ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701240013
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Working It Out
SOURCE: CAMILLE WRIGHT MILLER
Q: I have some difficult issues to discuss with an employee. I don't like having these kinds of conversations. As a result, I haven't scheduled a meeting. I keep postponing the conversation. I guess I need guidelines for handling these situations.
A: Successful discipline must be immediate, occur whenever an infraction occurs and must fit the severity of the offense. If discipline isn't swift, it shouldn't occur at all.
Make a commitment to talk with employees about problems as they arise. If you address issues as they arise, they'll be easier to handle and you won't re-create a situation similar to the one you're in now.
Plan to meet with your employee tomorrow. Use the intervening time to put your thoughts in order. Review the issues you want to discuss and select the most important. Trying to address every issue which has piled up over time is too much for one individual to comprehend.
First thing tomorrow, schedule the meeting for that day. Alert the employee that you'll be reviewing issues which concern you. Only an emergency should prevent this meeting.
Keep in mind that problems almost always get worse when left unattended. And, handling a difficult situation is rarely as hard in the doing as it is in the anticipating.
Q: A minor emergency was handled by a staff member. He made the best decision he could given circumstances and the importance of the customer involved. However, the decision was wrong and will cost us money. There's been discussion as to whether we should reprimand him. I'm not in favor of a reprimand, but need justification for my position.
A: Many companies have a policy that employees won't be reprimanded if they act, in emergencies, on issues of safety or customer satisfaction.
A reprimand would dissuade others from ever taking initiative. An unhappy situation if a future decision would correctly address a problem or the cost of inaction would be greater than losses recently experienced.
Consider meeting with the employee and thanking him for his concern and action in resolving the situation. Briefly explain how his action cost the company money.
Ask if he'll work with you and others to conduct a post-mortem and make recommendations for guidelines to help everyone in future, similar situations.
The group meeting is an opportunity to brainstorm everything that could go wrong. Create a problem-solving model to be applied in future situations. Create a general set of guidelines. Distribute the model and guidelines to all employees.
The strongest justification for not reprimanding the employee is that he solved what appeared to be an emergency to a customer's satisfaction when no other remedies appeared available. And, your organization has an opportunity, if the situation is handled well, to benefit enormously from the experience.
Q: I have a co-worker who, I finally recognize, is using me. When he needs help, because he frittered away his time, he begs for my help. He often asks me to drop my work and focus on his. I've always said yes, but my own work suffers. I resent this, but don't want to create problems between us, we have to work together.
A: It's rare that someone can take advantage of another without the cooperation of both parties. Because you were a party in creating the problem, you'll need to be active in resolving the problem.
If you're comfortable with it, the easiest approach is to be direct. Tell your co-worker you enjoy working together. Explain that you feel frustrated when called upon at the last minute to help with his work. Tell him that you'll help when you're informed in advance of what help he'll need and when.
If that feels too direct, try an indirect approach. Each morning, mention that you have a pile of work. Tell him that if he'll need your help later, he should let you know now. If he comes to you later in the day and asks for help, say you're sorry but you can't. Then with regret in your voice add, "I only wish you had let me know earlier. I'd have planned to help."
If you stay firm in your resolve to stop your part in the problem you'll lose your frustration and you'll help him become a better employee. If, on the other hand, you bail him out, your frustration will escalate and your relationship will become permanently damaged as a result.
Camille Wright Miller, an organizational behavior sociologist who works in Lexington, answers questions from our readers about workplace issues. Please send them to her in care of The Roanoke Times, Business News Department, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
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