressing Them 5 Smart Move #2 – Do not assume that people will “self-correct” things that they’re doing wrong. I wish I had a small sum of money for every meeting I’ve had with a supervisor that started out with a statement such as, “I’m fed up with Harry.” Dropping something on the floor is rarely a cause for supervisory concern. However, throwing things at doors, walls, and windows is always a problem. In other words, the judgment it takes to distinguish between an actual problem and something that’s more of a nuisance is a trait that should be screened for during the supervisor selection process. In addition, mentoring new supervisors on how to fit into an organization should also address issues like these. Senior management is to blame if supervisor-mentoring programs with clear objectives aren’t in place. Critical Mistake #3 – Failure to Communicate with People with Problems 5 Smart Move #3 – Resist the urge to avoid staff members that are marginally productive, difficult to deal with, annoying, or who possess other unpleasant attributes. I believe that supervisoryemployee alienation is a prime factor in a deteriorating relationship that greatly reduces a supervisor’s willingness to address issues. Know what each staff member is working on. Keep up with their progress. Listen to their concerns. It is every employee’s responsibility to get to work, do the job to the best of their ability, and EA Report Brown Bagger 1
Brown Bagger to follow the organization’s written and unwritten rules. It’s up to management to pick up the ball from there. Critical Mistake #4 – Failure to Recognize the Importance of Due Process 5 Smart Move #4 – Managers and supervisors may need training regarding what to do when an employee problem needs to be formally addressed. Supervisors are generally responsible to ensure that there exists: • Proof (including objective evidence) that a rule exists; • Proof (including objective evidence) that the employee knew about, or should have known about the rule; • Proof (including objective evidence) that the employee violated the rule; • Proof (including objective evidence) that a reasonably thorough inquiry took place to determine the facts in the matter; • Proof (including objective evidence) that the employee involved was permitted to submit evidence and tell his/her side of the story; and • An initial written decision that the employee may appeal to a higher level. Critical Mistake #5 – Taking the Matter Personally 5 Smart Move #5 – If there is any single practice that a manager or supervisor should undertake, it is the cultivation of an attitude of objectivity in dealing with problematic employee behavior. I’m not talking about political correctness! Rather, once an employee problem is identified, the burden of solving it falls on the worker. It’s true the individual may need help to do so – such as through services offered by an EAP – but it’s still up to the employee to take the initiative. Companies and other organizations don’t hire children! Moreover, paternalism, favoritism, and condescension are not only vile to observe, but they are the direct opposite of the concepts of individual 2 EA Report Brown Bagger
dignity and self-worth that this country is supposed to exemplify. Therefore, a supervisor owes an employee the opportunity to: • Hear what management believes is unacceptable behavior directly; • Obtain guidance about the ways the organization wants the individual to behave; • Offer (in most cases) an opportunity to demonstrate acceptable behavior; and • Decide for himself or herself how to proceed and to face the consequences of that decision. Time and time again, I have seen supervisors put a personal spin on a work-related matter and become upset, angry, and disappointed with the employee. It’s natural to feel that way sometimes, it’s important to remember that dignity requires that we honor an individual’s choices. Management needs to help when it’s appropriate to do so, but to take responsibility for a subordinate’s misconduct is just plain wrong. NOTE: If there is a number-one rule for dealing with employee problems, it should address the expression of frustration on the part of supervisors faced with a work-related issue. The rule should be that if the issue is causing strong FEELINGS, don’t document that feeling in any casual, impromptu, or other unplanned (written) correspondence or (oral) conversations. For one thing, the Privacy Act limits the ability to discuss personal matters about an issue outside of those with a need to know. Second, expressed feelings invariably surface as evidence of your bias (for whatever reason) against the person. Most, if not all of your emails and other correspondence may be disclosed to the individual or his/her lawyer in the course of a legal action. Consequently, managers and supervisors must watch their mouths, pens, and keyboards when addressing employee problems. Critical Mistake #6 – Moving too Quickly to Formal Action 5 Smart Move #6 – Resolve a problem informally whenever possible. The aforementioned discussion of due process stresses the importance of communicating rules, instructions, and expectations to employees. It often takes time and dedication to help a person through problems. If the July 2008
individual appears to be making a sincere desire to improve, then use informal, non-disciplinary approaches whenever possible. Critical Mistake #7 – Playing “gotcha” with Troublesome or Difficult People 5 Smart Move #7 – Treat everyone equitably and fairly. Give appropriate responses a chance to work. Some supervisors see a serious employee mistake as an opportunity to rid themselves of “problem employees” rather than as a chance to help an individual work out their “employment problems.” Supervisors obsessed with an individual’s difficulties have to simply “get over it.” If you’re too eager to drop the blade, you will be the one making the serious mistake. Critical Mistake #8 – Waiting too Long to get Professional Help 5 Smart Move #8 – A supervisor needs to be familiar with the organization’s EAP and human resource manager. If you see a problem developing, do not hesitate to discuss it with professionals. These specialists are familiar with many types of problems, and their job is to help you get through them! They are also familiar with specific employment rules and rights that you may not be aware of. Call or meet with them face to face. Moreover, at first, an employee does not have any problems, but over time, as he or she spends more time on the job, the worker can be expected to develop difficulties. The late James Early, a former friend of mine, believed that managers should not be surprised about these imperfections – but they should consider how to proceed in such matters and obtain positive outcomes. This means that employees and managers must work together to resolve work-related problems. Critical Mistake #9 – Unwillingness to See a Problem through to Resolution 5 Smart Move #9 – When managers and supervisors are caught in the middle of a problem, it’s often difficult for them to recognize that their employees have rights. Steadfastness is crucial. If management drops the ball or procrastinates when they need to be persistent in resolving a sitJuly 2008
