The Lighthouse
July 2008
When Employees Are BulliesWhy Don't My Subordinates Recognize My Work?
The Importance Of Notes During Corrective Actions
How To Give Good Feedback To Employees
Can EAP Help My Sales Staff?
Q. I have an employee who is a superstar performer, but acts like a bully toward a coworker. This coworker has not complained and does not appear upset by the behavior. They seem to get along quite well. Should I leave this situation alone and not be concerned? Can the EAP help?
A. Even though the bullying has not been reported, if you’ve observed it you should address it. Not all victims are reduced to visible anguish by bullies. Instead, they try to cope and suffer in silence. These employees can pay a big price in lost productivity and negative effects on their health. Ignoring your good judgment that a problem exists will jeopardize everyone concerned. Like sexual harassment, bullying is not always reported by victims despite their victimization, but if you know about it, you must address the problem immediately. Intervene and rely upon the reasonable standards of behavior and respect needed in the workplace as the basis for taking action. Act in accordance with your policies. Refer the bullying employee to the EAP. Afterward, talk with the victim about standards of conduct, and offer the EAP as a possible source of support.
Q. I sense a subtle resentment toward me by my employees regarding my role, and I’ve heard statements that suggest I don’t do enough work. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am not very visible, but I am shocked at how naïve some of my employees appear to be.
A. Many supervisors are the subject of behind-the-scenes conversations by employees who have little awareness of their activities. As a result, employees may assume that their supervisors do very little. Of course, usually the opposite is true. Management expert and author Robert J. Graham once remarked, “If they know nothing of what you are doing, they suspect that you are doing nothing.” This observation points to your solution. Avoid the temptation to be just an overseer or absent and mysterious person to your employees. More important, spend some time with them. Even if giving them more information about your activities is not advisable, this relationship-building activity will reduce the degree to which you are viewed as kicking back while they do the heavy lifting. What drives employee suspicion that their supervisor makes little contribution is usually a lack of communication.
Q. I meet with many employees and frequently correct performance. Unfortunately, I often find myself forgetting the content of many discussions so I can’t be definite about what was said, negotiated, or agreed to. How can I improve my memory?
A. You have heard the expression “If it isn’t in writing, it doesn’t exist.” This is a good philosophy for supervisors to follow and relates to the crucial art of taking contemporaneous notes. No matter how good your memory or ability to recall past events, even in exquisite detail, it’s no match for the power of contemporaneous notes. Contemporaneous notes frequently win in contests where one person’s word is pitted against another’s. They can serve to prove you right, despite their subjectivity at the time originally written, as to what actually happened or who said what. Develop the habit of routinely keeping notes on disputes, negotiations, corrective actions, and performance matters regarding your employees. Although the importance of documentation is often discussed in supervisory skills courses, the routine use of contemporaneous notes is a related skill that supervisors must also come to appreciate.
Q. I don’t hesitate to immediately go to employees and discuss performance issues when I see them. I often experience a lot of resistance and anger, however. I think my approach needs improvement. What are some good tips on how to approach these discussions?
A. Sometimes the correction of performance must be done quickly. It’s important to expect employees to accept the correction and move on with their work. There are many techniques for giving feedback however; it’s almost an art. Doing it well can increase productivity, which is your goal. Assume that employees want feedback; many studies show that employees don’t think they get enough. Supervisors who are feedback pros operate on the premise that most employees hired for their positions are fully capable of doing acceptable work, so feedback and correcting of performance become a partnership in communication, not a one-way attack. This mind-set includes investigating what employees think about their own performance, what guidance they are relying upon for what they are supposed to do, what changes you want, and your ability to explain specifically what you want the employee to do or produce.
Q. Most of the employees that I supervise are sales personnel and customer service representatives. EAPs aren’t sales experts, so when it comes to improving the skills of my staff when they have problems with customers, can the EAP still be a valuable resource for me or them?
