Giving bad news to an existing
employee is always tough. As a manager, I have to be willing to take the good
with the bad duties involved in order to be efficient and maintain order within
my organization. “Although
conflict in organizations has the potential to slow productivity and negatively
impact job satisfaction, the effective management of such conflict may enhance
worker productivity and job satisfaction or at least reduce its harmful effects”
(Cahn, n.d.). When
dealing with an employee who is not working up to par, or consistently causes
your organization problems, it is up to me as the manager to take control and
confront the issue before it escalates into something bigger than it should.
One of the first things I would do
as a proficient manager is develop a clear and concise line of open
communication within my organization. My employees should understand clearly
the rules and regulations I expect them to abide by within the workplace. “Establishing a standard for behavior sets the
expectations for employees to follow” (Frost, n.d.). Having an open line of respectable
communication with my employees will make sure they understand what I expect,
and will also allow them to feel comfortable confronting me with a problem,
asking questions, or making suggestions for improvement. This will also help me
deal with problematic employees, like the customer service representative,
because I will feel confident knowing they had the knowledge and understanding
of what was to be expected of them and what wasn’t.
Before approaching the employee to
deliver an ultimatum, I will have made sure I took the appropriate steps in
handling employee problems within my workplace. These steps should be clearly
written in an employee manual so they will be made aware of the discipline
policy ahead of time. Since the issue has gotten to the point of needing to
deliver an ultimatum, I’m sure verbal warnings would have already been given,
as well as a possible write up (depending on the companies policy). I will make
sure I have the problems concerning with this employee clearly documented with
supporting evidence if needed (customer service complaints, employee
statements, etc.). “Good records should
cover evidence of and causes for the problems” (Bies, 2012). Once I have the
documents needed, and know the employee has been warned and given clear
instructions for improvement, I am now ready to formally meet with my employee
to deliver the ultimatum.
I will also make sure I keep the meeting clear and straight to
the point. There will be no need in drawing the matter out longer than
absolutely necessary. I will present my employee with the issue once again,
reiterate the companies policies and procedures regarding the issue, confront
supporting evidence about the problem, give the employee a chance to speak and
address any questions or concerns, and then conclude the meeting with any
appropriate written paper work or procedures. I will end the meeting on a
positive note by providing my employee with encouraging words and even
compliments if possible. “Focusing on positives will help leadership keep
employees productive, upbeat, and future‐oriented” (Bies, 2012). Most importantly, I want to make sure my employees’
morale is as upbeat as possible in order for them to have the desire to improve
in the workplace and fix the problem that was just addressed. After all, if my
employee has no motivation to improve, my communication is worthless.
Reference
Bies, R. (2012). The 10 Commandments for Delivering Bad News.
Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/05/30/10-commandments-for-delivering-bad-news/
Cahn, et. al., (2011) Managing Conflict Through Communication.
Fourth Edition. Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780558711184/pages/15688612
Frost, S. (n.d.) How to Deal with Bad Behavior in the Workplace. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/deal-bad-behavior-workplace-12304.html
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