If you
are a boss that relies on disciplinary memos to improve employees’
attitudes or performance you should know by now, it rarely works. Written warnings are often perceived by
workers as the untold beginning of their discharge process. It’s not
surprising
that they are counter-productive. On the
surface, the employee may appear as if he will correct the situation. Wrong.
He is just playing the same game you are.
If
disciplinary memos are ineffective to improve performance, why do you
and other employers keep using them? It’s simply the fall back position
after repeatedly
avoiding to deal with the issue. Rather than immediately confronting
the employee with the unwanted behavior, you avoid and evade taking
action.
You
dislike confronting bad behavior or performance for two reasons.
First, it is generally an uncomfortable thing to do. Secondly,
hardly anyone is properly trained
to do so.
The
longer you wait to resolve the situation, the further complicated it
gets. What usually happens is that unwanted conduct will progressively
worsen until
it bothers you so much that you decide it’s time for the employee to
go.
Fearing
legal issues, you begin crafting memos to reprimand the employee
on every possible violation. You go from no confrontation to mayor
confrontation. At this point the corrective
nature of the memo is probably a farce.
You simply want to document every possible deficiency until the
file is
thick enough to boot the guy.
What
if instead you corrected the situation long before you began
thinking about memos or legal issues? Instead of waiting until that
point of no
return, you decided to confront unwanted behavior. Think
of all the hassle and money you could
have saved.
Nothing
is stopping you except your will and skill. Perhaps
you may have wanted to take earlier
action but were afraid to do so for fear of escalating the situation or
getting
involved in a shouting match. Not anymore, here are some solutions.
Decide what to confront. What is
really important here? There may be several things to confront. Decide
on the
bigger issue. Do you want the employee
to improve or is it about teaching her a lesson. Do
you want to prove you are right or reach a
mutually beneficial solution?
Show that you truly care and
respect the employee. We all need
to feel respected at all times. It’s human nature. Be firm but always
respectful. Confronting the person in
private in a normal tone and never ever get personal. One thing is to
be late. Another is to be called lazy. Don’t fall on this trap. It’s the easiest way
to divert an issue. If you disrespect
someone be the first to admit it. Apologize; make sure the person gets
the
apology and quickly return to the issue at hand.
Make
sure the worker gets that you
care, and have the best interest at heart.
He/she will be more receptive to whatever you have to say. Look for mutually beneficial points of view
rather than ‘you versus me’ issues.
Stick to the facts.
Don’t let
your own filters, personal issues and stories get in the way of the
truth. Too often we pre-judge and point out
character flaws based on our prejudice and misconceptions.
Learn how to distinguish between the facts
and your story.
Give the benefit of the Doubt.
Before reaching conclusions ask the other person
for her side of the story. How can you
help the person overcome his/her issues? Explore what are the possible
barriers. Is the employees lacking of skills or motivation?
Obtain a new commitment. Once
the issue is handled, ask for a new commitment.
Clarify expectations and provide a framework for follow up and
accountability.