|
My employee moves
at a snail’s pace but is a good worker. I think I am seeing
depression. I wish I could say that, but I know I can’t. I have known
this employee for 20 years. The employee should have more
get-up-and-go. So how do I encourage an EAP referral? |
Are you
witnessing
behaviors and
performance issues with your employee that can be described and
measured? If so, this means you can have a discussion with your
employee about correcting them. Don’t worry about what underlies these
behaviors. Being able to describe them and judge them as problematic to
the work situation is more meaningful to motivation and more important
than a diagnostic label. Consider whether you had grown accustomed to
your employee’s slow work pace over the years and if some new change or
pattern has recently emerged to cause you to focus upon them. Have they
become more severe or more frequent? Discuss with your employee your
observations of slow performance, a lack of drive, and appearances of
being tired. Suggest that the EAP can help in resolving these issues.
Don’t rule out a supervisor referral in the future. |
|
My employee
complains to customers about co-workers and criticizes our products in
front of them. Obviously this behavior is unacceptable and disloyal. I
think we should dismiss the employee, because we can’t expect the EAP to
make someone loyal to the company. |
Although these
inappropriate
behaviors are unacceptable and demonstrate lack of loyalty, something
else may be contributing to them. A supervisor referral would be a good
move here, although your desire to dismiss the employee is
understandable. Has your employee been loyal until only recently? Does
he or she possess skills and abilities that you would like to keep if
only his or her behavior would change? Your conclusion that the EAP
can’t make a difference is an example of armchair diagnosis, because it
rules out the existence of an underlying treatable personal problem.
However, there are many personal issues that could explain this
behavior, such as anger, conflict at work, emotional issues of different
sorts, or problems that feed the employee’s willingness to act out. If
any period of satisfactory performance existed in the past, then you’ve
seen this employee’s potential to return to at least that level of prior
functioning. Use the EAP as a helpful productivity tool to see if you
can get it back. |
|
I had a good
conversation with the EAP about my employee’s performance issues prior
to making a referral. I then forgot to send the information in
writing. The employee didn’t cooperate with the EAP. Is it my fault
the employee didn’t cooperate? Can I refer again? |
It’s not your
fault
that the employee did not cooperate, but because you did not provide the
information in writing, the EAP had to repeat secondhand what you
shared. When this happens, employees can avoid tough issues and needed
changes and minimize the severity of the performance issues they face.
Still, it is likely that you will see immediate improvements in your
employee’s performance, no matter what. Be cautious, this is usually s
short-term period of performance improvement prompted by a sense of
urgency gained from the experience of being referred to the EAP. Yes,
refer again if problems return, but follow your EAP’s instructions in
providing relevant performance information. |
|
What is the
trickiest part of documentation, the part of the process that can be
most challenging for supervisors? How does a supervisor create
documentation that does not become a piece of paper that simply
represents the supervisor’s word over that of the employee’s? |
Documentation of
employee
performance is often difficult for a supervisor who does not understand
how to separate his or her emotional reaction to the employee’s behavior
and write effective notes that clearly support his or her position.
Instead, the supervisor unwittingly slips into writing documentation
that personally attacks the employee or makes judgments about the
employee’s character. Frequently, a supervisor will insist that his or
her documentation is accurate and objective, even though it demonstrates
the classic misstep of focusing on the employee’s psychological makeup.
A powerful technique, but one often omitted from supervisor
documentation, is to provide concrete examples of what is being
discussed—complaint letters from customers, time cards showing proof of
an employee’s lateness, a consultant’s analysis of the employee’s poor
productivity. Documenting the employee’s perspective and response to
your position also is powerful. If you do so, offer to let the employee
sign off on what you have actually written, attesting to its accuracy.
Whether the employee signs the statement is not as important as
demonstrating that you actually offered the opportunity to do so, which
shows you are dedicated to openness and transparency. |
|
Can you provide
some tips that will help me be more positive and effective in evaluating
my employees’ performance this year? What are some trouble spots that
supervisors must be careful to avoid? |
The most
overlooked
benefit of a
performance appraisal is its potential to bring employees and their
supervisor closer together as partners in maximizing the employees’
productivity. So, remember to view performance appraisal as a way to
help employees improve, not as something that is punitive in nature.
Performance evaluation meetings are a two-way street. Employees should
never be surprised by your areas of concern. Ambushing them with
previously unknown complaints about their performance creates distrust.
Always end meetings where you are discussing performance by providing
exact instructions on how your employees can improve, and be sure they
understand how to earn better ratings in areas that you’ve marked for
improvement. Focus on successes as well as shortcomings. Be sure to
praise and thank individuals for tasks that they have performed well at
various times during the year. Be specific! For example, when you
praise an employee, say for example, “You did an excellent job arranging
that sales conference. I feel as if I can always count on you to take
care of details like boosting registration.” |
|