A. Although EAPs are not trained specifically in the fields of sales and customer service, they may still be able to help. This help includes imparting “soft skills” that affect your bottom line. Do you have employees who habitually struggle with keeping their cool to avoid arguing with customers? Do some employees not grasp how important it is to be successful with customers rather than right? Would you like to see your employees demonstrate more empathy toward customers by using active listening skills? This is the ability to show by one’s behavior that a customer’s needs or complaints are heard and understood. The ability to adapt to personality styles of customers and communicate effectively in sales presentations is another area to explore. Consider performance issues and talk to the EAP about the possibilities. Everyone may benefit, including the bottom line.
June 2008
Using Text Messaging As A Communication ToolHow To Prevent Poor Performance in Employees
Troublesome Employee Provides Superior Performance
Indicators of A Failing Recovery
How To Stop Bullying In The Workplace
Q. I view myself as a tolerant person, but I admit that I am not comfortable with text messaging as a workplace communication tool. In my view, this is a faddish thing for weekend socializing. Is this my problem, or do I need to “get with the times”?
A. Text messaging is getting more attention in business literature as “Generation Y” workers who are comfortable with instant message (IM) communication enter the workplace to find older peers or managers uncomfortable with it. Being open to change is valuable, but not every new convention requires you to adapt to it. Although learning to text message may have some useful business applications, it is appropriate to expect employees skilled in the technique to rely upon conventional communication methods if those work best for your organization. The call to understand, adapt, change, and get with the times are big stressors for managers and employees alike, but some things do not change. One of them is the need for effective relationships and good communication that will produce results for the bottom line. This is an argument for everyone, old and young alike, to be good communicators. The good news is that young people today are an upbeat, empowered, ambitious, and eager-to-learn group of folks who value honesty. So you can anticipate their cooperation.
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. My employee went to treatment for a drug addiction problem. I’m glad the employee is in treatment, but if this person relapses, who will know it first—the EAP or me? Will the relapse appear as a performance issue or with physical symptoms that demonstrate drug use?
A. A relapse could be discovered through an EAP follow-up interview, by you witnessing the employee’s behavior on the job, or even by a third party phoning someone with the bad news. Unfortunately, the desire to prevent or predict relapse by those in relationships with substance abusing persons does not lend itself to precise formulas. There are some common denominators, however, that prove helpful in prevention. For managers, staying focused on performance and detaching from concerns about what is going on in recovery is one. From the EAP’s perspective, helping the employee remain motivated to participate in activities that aid recovery and to avoid those things that will impede it are crucial. The rest is up to the employee. Relapse can occur suddenly without warning, demonstrated for example by a sudden absence from work. But relapse can also be secretive, with controlled use of a substance hidden from others for weeks or months.
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.
May 2008
How to Deal With a Constantly Tardy EmployeeWhen You Have a Narcissistic Employee
How To Assist Victims of Spousal Abuse
Safety Should Always Be The First Concern
Dealing with Hunches and Gut Feelings
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. Q. I called my employee “narcissistic” in a corrective letter because it describes the behavior that I and others witness. I think this word is not diagnostic, just descriptive. Am I wrong? Will it cause problems in my documentation?
A. There are many health-related terms that have found their way into everyday language. It is easy to forget that these words usually imply diagnostic labeling. They fail to sufficiently describe behavior, and therefore are inappropriate for documentation. They can undermine administrative or disciplinary actions. Words like antisocial, neurotic, or depressive, for example, may be familiar terms used in conversations with others, but they will interfere with your goal of correcting performance. They may also invoke considerations under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Senior management is likely to reject your documentation if it includes this type of language. This will leave you frustrated. If your employee inflates his or her accomplishments, or fails to consider the needs of others, devalues others’ contributions, or is often inappropriate and boastful, then say so. Support statements like these with examples. When you find yourself making a judgment about an employee’s behavior, say to yourself, “By this I mean _____.” This will reduce your tendency to use labels, and instead discover clearer descriptive terms for what you have seen, heard, or witnessed.
Q. I suspect one of my employees is experiencing spousal abuse at home. I have seen bruises and this person often comes to work upset. Is this any of my business as a supervisor? How can I help without feeling like I am butting into the employee’s personal life?
