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DISCLAIMER: Purchasers, readers, or users of this course agree to be bound by the following terms: Information contained in this course has been obtained by Pryor Learning Solutions from sources believed to be reliable. The subject is constantly evolving, and the information provided is not exhaustive. The advice and strategies contained should not be used as a substitute for consulting with a qualified professional where professional assistance is required or appropriate, or where there may be any risk to health or property. In no event will Pryor Learning Solutions or any of its respective affiliates, distributors, employees, agents, content contributors, or licensors be liable or responsible for damages including direct, indirect, special, consequential, incidental, punitive, exemplary losses, or damages and expenses including business interruption, loss of profits, lost business, or lost savings. For purposes of illustrating the concepts and techniques described in this course, the author has created fictitious names; mailing, e-mail, and internet addresses; phone numbers and fax numbers; and similar information. Any resemblance of this fictitious data that is similar to an actual person or organization is unintentional and purely coincidental.
Putting the Problem Employee into Descriptive TermsDefinition
The problem employee is a person who consistently performs below the established standards of quality, quantity and time, or fails to maintain the expected record of attendance and punctuality, or whose behavior is detrimental to accomplishing the team’s goals .
1 Assessing and Defining Employee Behavior Problems
Know What Provides Job Satisfaction
Research on motivation shows that the factors that produce job satisfaction (and motivation) are different from factors that lead to job dissatisfaction . In other words, you don’t necessarily increase job satisfaction by decreasing job dissatisfaction factors .
Know What Your Employees Want
Do you know what motivates each of your employees? Use this list to check . First, rank the items in the order you think are most important (1 = most important) . Then ask each employee to rank them . How close were you? Use the employee’s ranking as you craft your plans to work with the employee on performance improvement and development .
Employee
• To be assigned interesting and challenging work
• To be kept informed on work-related subjects
• To think for myself
• To have my ideas listened to
• To be respected for my skills
• To be given the opportunity to improve skills or learn new ones
• To be recognized for my efforts
• To be paid well
• To have opportunities for advancement
• To see the end result of my work and feel good about it
• To be empowered, with the responsibility to get the job done well
1 Assessing and Defining Employee Behavior Problems
Attitude Problems
An attitude is a conscious and selective judgment about something — a person, an object, an event or a concept . An attitude provides the mental excuse to behave consistently in a certain way; quite often the behavior and its results reinforce the original attitude .
It Helps to Look for Some of the Possible Roots of Problem Attitudes
2 How Supervisors Affect Disciplinary and Performance Problems
Determine Your Effectiveness as a Manager/Supervisor
4 = totally describes your situation 3 = somewhat true 2 = not very true 1 = not descriptive of you at all
A score of 4 on any of the statements indicates excellent management skills in those areas.
A score of 3 indicates your management skills are acceptable, but could use some sharpening.
A score of 2 indicates a need for improvement in those particular areas. A score of 1 in an area indicates a substantial deficiency of management skill, and corrective action is needed immediately. A score of 4 on all the statements indicates an inflated perception of your management skills and warrants a second opinion!
1. I direct work flow to maximize efficient use of my people and their time.
2. I explain the “big picture” to help my employees understand their roles and tasks.
3. I work efficiently and conscientiously as an example to my employees.
4. I stay up to date on the technical aspects and terminology of our industry.
5. I set and maintain high standards for myself.
6. I continually watch for ways to improve my unit’s work and ability to be effective.
7. I am willing to change the way we do things if I notice problems, inefficiencies or make-work tasks occurring.
8. I encourage my employees to suggest ways to improve things, and work to support valid suggestions.
9. I can handle new situations effectively.
10. I provide encouragement and praise on a frequent basis to reinforce top performance.
11. I maintain and use tracking systems to monitor results.
12. I make myself available to answer questions, demonstrate tasks or help employees to solve problems.
Many supervisors wait for an annual appraisal to point out and document performance problems. If the problems are significant, you should not wait to initiate this process — you will simply prolong the problem, increase your employee’s resentment and reduce your chances of correcting performance problems without resorting to more severe actions.
What’s at the Heart of the Problem?
