Most of us have known a few LOSERS in our career. Problems surface and we face challenges. Who are the ones we call losers? Where did they come from? How did we end up with them on our payroll? Who hired them? Complainers, out on Monday, sick every other week, demanding and always looking at the clock to go home or slip out early. What do you do? You have hired someone who has turned into a bad influence on your staff. Unacceptable behavior cannot be tolerated. Something has to be done. Immediately! DAMAGE CONTROL Now your concern is with other employees. One bad apple can create problems with other staff members. How can we avoid damaging the goodwill while trying to correctly handle the challenges with one troublesome employee? Shall we take the easy way out? FIRE the troublemaker! Get him or her out of the company as quickly as possible. Simply do NOT put up with such behavior. Maybe there are some options that a good employer would bring into play. WHAT SHALL WE DO? Will behavior modification work? Shall we first look for GOOD things that our employee is accomplishing? A little praise may go a long way toward our goal. Sometimes an employee has NO clue regarding acceptable performance. No one has ever taken the time to explain levels of acceptable behavior. Accomplishing tasks in a reasonable period of time. Cooperating with team members. How does he or she stack UP? Compare with other employees? Is there a CONTRACT between management and employees? Goals are shared and explained with the entire staff. Everyone has a HOT button! There is something internal that guides and motivates each one of us beyond our limits. Search for that SOMETHING in each employee. Ask your employees about THEIR goals. Where do YOU want to be in 2,3 or 5 years from now? Can we help each employee reach his or her full potential? Sometimes we find that an employee simply does NOT fit. There is an old saying, "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." Same idea goes for an employee who simply is in the wrong place. Does NOT match up to expectations. COMPENSATION Could the money be an issue? Is the boss overpaid while the workers are getting the "short end" of the payroll? Something to review and fix when necessary. Resentment can rise up and cause poor performance. Watch for this! Most businesses have associations. JOIN immediately if you are NOT already a member in good standing. Become a contributor. Attend the meetings. Go to the annual conventions. Share your expertise. Learn from others, too. Compare YOUR store, office, warehouse, etc. with each other. Is one location way out in front of the others? Is one store lagging far behind? WHY? There is a reason. Your problem may be the Manager. If you cannot figure it out then ASK for help. The answer can be very subtle. It's hard to find the problem when we are too close. Bring in an outsider who can SEE beyond our focus. An old saying comes to mind. Fix the PROBLEM rather than the blame. Our SYSTEM may be out of "whack" rather than our "LOSER" employee. MANAGEMENT Challenges are faced immediately rather than hoping they will go away. Today's Manager is KEY to high morale, customer satisfaction, employee loyalty and keeping ethical guidelines in the forefront. Nip it in the bud! There is NO place for excessive absenteeism, sexual harassment, vandalism or theft in the workplace. Internal conflicts must be dealt with promptly to avoid gridlock. Are there issues from both sides of the isle? Maybe a simple misunderstanding has taken place and can easily be resolved. Listening before jumping to conclusions will prove to be a good management practice. Too often overlooked. Be sure your actions are well founded. Know ALL the facts BEFORE you get "trigger" happy and make a bad decision. Don't lose a potentially good employee because some hasty reaction caused a bigger problem. NEGOTIATE Get a "buy-in" from every employee. Let each one know your plan. How they can participate and grow. Earn bonus money. Be specific! Don't be greedy. Share the spoils with the team. Generate enthusiasm. MOTIVATE Performance "feedback" is an imperative. Everyone needs to know. How am I doing? How do I stack UP with the team? Am I on target? Reaching expectations? Be available and willing to communicate. Let your staff know how to reach you whenever necessary. You are their advicessory. Guide. Confident. Establish "reach-able" milestones. Review. Adjust the plan. Keep expectations and goals within proper limits. Don't expect the impossible. Be sure to make adjustments as necessary to keep your staff motivated. ================================================================ ACTION TIP: Super teams are the result of GOOD management. Sharing goals and expectations are imperative. Respond immediately to challenges in the workplace. Hire TOP candidates. Be available to employees. Expect the best. Act only when the facts are understood. Communicate regularly to motivate your team. ================================================================ |