A. Your employee is demonstrating the signs of domestic abuse. From your description, and experience with her, you have a strong rationale for inquiring whether help is needed and telling your employee why you are concerned. This is not intruding, playing the role of amateur diagnostician, or acting inappropriately. Responsible authorities on the subject of domestic violence encourage involvement by others and admonish those who remain silent in the face of obvious symptoms of abuse. Be assertive in using available resources to motivate this person to get help. Base your decision upon an obvious need for concern by others and the repetitive pattern of disruption to the work situation. It is appropriate to make a supervisor referral to the EAP, if necessary, based upon the effect on the work environment, and who knows, you may save a life doing so.
Q. My employee holds a key public safety position, and I received a report from a coworker that he is not cooperating with the EAP’s recommendations since his formal referral. My last report from the EAP is good, so should I ignore this hearsay information?
A. Your first consideration is the safety of others, so approach this issue from that standpoint. Start by asking your employee in a follow-up meeting if he is still cooperating with the EAP’s recommendations. This isn’t a personal discussion of his issues. It is a business matter related to the agreement you have with him. Let your supervisor be aware of what has been reported. Also, let the EAP know what has been reported. The EAP will likely take some extra steps to follow up in a way that further verifies cooperation. Your question is a good one because it requires some deliberation about how to respond to hearsay information. Some supervisors might presume hastily that such a report can be dismissed outright, but the safety issues require that it be handled in a different way.
Q. Should I pay attention to my hunches and “gut feelings” that tell me my employee is using drugs on the job? There are no signs or symptoms, but he acts like he is proud that he is getting away with something. It’s unsettling. Perhaps my dislike of him is my problem.
A. It’s not unusual to periodically have suspicions about employees you supervise. Nearly all supervisors experience hunches or worries about the ulterior motives of employees from time to time. If consistent and ongoing, you could use some confidential discussion about them. Don’t dismiss them yet, but meet with the EAP. Several outcomes could emerge from such a meeting. These could include gaining clarity on what is bothersome or perhaps valid about your concerns. You may even discover signs and symptoms you have overlooked that could be documented and acted upon later. You could also learn more about yourself, and how and why you respond to your employee in the way you do. The EAP will help you consider changes in your supervision style or perspective could improve this relationship.
The Frontline Supervisor
The Frontline Supervisor is an informational document dedicated to assisting supervisors in dealing with employee related issues.
If you have any comments concerning a recent issue of Frontline Supervisor or would like to submit a question for consideration in a future issue, contact Bruce Prevatt.
Each month new issues will be posted to this page. If you would like to read the issues for 2006 or 2007 past please visit our archive page.April 2008
How To Make Performance Reviews Work For YouWhen Terrific Employees Do Not Meet Expectations
Recovering Alcoholic Seen In Package Store
What Makes A Good Manager?
Can EAP Help My Supervisory Skills?
Q. I am not the only supervisor who dreads performance reviews, but is there a way I can make better use of them during the year rather than simply churning them out annually and saying good-bye to the employee until the next year?
A. Performance reviews and performance management systems are powerful productivity processes that can help drive an organization’s achievements through the roof. But when not used to their full potential, performance reviews can instead become a burden to both supervisor and supervisee. At the very least, use employee reviews as springboards for discussions with your employees about their goals and aspirations. Discover the degree of inspiration your employees possess to do their best work, and learn how to increase it. Chances are that you will discover something you did not know about your employees’ needs that, if met, would better serve the organization’s mission and goals. Also, be sure to let your employees hear from you firsthand the importance of what they are doing and how it fits with the organization’s mission. All employees look and hope for pay increases, but hearing that they personally are valued fulfills a level of need that the paycheck won’t reach.
Q. My employee is very smart and capable, but this person is not producing the quality of work I expect. I’m starting to feel a little like a broken record harping on productivity. Completed projects continue to disappoint me. Is it time for a supervisor referral?
A. Typically, if your reasonable attempts to correct performance have not worked, that’s a signal to consider a referral to the EAP. Before doing so, consider whether you have used appropriate management tools. For example, proper accountability is frequently overlooked by managers although they think it exists. For example, have you set up a procedure in which your employee is obligated to report decisions to you and justify those decisions and actions as they occur? Do you have a mutual understanding about the consequences of failure to meet certain defined outcomes? This is also called “transparency” in supervision. Negative feedback (and positive) should not follow only after the fact, but should be offered before decisions are made and undesirable outcomes are produced. Accountability and transparency in supervision relationships change the mind-set of employees and for many are all that’s required to produce the results managers expect but never thought they’d see.
