Frontline Supervisor
Summer 2008 | Frontline Archive
Q. I will be meeting with my employee to confront his tardiness. There have been five late days this month and it is unacceptable. I don't want to specify a “number” of days late as being too much because it will just encourage going to that limit. Are there any creative suggestions?
A. Every organization has its unique history in dealing with and managing tardiness. Unfortunately, employees quickly respond and adapt to leniency shown in this area. Even some of your best and brightest, and hardest-working employees, will come to work late if it appears that there is no consequence for doing so. Check with your organization and its preferred approach to this problem. Sometimes managers aren't aware of existing solutions for problems of this type. If you want to get creative, use a percentage rate in the discussion with your employee. For example, if there are 21 workdays in a specific month, and your employee is late 5 days, divide the workdays in the month into the number of late days. This will produce a “tardiness score” of 24%. Call this unacceptable. Require satisfactory attendance to be a tardiness score under 5%. Sometimes numbers like this make an impression on employees and they “get it.”
Q.
One of my employees is resigning from the company. I am glad because this person has been slow moving
and under-performing for a long time. I blame myself because I adapted to the performance issues as they grew worse,
rather than intervene. How can I prevent this happening in the future?
A. The easy answer is, start earlier in confronting employees with performance issues; but this may be too simplistic to inspire you to change. To help you act sooner, ask yourself what parts of your current job you dislike the most and if those things are related to employee performance issues. Do you dislike dealing with angry customers? Do you dread meetings with your boss to explain low production numbers? Do you work extra hours away from your family to catch up? Are other workers angry over the leniency you’ve shown? These are only a few outcomes from this type of neglect. Some managers believe that if they can cope with an employee’s poor performance, then nothing needs to be done about it. They forget that lower revenue, sales, and profitability, along with mass departure of high-performing employees, are consequences of allowing poor performers to continue. The issues snowball. Talk to your employee assistance professional to learn more and to overcome your reluctance to confront employees.
Q. My employee isn’t insubordinate when I make a request, but there are always
complaints, resistance to details, problems with timing, and criticism about my communication. After all this, the
employee delivers superior performance. How can I manage this?
A. Although your employee is great with a task, you are not describing superior
performance. Quarrelsome behavior interferes with orderly work flow and is therefore serious. These kinds of
communication patterns between managers and subordinates are not unusual. They can take years to develop
and can become habits that are difficult to break. They are comparable to the bickering communication patterns
found between spouses, and over time the psychology that influences them can be similar. Still, you may agree
that the relationship is valued. Beyond requiring that the quarrelsome behavior stop, establish new rules that must
be followed and that will permit orderly discussion of work issues. The requirement that your employee put concerns
in writing, for example, or share them only after you are finished speaking, may impose an intervention that produces
its own cure. But the most important part of your strategy is looking at how you contribute to its perpetuation and
wanting change badly enough to follow through. Consider using the EAP for some coaching assistance.
Q.
Our organization has developed a policy on bullying behavior. Can you provide an outline for a private corrective
interview with an employee who has this problem and what steps to take?
A. Documented complaints and your personal observations should accompany you to your meeting. Start by explaining what’s prompted the meeting, and share what has been observed and reported. Describe the effect of the behavior on morale and productivity. If employees feel dread in anticipated interaction with the employee, let the employee know it. It could have a big impact in motivating change. Do not joke or make light of issues in this corrective interview. Doing so will undermine your outcome and perpetuate the problem behavior. State that the behavior can’t continue. A bully likes to discuss others’ personalities and motives. Avoid this discussion, but do ask what your employee thinks about his or her interaction with others. Be patient and listen, but focus on what the employee can do to improve interaction with coworkers. Make an EAP referral and schedule a specific date and time for a follow-up meeting. Retaliation toward coworkers in response to your meeting is bullying behavior too—expect it to not occur.
Information contained in The Frontline Supervisor is for general
information purposes only, and is not intended to be specific guidance for any
particular supervisor or human resource management concern. For specific
guidance on handling individual employee problems, consult Inova Employee
Assistance at 800-346-0110.
DISCLAIMER: Information in Frontline Supervisor is provided with the understanding that Inova Employee Assistance is not engaged in rendering legal services. Inova Employee Assistance disclaims any liability, loss, or risk incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this information. This information is not a substitute for the advice of a competent legal, EAP, or other professional person.
