Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Managing personnel problems

Unsatisfactory behavior in the workplace is a painful reality and a key reason for low morale and low productivity. Do you have people in your office failing to pull their weight? Do they cause problems for everyone else? One point is clear--unsatisfactory behavior does not magically go away and only gets worse when ignored.

Certain types of unsatisfactory behavior in the workplace, such as sexual harassment and discrimination, are readily identified. Other forms of unsatisfactory behavior may not be so easily identified. Small, irritating events such as tardiness, not completing assignments, and missing deadlines etc., occur repeatedly over time and can lower the performance of all concerned.

Keep in mind that what appears to be a small issue to you can be a major issue with your employees.

What type of behavior requires intervention? Anything that disrupts the office, impacts on productivity or poses a threat to other employees needs addressing. The degree to which you tolerate a situation before intervention may vary.

A manager may not feel it necessary to intervene when a minor exchange of words occurs between employees--unless such an incident becomes a daily occurrence and expands beyond the employees initially involved.

When handling unsatisfactory behavior, some basic guidelines apply.

Get all the information. Few situations are exactly as they seem or as presented to you by others. Before you try to manage the behavior problem, insure you have investigated both sides of the issue.

Evaluate the information. The old adage, "Haste makes waste," has more truth in it than we sometimes realize. Take time to evaluate all the information surrounding the unsatisfactory behavior. Identify the potential causes that may have created the unsatisfactory behavior. Is the problem due to a lack of resources? Or, could it be a training problem?

Finally, determine if it is an attitude problem or willful neglect. A too-quick decision does more harm than good when it turns out to be the wrong decision.

Address the situation. Once you have collected and evaluated the information, you are ready to address the issue with the employee. Let the employee know you would like to meet with them. Let them know the place and time you want to meet.

Focus on the problem, not the individual. Avoid your own pre-conceived attitudes about troublesome employees. Employee X may not be the most congenial of your employees, but you should deal with all unsatisfactory behavior regardless of the personality of the individual.

Focus on identifying and resolving the problem. If, after careful and thorough investigation, you determine the individual is the problem, then focus on the individual at that point.

Keep the communication open. The ultimate goal is to resolve the issue and set parameters for satisfactory behavior. Begin the meeting in a positive, but firm manner. Allow the employee to express their viewpoint, but also share your perspective.

Establish expectations and guidelines. Once you have taken time to gather information, talked to all the parties involved, and discussed the unsatisfactory behavior, it is now time for the next step. Clearly outline what satisfactory behavior should look like.

Gregory P. Smith shows businesses how to build productive and profitable work environments that attract, keep and motivate their workforce. He speaks at conferences,conducts management training and is the President of a management consulting firm called Chart Your Course International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464.

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