Q. On break, I saw my employee come out of a package store. I did not see a purchase. My understanding is that this employee is in recovery from alcoholism since his referral to the EAP several months ago. Should I say something to him or the EAP?
A. Like any employee, you have the freedom to contact the EAP for any reason you feel appropriate. Although many concerned persons would react with alarm to what you have seen, realize that your focus should remain on the employee’s performance and that you don’t have enough information to make an accurate judgment about what you have seen. Your call to the EAP will be treated confidentially. Don’t expect the EAP to provide details of your employee’s treatment or say what will happen with the information you share. Focusing on performance is the surest way to help your employee to not only be a good performer, but to also follow through with whatever his or her program of recovery entails. Remember, you can’t control the employee’s behavior or outcomes in his or her personal life. Realize, too, that events such as this one frequently have simple explanations. For example, your employee in recovery may have had second thoughts and simply left the store, paid an old debt, or said good-bye to the clerk he never plans to see again!
Q. What makes a good manager of employees? What are common traits do the best managers possess?
A. The Gallop Organization has examined this issue quite thoroughly through a massive in-depth survey based on interviews and studies they conducted with about 80,000 managers. They arrived at a set of four characteristics worth knowing and thinking about. What is interesting is that “attitude” of the supervisor is directly or closely associated with three out of the four. That’s an argument for examining any personal issues and how they help or impede your ability to be a good manager. Supervisors have a resource to help them address these issues—the EAP!
The four common denominators are:
wanting to see employees grow and succeed
matching the right people with the right roles
defining desired outcomes while being willing to give people the latitude to accomplish them in their own ways
focusing on what’s best in people, not what’s worst.
(M. Buckingham and C. Coffman, 1999, First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently.)
Q. I didn’t get a very good rating on my performance evaluation as a supervisor. I don’t think I need to get help, but can the EAP discuss my supervision issues, style, and how I come across with employees? Is this appropriate, or is the EAP for bigger problems?
A. The EAP is for the big problems and the little ones, but each is important. Seeking guidance with your supervision style fits perfectly within the first item in the official description of what EAPs do. It includes providing “consultation with, training of, and assistance to work organization leadership (managers, supervisors, and union stewards) seeking to manage the troubled employee, enhance the work environment, and improve employee job performance.” It is much easier for someone else. Sometimes consultants are able to point out issues that are very obvious even though we cannot see them at first. That’s the basis for consulting on any topic or specialty area.
March 2008
Assisting Employees With Eldercare IssuesIs Stress a Real or Perceived Threat to the Workplace?
Getting a Release From EAP
Large Paycheck, High IQ Does Not Prevent Problems
How to Be a Motiviated Manager
Q. I have several employees in my office struggling with eldercare issues that sometimes get in the way of work. Everyone knows about the EAP, but I don’t think any have called. Maybe they don’t know everything that the EAP can do for them. Can you elaborate?
A. The scope of help the EAP can offer may include arranging a workshop to discuss and discover answers to tough eldercare issues. The EAP could also conduct an assessment of home and work problems to find ways of providing eldercare without these responsibilities interfering with work. Sometimes employees need some coaching in how to share the difficulties they are facing at home, and also requesting reasonable adjustments or allowances in their schedules so they can perform satisfactorily and meet the needs of home and work. This lack of assertiveness creates many large problems for employees, and sometimes it is the key roadblock to resolving tough problems employees face. Also, believing that one’s problem or concern is fundamentally different from others who struggle with the same issue is a common reason people avoid asking for help. They can’t imagine someone offering a solution that has not yet been considered.
Q. Is all the talk we hear about workplace stress overblown, or is there something to it? After all, the workplace has always been stressful. Things should be better with all the technology options, right? What does the research say? Is there anything new to report?
