Addressing Long Term Problems

January 06, 2005

In the last issue of eTips I described how easy it is for a few unscheduled absences or isolated instances of poor behavior by an employee to develop into a long- term problem.

See if the following scenario sounds familiar to you.

The first few times an employee arrives to work late, misses a deadline, or rudely interrups a coworker in the midst of a conversation, you write if off as just having a bad day.

But, it doesn't end there.

After a few more occurrences, you begin to see a troublesome pattern emerging. So, you drop a few hints, hoping the employee will pick up on them. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen. Instead, the undesirable behavior continues in spite of your efforts to curb it.

By then you feel it's too late to do anything about it. You worry that if you call the employee in now for a coaching session after any single occurrence, it will seem like you're overreacting. Or worse, you may have to explain why you're calling attention to the problem now, after the behavior has been allowed to continue for so long.

You wish you had said something sooner, but of course you didn't. And now, you feel stuck.

So, what's the solution?

First, if you find yourself in this situation, don't be too hard on yourself. This same scenario happens to even the best managers. The important thing is stop fretting about what you did or didn't do in the past. Instead, concentrate on how you can finally get this problem resolved.

The first step is to have a frank discussion with the employee. State the facts and explain your concerns.

Following are a few examples. You'll notice that none of the sample statements make reference to how long the problem behavior has been going on - just that it's a problem at the present time.

"Amanda, I noticed that you have been absent from work for at least one day on four separate occasions in the past two months, all for different reasons. I'm beginning to feel like I can't count on you any longer to be at work on a regular basis." (The manager knows that Amanda has a long history of absenteeism that dates back several years).

"Terry, I can see you're still having trouble with the reconciliation sheet. I'm wondering if this part of the job is too difficult for you." (Terry has NEVER been able to handle the reconciliation sheet in the two years he's held the job).

"Jenny, you probably don't realize this, but when you begin speaking before the other person has finished, they may feel you're not being respectful." (If Jenny doesn't see that as a problem, then you have a more serious issue to deal with. "Jenny, it's important that people in the company treat one another with respect. I'd be concerned if you didn't feel the same way.")

"Scott, you made a rather pointed remark during yesterday's meeting that seemed to call into question my capabilities as a manager. I'm just wondering if that's whate you really intended."

Each of these examples are intended to initiate an open and honest dialogue with the employee, which is the first step toward resolving the long-standing problem behavior.

In each case, the manager doesn't tip-toe around the issue, but rather addresses his or her concerns in a direct manner.

And yet, these examples work well even after the employee has demonstrated a long-term pattern of the problem behavior.

Why? Because they begin by stating the facts, which are difficult for an employee to dispute. And they address the manager's concern in a way that avoids blame or fault-finding. On the contrary, they all give the employee the benefit of the doubt. The manager is saying, in effect, "Here's what I've observed. And this is the conclusion I've come to as a result. Do you see the situation differently?"

This approach gives the employee an opportunity to present his or her side of the story, including additional facts the manager may not have been previously aware of without feeling under attack.

Long-term patterns of behavior are difficult to change. Still, your best hope for making a difference is to take that first step and initiate a meaningful dialogue with the employee.

For more tips, including sample dialogue to fit over 45 different problem behaviors, visit Expert Supervisor and click on Problem Situations.

Best regards,

Stephen Foster, Ph.D
Expert Supervisor, LLC
1493 Market Street
Tallahassee, FL 32312
(850) 893-5699

E-mail me at: Steve.Foster@ExpertSupervisor.com