Case Study
To discover performance problems, ask the following questions:
1. Does the employee understand the goals, specification and standards for the job?
2. Does the employee get adequate and timely feedback on his or her performance?
3. Does the employee have adequate training for the job?
4. Does the employee demonstrate competent performance on other tasks?
5. Does the employee have the capability to do quality work?
6. Does the employee have both the opportunity and means to do a good job?
• Time
• Technology
• Information
• Adequate processes and procedures
Documentation
1. Establish the goals, standards, specifications, training, feedback, competencies, etc ., to form a complete job description that you can review with your employee .
2. Hold a private discussion with your employee to go over the job description and to raise your concerns (this should be done as part of regular feedback sessions) .
3. Clarify expectations, standards and requirements; ask questions to avoid a misunderstanding of expectations and to discover potential causes .
4. Make sure all your evidence is valid and current .
• Find out what the employee would like to see as an outcome
• Follow all procedures established by your company’s human resources department
• Set up a plan of action and timetable for improvement
• If appropriate, consider retraining or relocating the employee
Documentation of Behavior and Attitude Problems
Document behavior and attitude problems as promptly as you would performance problems.
1. Keep a running record of your discussions with the employee as you point out the problem and the effect of the behavior or attitude .
2. Build your file based on clear evidence and specific dates of examples .
3. If the principal problem is attitude, be sure to identify the resulting behavior or performance issues (i .e ., how the attitude manifests itself ) .
4. Clarify the problem with the employee to be sure he or she understands your concern (don’t make light of it!) .
5. Be consistent and fair .
6. State consequences and your expectations clearly .
7. If the incident is serious or has occurred frequently, also document the discussion in a memo to the employee, with a copy to the file .
• Make sure the employee knows where to go for help
• Encourage questions — reinforce at each step of improvement
• Request progress reports, set deadlines and confirm progress
Documentation of a Performance Problem
1. Establish a formal documentation system to record your TEACH, TRAIN and TRACK actions and discussions with the employee (maintain in your files for the time being) .
2. Note any measurable behavioral changes .
3. Record all of your follow-up actions and discussions .
When Your Action Plan Doesn’t Produce ResultsFirst, Make Sure You:
• Get all the facts• Consider each incident separately• Be reasonable in your approach• Treat this employee in the same way you would any other person• Use the same procedure with all employees
Use These Four Steps for Progressive Discipline1. Verbal “Reminder” and Initiation of Formal Action
Your goal: Gain the employee’s agreement to acknowledge and solve the problem.
• Inform the employee about the problem, reiterate your past conversations and state the fact that the problem is now in the formal disciplinary phase
• Remind the employee of his or her personal responsibility to meet reasonable standards of performance and behavior
• Set guidelines for acceptable progress
• Send the employee a follow-up memo restating the discussion, commitment(s), actions, guidelines and consequences
• In both the discussion and the follow-up memo, include specific facts, desired changes, and the consequences
Documentation of Poor Performance1. Keep a written record of the verbal warning in your files .2. Send a memo describing the warning to the employee (put a copy of the memo in your file) .
Other Things to Consider…1. Does the action follow the employment agreement?
2. Have all contractual procedures been met?
3. Does the employee have any right to unequal treatment claims?
4. Are reasons for the action clearly documented and verified?
5. Is the organization’s position definitely defendable?
6. Have all the employee’s rights been taken into consideration?
Your goal: Gain the employee’s written agreement to change. Establish a written record in the employee’s personnel file documenting your efforts to date and the employee’s failure to abide by previous commitments.
• Identify and describe the continuing problem
• Restate the essentials of the desired performance or behavior and the employee’s obligation to meet it
• Focus on the employee’s failure to make agreed-upon changes
• Provide documentation with specific examples of the performance shortcoming or the effects of the behavior
• Prepare (with employee) a specific and detailed action plan for improvement, including consequences (good and bad)
Documentation of a Continuing Problem
1. Place a copy of the written warning in the employee’s personnel file .
Case Study 1Form into groups of three or four with your neighbors. Read the case study, then spend about five minutes discussing the questions that follow.
Paula has been employed at Lambert Engineering for eight years . Her responsibilities include being the receptionist, delivering the mail and, when needed, assisting in the office secretarial pool . Paula has gained the favor of the president, Mr . Brooks . Jack is a vice president and in charge of the department in which Paula works . However, Paula does not like the fact that she is directly responsible to Sandy, the office manager . Jack is Sandy’s boss and he often avoids dealing with conflict situations .