A. According to a recent study by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, an international consulting firm, workplace stress is the most frequently cited reason U.S. employees consider leaving their jobs. Employers acknowledge that stress is affecting business performance, but few reportedly are doing much about it. Nearly half of U.S. employers (48 percent) say stress caused by working long hours is affecting business performance. However, only 5 percent are addressing this concern. Similarly, more than one-quarter (29 percent) of employers believe stress caused by widespread use of technology such as cell phones and personal digital assistants is greatly affecting business performance, but only 6 percent are taking action to confront the issue. By not intervening with stress, employers invite an increase in unscheduled time off, absence rates, and health care costs — all of which hurt a company’s bottom line. (Feb. 14, 2008; Press Release, www.watsonwyatt.com)
Q. I referred my employee to the EAP, but at the time I wasn’t concerned whether the appointment was kept. I saw it as the employee’s business. The employee did go, but is still not showing for work half the time. Can I still get a release signed, or is it too late?
A. If you call the EAP, and no release has been signed, the EAP will be unable to confirm your employee’s participation. The chances are high that no release exists. The EAP may bring the matter to the employee’s attention, but don’t take a wait-and-see approach to whether a release is signed. Focus on what you are observing: an unsatisfactory absenteeism pattern. Nothing precludes making a second try with a formal referral that includes advanced communication with the EAP, and a request that a release be signed. In other words, try again. The employee may perceive a different level of seriousness and resolve, especially if the possibility of disciplinary action is discussed. Many possibilities could explain what you are seeing including delay or nonparticipation in the EAP’s recommendations, or even the resolution of a personal problem unrelated to the absenteeism.
Q. Please explain why an employee making a six-figure income who is an Ivy League graduate, with multiple books, inventions, and reportedly a high IQ, can’t decide that they should phone the EAP as a self-referral to resolve a personal problem?
A. You could have made a supervisor referral, even though your employee had other plans. Regardless, your employee’s tardiness has stopped. That means your corrective interview with her was successful. EAP referral is not a required way to solve a personal problem. It’s not a replacement for community resources that employees may wish to use. Your employee had a plan for correcting her tardiness—getting counseling with her husband. Hopefully, the issue of her tardiness has been resolved. From the organization’s viewpoint, that’s the bottom line. If your employee starts coming to work late again, then you should pick up your discussion where you left off and make the supervisor referral, even if your employee claims to have another plan. This time your employee will have the EAP advantage—a professional with an accurate understanding of the employment issues, an impartial assessment of the right intervention, motivational counseling, appropriate communication with you, and follow-up.
Q. I’m a concerned manager and want my employees to come to work every day enjoying what they do, and feel like I am measuring up to their expectations as a great supervisor. How do the most successful managers accomplish this?
A. Employees are resources to companies, and because they are paid for what they do, a partnership or contract exists to provide them with benefits in exchange for work. Frequently, managers and business organizations get too stuck within this model trying to help employees feel motivated by looking to benefits, rewards, and tangibles to keep them happy and loyal to the organization. But this is only half of the picture. The other half is an effective relationship employees have with the organization. It is also part of the contract, although much of it or perhaps none is in writing. You’re the closest representative of that relationship. Meeting employees’ needs in this part of the loyalty equation requires things that are harder to produce for some managers. They include getting closer to the employee by offering coaching assistance for career goals, helping employees connect with mentors, giving them lots of feedback, and ensuring that no “trees” are growing between you and them by keeping communication channels open and demonstrating that you are empathetic to their needs.
February 2008
I Want An Employee With Passion!Stubborn Employee Is Rude To Others
How to Deal With Racism In The Workplace
Personal Problems Leads to Employee Tardiness
When to Refer to EAP, When to Write Disciplinary Letter
Q. I want to hire employees with good skills, but passion is something I value even more. How do I spot passion in a potential new hire?
A. If employers could hang a sign outside their workplaces that said, “Passion Wanted, Inquire Within” and make it work, they’d do it. Passion is the engine of highly productive employees. These employees can learn to accomplish almost anything. They’re drivers. You can ask employees to talk about products or services of your company, and you can see their enthusiasm. However, passion is evidenced by behaviors, outcomes, and productivity. It comes later—or doesn’t come at all. If you are personally passionate about your work, you will guess which employees are likely to be passionate also. This is because their values match your own. Spend time exploring work values during interviews, and discuss your company’s products or services along with their meaning to the employee. Does the employee see his or her life’s purpose as a chosen occupation, and is that aligned with the mission and goals of your organization? There is a saying: “You can buy merit, but you can’t buy passion.” However, you can get pretty close.
