Confronting Bad Worker Attitude

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 crafted too late when the supervisor no longer wants to deal with the employee.  Fearing legal issues, you begin crafting memos to reprimand the employee on every possible violation. You go from no confrontation to major 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.  Naturally, the process is perceived by workers as the untold beginning of their discharge process.

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.

•  Be firm but always respectful. Show that you truly care and respect the employee. 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.

•  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.  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.

•  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.