SOLVING PROBLEMS: AN ONGOING PROCESS

Give the interview process a chance to work. Inexperienced supervisors sometimes become discouraged if they do not see immediate results. Resolving conflicts, helping others change their attitudes, and dissipating hostility take time. Remind yourself that although the process does not always work, it works often enough to be worth your effort. Even if you fail, you will have had the satisfaction of trying.

When Your Image Is Being Tested

Your image as a supervisor is important. A problem employee can cause a great deal of conversation both inside and outside your department. If you wind up with such an employee, you can rest assured that others will be watching how you respond. The nonproblem employees on your staff will be watching even more closely than management. Studies show that most co-workers have a lower tolerance of problem employees than supervisors expect. Your employees want you to solve the problem to make life easier for them. Obviously, the supervisor who has enough leadership ability to solve the problem will enhance her or his image in all directions.

When the Employee Is Unable to Reach Standards

You may have to learn to live with certain low-level employees. You may discover one or more employees in your department who do not, and never will, live up to your expectations. These individuals do not influence the productivity of others or cross your discipline line, but they contribute less than other workers. For example, you may have a mature employee who has seniority but cannot adjust quickly to dramatic changes, or an employee who refuses to communicate but produces better than average work. Such employees can make your job as a supervisor more difficult, but they are not troublemakers.

Sometimes counseling will strengthen these employees; sometimes it won't. When you have done your best to change their behavior, you must continue to be positive with these employees without letting them pull you down or hurt your leadership ability.

When Chemical Dependency Is Involved

To maintain and increase productivity, supervisors need to be alert to the possibility of chemical dependency (including alcohol abuse) among employees. Tolerating abuse/addiction is not in the best interest of the employee, the supervisor, or the organization. So how do you handle suspected dependency problems?

First, know your organization's policy and conform to it. Second, learn enough about dependency to recognize when a problem might exist. Third, always consult your superior before you begin any form of intervention. Fourth, have a third person present should a discussion with the employee take place.

As a supervisor, you are the key person in terms of monitoring job performance. It is up to you to provide documentation of failure to reach standards. Should such documentation show a possible dependency problem, it is time to consult a superior and bring in a professional. Procrastination is not the answer.

It might help you to view a dependency case as getting around the bases in a ballgame. You reach first base when you recognize that a problem exists, document your observations, and schedule a discussion with the employee. You arrive at second base when you create an open atmosphere for the discussion of reasons for nonperformance and let it be known that you will support bona fide efforts to correct it.

You get to third base when the employee recognizes the jeopardy his or her job is in, takes responsibility for the problem, and commits to improving performance. You reach home plate (and score) when the employee seeks professional help from either internal or external sources and undertakes treatment.

Keep in mind that you are probably more important to your organization than the problem employee in question, so do not let the individual destroy you. It means you must deal with the employee in legal ways so that both you and the organization are protected. If you need backup assistance, do not hesitate to ask for advice and support from your supervisors. As a beginning supervisor, you are not supposed to know all the answers, so do not let personal pride keep you from seeking support. In dealing with problem employees, it can be a serious mistake to act prematurely on your own.

When Sexual Harassment Occurs

Sexual harassment is behavior of a sexual nature that causes a person to be uncomfortable. In most cases, sexual harassment is more than a single incident. Rather, it is a deliberate pattern of behavior pursued over a period of time.

Sexual harassment violates the law and inhibits work performance. Victims can be male or female, a manager or subordinate, a vendor or customer. It is the responsibility of the supervisor or team leader to create and maintain a working environment where no form of harassment from any source is permitted. The following steps are recommended:

When a Reduction in Staff Is Mandated

Sometimes a nonproblem employee must be released because of a cutback in personnel. In such cases, the supervisor must work closely with the department of human resources to make certain that no age or other type of discrimination is involved. Releasing a good employee may be the most difficult action a supervisor must take. Everything possible should be done to assist the individual in finding another position of equal or higher status.

This chapter has been designed to give you the confidence, techniques, and procedures that will help you either prevent employee problems or handle them gracefully and legally when they emerge. If you can handle problem employees effectively without turning to your superiors for help, you will not become their problem employee.