Q. My employee tends to be stubborn and unable to see others’ points of view. She is too blunt; for example, she’ll say, "You're wrong!" rather than "I believe that..." She talks down to others. I correct her, but any changes don’t last. I think she is insecure. Would counseling help?
A. Your employee has a habit of communicating with others that is difficult to change, but it’s doable. There could be many reasons for her communication style, but your focus should be on correcting it, not guessing its cause. You need more leverage than simply fussing at her in return for short-term corrections. Consider holding her accountable by incorporating change in her performance reviews. Meet several times during the year to reinforce progress. Using this planned approach is important. Other leverage may include a corrective letter to create an impression and provide motivation for change. A supervisor referral to the EAP is also appropriate; EAP sessions would help her improve faster, would reinforce progress, and would make those changes last.
Q. We have a diverse workforce, and there is tension among some groups of employees that I think is race-based. I dealt swiftly with a racially inappropriate remark recently. Should I have the EAP in to do diversity awareness training, or will this make things worse?
A. Visit with the EAP to discuss your observations and the history of problems that are occurring within your work unit. There are many ways to approach diversity issues and inappropriate race-related remarks that surface between groups. Context and history are important. Not every problem requires a training or seminar solution. Sometimes the best intervention is a direct, zero-tolerance approach by management to address inappropriate behavior exhibited by certain employees. Sometimes EAPs have chosen to facilitate small, representative committees of employees who discuss options and select an approach that seems best for the whole group. This is a particularly powerful strategy that can produce a healing effect. Sometimes the best approach is a workshop on issues of respect, tolerance, and treating others appropriately. This sends a broader message that covers other employees who feel disrespected. Hold employees with inappropriate behavior accountable, and act quickly to discourage anything less than a respectful workplace.
Q. I had a meeting to discuss my employee’s tardiness. She said personal issues with her husband were to blame, but she was getting counseling. I decided against a supervisor referral at that point. She’s doing great now, but should I have referred her to the EAP?
A. You could have made a supervisor referral, even though your employee had other plans. Regardless, your employee’s tardiness has stopped. That means your corrective interview with her was successful. EAP referral is not a required way to solve a personal problem. It’s not a replacement for community resources that employees may wish to use. Your employee had a plan for correcting her tardiness—getting counseling with her husband. Hopefully, the issue of her tardiness has been resolved. From the organization’s viewpoint, that’s the bottom line. If your employee starts coming to work late again, then you should pick up your discussion where you left off and make the supervisor referral, even if your employee claims to have another plan. This time your employee will have the EAP advantage—a professional with an accurate understanding of the employment issues, an impartial assessment of the right intervention, motivational counseling, appropriate communication with you, and follow-up.
Q. My employee has offered pretty lame excuses for failing to complete three training courses this year. I wrote a disciplinary letter and let him read it, with the idea of placing it in his file if he received another “incomplete.” It worked! Was this better than an EAP referral?
A. The purpose of a supervisor referral is to help an employee improve performance when you are unable to make those corrections in the normal supervisor discourse. Your approach obviously created a strong sense of urgency, enough for your employee to overcome whatever contributed to his inability or unwillingness to complete training. No one knows what issues originally interfered with his ability to complete training, so we can’t say for certain that your method was “better” than a referral. For now, however, the pattern has stopped. You can assume that you didn’t need the EAP this time—at least not yet. The EAP is still available as a resource for him (or for you) should the problem continue.
January 2008
Supervisor Between Employer and EmployeePromised Confidentiality; Now wants to Confess
Disorganized Boss Needs to Hire an Assistant
How to Keep an Employee Motivated Past the Honeymoon Stage
Employee Had a Heart Attack, Now Returning to Work
Q. I have discovered since being a supervisor that it’s sometimes difficult to meet my employees’ and my employer’s needs equally. I try to draw a balance, but it is clearly not always possible. How do I straddle the fence of loyalty between these two groups better?