Brown Bagger uation, it will either take longer to settle the matter, or management will needlessly repeat the initial steps in this process over and over again. Critical Mistake #10 – Worrying too Much about ‘Disincentives’ to Taking Action 5 Smart Move #10 – “Do the right thing.” Don’t hesitate to proceed in dealing with misconduct if what you’re worrying about includes: · • What should I do if the employee files a discrimination claim? • What should I do if the worker becomes hostile and aggressive? • Don’t I have to treat each employee exactly the same? • What should I do if the worker goes to his/her union? Each of these factors may be addressed by taking proper action in line with organizational rules, and with careful consideration from professional advice. If the problem needs addressing, get moving on it, and make sure your superior is “in the loop.” Keeping higher-level management aware of what’s going on should be high on your “to do” list. Summary The critical mistakes described in this article probably aren’t the only ones made by management. Regardless of specifics, the crux of the issue lies in the fact that many work-related problems are due to a lack of communication, and a lack of decisive action when necessary. Managers and supervisors who “cut to the chase” and effectively and impartially resolve matters early on can prevent problems from escalating into heated, unwanted, and even litigious issues. Bob Gilson is a retired government labor and employee-relations director presently working as a consultant. He specializes in training supervisors and managers at all levels to resolve employee problems. He has also authored or coauthored a number of books dealing with management issues. For more information, contact Bob at gilsonrs@cox.net. This article is reprinted from FedSmith (www.fedsmith.com), © Bob Gilson, 2008, all rights reserved, reprinted with permission from the author. EA Report Brown Bagger 3
Brown Bagger H A N D O U T Getting Everyone ‘on the Same Page’ will Keep Conflict to a Minimum onflict occurs when people have differences yet do not discuss them openly. The following are some of the ways that companies and other organizations can help employees prevent and resolve conflicts:
C
conflicts occur because managers fail to provide employees with information related to their job responsibilities and the company in general. It is imperative that priorities and deadlines are clear to everyone.
1) Utilize personality assessment tools. Personality assessments can enhance hiring decisions. One of the benefits of these tools is that they improve understanding of the different communication styles and how to communicate most effectively with different types of people. Such knowledge can prevent numerous conflicts. For example, people are usually either a direct or indirect communicator. The direct communicator has more of a “bottom-line” approach to conversations, while the indirect communicator uses more qualifiers, which often “soften” what this individual is saying. This difference alone can result in misunderstanding and conflict. To a direct communicator, the person that says, “it seems that” (a qualifying phrase) might be thought of as being “wishy-washy” when that’s merely how he/she communicates. (Editor’s note: Communication styles are explained in greater detail in the March 2008 Brown Bagger.)
4) Recognize that conflict will occur. Conflict is not bad when it’s done without anger, negativity, or hurt feelings. In fact, change and opportunity frequently involves conflict. This is actually much better than simply “rubber-stamping” decisions as they move up the corporate ladder. Everyone needn’t agree on a given matter, but any differences of opinions should be hashed out objectively. Keep disagreements focused on the issue, not personalities, and conflict will be minimized. When conflict is understood and managed effectively, results and relationships are improved.
2) Create an environment that welcomes diversity. Diversity in and of itself is neither positive nor negative. It becomes positive only when differences create opportunities for individuals, companies, and the marketplace. But when those differences create unresolved conflicts, business opportunities are often lost. 3) Make sure there is a common understanding of responsibilities and deadlines. Too many
5) Be a collaborative listener. Many people have taken at least one active listening course, so it probably isn’t necessary to address the basic skills. Collaborative listening, however, takes these skills one step further. In collaborative listening, each person has a job that supports the work of the other. The goal is to allow each person to clearly express his or her thoughts, feelings, and concerns. Because conflict is often due to a lack of information, the key is to overcome misperceptions to understand and acknowledge each other’s needs and opinions. It’s important to note that acknowledgment needn’t mean agreement! Rather, being a collaborative listener involves respecting each other’s opinions so each person has at least a general idea why he or she thinks about the matter the way he or she does.
Sources: Patti Fralix, author of “How to Thrive in Spite of Mess, Stress and Less,” is founder and president of The Fralix Group. She has spent the past 15 years offering practical solutions to audiences of all sizes; and Dina Beach Lynch, former ombudsman for Fleet Bank. 4 EA Report Brown Bagger
July 2008