Paula has not been consistent with her work . She also comes and goes as she wants and has often taken extended coffee breaks . Sandy has talked to her about this on numerous occasions and documented the discussions; although Paula acknowledges the problem she has not improved . Sandy has conferred with Jack and Mr . Brooks on three occasions with little support for corrective action . Jack has talked to Paula about the inconsistencies . Again, Paula indicated she would improve but keeps falling back into the same pattern . Paula’s friendship with Mr . Brooks has affected Sandy’s and Jack’s abilities to enforce any corrective actions . Paula uses this friendship to her advantage . Paula seems to flaunt it before Sandy and Jack, giving the impression that she does not have to do what they want unless she chooses to . When Paula has been subjected to disciplinary action, she would go to Mr . Brooks, who rescinds it . Needless to say, this creates conflict with Sandy, as well as the other office personnel . Sandy supervises nine other staff members and has no problems with them .
During the last week, Paula has been away from her work station more than usual . She has complained about having to assist in the secretarial pool every time she was called upon to help . On two occasions this week, when Paula was relieved at the receptionist desk to take her break, she was gone for 45 minutes . Sandy had to go to the break room to get her on the last occasion, and Paula became furious and demanded a meeting with Mr . Brooks and Sandy . Sandy also asked Jack to be in the meeting .
Mr . Brooks agreed to the meeting and let each side present its view, then rendered his decision . He indicated that he was sick and tired of hearing about this and was not going to put up with it any longer . He saw it as a personality conflict . “So, Sandy, you are the office manager and will be responsible for seeing that work flows well with all the office personnel . Paula, you will be the receptionist and will not assist in the secretarial pool any longer and will not be answerable to Sandy but to Jack and me .”
“However, you will be at your work station at proper times and one 15-minute break in the morning and one in the afternoon . You have a 45-minute lunch and no longer . If you cannot abide by these you will be disciplined . End of meeting .”
With whom did the problem originate?
What else could Sandy have done before Paula resorted to the meeting with Mr . Brooks and Sandy?
Case Study 2Form into groups of three or four people. Read the second case and respond to the questions.
Harry had been promoted to machinist . He had received three weeks training, which was normal for each new machinist . Keith, Harry’s supervisor, let him know that he was expected to meet the standard output units per hour set for all machinists . Keith told Harry, “I’ll be available to assist when you need help or coaching .”Harry studied, concentrated and observed other machinists but still only produced 6 .8 units per hour . Keith spent more time than usual helping Harry improve . After 12 weeks Harry was not doing any better, and Keith informed him that the promotion was not working out . “I have given you ample time to improve, and I ask no more of you than any other machinist . I’ll have to return you to your former job .”
Was Keith’s action justified?
Would you have done anything differently, and if so, what?
Determine Your Effectiveness as a Manager/Supervisor4 = totally describes your situation 3 = somewhat true 2 = not very true 1 = not descriptive of you at all
A score of 4 on any of the statements indicates excellent management skills in those areas.
A score of 3 indicates your management skills are acceptable, but could use some sharpening.
A score of 2 indicates a need for improvement in those particular areas. A score of 1 in an area indicates a substantial deficiency of management skill, and corrective action is needed immediately. A score of 4 on all the statements indicates an inflated perception of your management skills and warrants a second opinion!
1. I direct work flow to maximize efficient use of my people and their time.
2. I explain the “big picture” to help my employees understand their roles and tasks.
3. I work efficiently and conscientiously as an example to my employees.
4. I stay up to date on the technical aspects and terminology of our industry.
5. I set and maintain high standards for myself.
6. I continually watch for ways to improve my unit’s work and ability to be effective.
7. I am willing to change the way we do things if I notice problems, inefficiencies or make-work tasks occurring.
8. I encourage my employees to suggest ways to improve things, and work to support valid suggestions.
9. I can handle new situations effectively.
10. I provide encouragement and praise on a frequent basis to reinforce top performance.
11. I maintain and use tracking systems to monitor results.
12. I make myself available to answer questions, demonstrate tasks or help employees to solve problems.