A. Being a good supervisor should not be an issue of straddling the fence between competing groups. Every great supervisor knows that the first responsibility is to develop a productive relationship with employees so they can get the work done. A productive relationship means fairness, clear and good communication, recognition, and reward for productivity. This is how the needs of the employer are best met. The workplace must not be a "them versus us" game. Some supervisors do not understand this point. Because their employees are directly in front of them all the time, and their need to please is great, it's easy to hear employee complaints, be sympathetic, and feel as though they are the "main thing." Some managers may view themselves as "champions for the people." This is a role fraught with stress. There is nothing wrong with looking out for your employees, but if the needs of the organization are pushed to second place in the process, you will not serve either.
Q. One of my employees came to me and I promised her confidentiality in exchange for her telling me about her troubles at home. I should have referred her to the EAP, but now I feel I have information about her life at home that I should not keep confidential. What should I do?
A. Talk to the EAP about your difficult situation. Depending on the type of information that has been shared, the EAP will advise you on what to do. Some things learned in discourse with others should not be kept secret. For example, you should not promise to keep secret information you have about an intended suicide or a child being abused. There are other examples as well. You are not a professional counselor, so you’re stuck with the problem of making a judgment call. Privileged information and information governed by privacy laws or confidentiality laws that prohibit or require disclosure, are linked to who we are and what we do. Your experience demonstrates the importance of remaining in the role of supervisor versus counselor. The EAP is better equipped, with its experience and skills, and the confidentiality laws that govern it, to manage confidential information, just as you are better equipped to correct performance.
Q. I am not an organized person. I forget things, lose things, and keep a sloppy desk. I am good at what I do, however, and I have climbed the organization’s ladder rapidly. Now I need to hire an assistant. How do I hire someone whom I won’t drive crazy?
A. It sounds like you are a creative spirit but could use some skills and coaching in how to organize yourself and delegate properly. After hiring an assistant, you are at risk for leaping between the extremes of refusing to delegate tasks to delegating wildly, sloppily, and hastily. Plan now to talk to the EAP. The employee you hire will be the most important person in your business life. Assuming you don’t make dramatic changes, he or she will have to be very good at running behind, scooping up the pieces, and making sure initiatives get implemented. This key person has to cheerfully accept all this responsibility and, often, may have to practically read your mind. This is okay if the employee you hire loves this role. Some do. Others love it but become controlling and manipulative because the supervisor has ceded too much authority without accountability. Making some key changes now will set the stage for a gratifying relationship with your new hire.
Q. I have hired many employees, and most are enthusiastic go-getters in the beginning, but after several months their energy diminishes and they become just so-so in their productivity. What causes this, and should I refer them to the EAP when I see this happen?
A. When someone is fresh and new on the job, energy abounds. It’s like starting a new weight-loss program—nothing could be more exciting. But then things change. To understand diminishing enthusiasm after hiring, look at what is happening between the employee and management at the time of hire. In the beginning, especially the first couple of months, new employees are treated like celebrities. They may receive higher compensation than they had at their previous job. They are made to feel excited about the future, with anticipated achievements. And they experience camaraderie. Along with just compensation, achievement and camaraderie have been identified in many studies as essential to maintaining employee enthusiasm. It appears that in the beginning, much of what drives enthusiasm is naturally in place. Learn how to keep this motivating atmosphere thriving and you will impact enthusiasm favorably. If your attempts to fire up enthusiasm are not successful and productivity standards are not satisfactory, an EAP referral is a good idea.
QOne of my employees has returned to work following a heart attack. Is there anything I can do to help him not have another one? This is a pretty high-stress environment. Should I talk him into reducing his hours?
A. Your employee should let you know if he needs any help from the organization to support his recovery, but you can also ask how best to support him. Almost all jobs include stress. Beyond stress, is something called "job strain." Job strain is high psychological demand from work pressure combined with little ability to control it. (Feeling trapped like a rat is a good way to describe it.) Some research as shown job strain as a factor in the recurrence of heart attacks. In Japan, the word "karoshi" means "death from work." And it is a widely studied social concern. To reduce job strain on employees, try reducing psychological pressure of work demands. If possible, increase the employee's control and decision making over those work demands. What about the long hours? In some studies, long work hours alone were not associated with recurrent cardiovascular events, only job strain. (Journal of Occupational Health, No. 45, 2005.)