The Most Damaging Employee Of All

Being an HR professional and also formerly a leader in the operations environment of a large manufacturing facility, I have certainly seen my share of employee performance issues - the slacker, whiner, bully, suck up, etc. etc.  I like to think I've pretty much seen it all but I'm hesitant to say that as I am periodically very surprised by a new issue.  Some issues are easier to deal with than others.  For probably 90% of employee issues, a frank conversation and clear expectations will change performance.  But, oh boy, that other 10% can be quite a challenge.

Of course there is no one size fits all approach.  People are people.  And for those of you that tend to like things black or white, you are not going to be happy about this - people are very gray.  Every person comes with their own set of unique perceptions, ideas, reactions, and results.  The good news is there are some simple guidelines for the most part.

Routine Performance Issues
For example, the slacker just requires a little micro-management and clear goals so you can manage the performance (either towards improvement or out of the position).  This micro-managing is not intended to be a permanent fix, it's a short term solution toward improvement.  The "Whiner" likely wants attention and this is the only way they know how to get it.  Once you dig past the surface performance and get to the root cause of the problem it is much easier to solve.  I've been known to sit a problem employee down and say "Here are the expectations.  What do you need from us in order to perform to expectations?"  Putting the ball in their court seems to lead to resolution much faster than trying to guess what we need to do.

The Most Damaging Employee
There is one type of employee however, that I firmly believe is the most damaging to any business.  They are a cancer cell in the business world and if I stick to that analogy, only quick detection and massive amounts of chemotherapy can cure the damage they cause.  And they are the most difficult to detect because they are masters of deception.  I would much rather deal with a slacker, people in conflict, lack of teamwork, or a difficult supervisor than deal with this person.  By now, your interest should be sufficiently peaked.  Who am I referring to?  The Gossip.

I'm not talking about the morning break room chit chat regarding who is having an affair or who is spending too much time on Facebook.  It's not unusual for all employees to spend a certain amount of time gossiping and it's impossible to think you are going to eliminate that - actually, a certain amount of gossip may be good.  I'm talking about the person that derails careers, destroys morale, and purposefully takes information they have and twists it to hurt others and cause drama.  These are the back stabbers that will throw you under the bus the first chance the get but act like your best friend the rest of the time.  Why are they the worst you might ask?  Because they are often difficult to detect, they disrupt morale, and when you confront them, they will act like they have no idea what you are talking about.  Just in case you didn't realize this, when your team is focused on drama, they aren't focused on work.

You may wonder how to handle this employee because if your organization is very big at all, I guarantee you have one or two.  The first step is to detect and derail them.  If this person is brave enough to bring the gossip to you, consider yourself lucky.  You don't want to stop anyone from bringing information to you but you want to make sure they know you are going to dig to get all the facts before jumping on their drama bandwagon.  So, let me handle this a couple of ways.

Scenario:  Your Gossip brings juicy info to you.
1.  Thank them for bringing you the info (after all it's better they brought it to you than to everyone else).
2.  Ask lots of questions (and I do mean lots).
     How did you come to find this out?
     Did you personally see them do this?
     Did they tell you that or did you infer that?
     What exactly did they say?
     What exactly did you see?
     How do you know?
     Who have you shared this with?
     Did you see the email?

Once you start asking questions and they can't answer one, they will begin to realize they can't make things up.  This approach alone will stifle a bit of the gossip.
3.  Caution them that things aren't always what they seem and educate them on the damaging effects of gossip.
4.  If necessary, ensure them you will handle the situation but you will not be reporting back to them unless it has to do with them personally.  Tell them you expect them to keep what they know private as you seek more information.
5.  If you hear they have shared the information with others after your talk, address the gossip as a performance issue just as you would absenteeism.  It disrupts the work environment and should be handled as such.

Scenario:  Your Gossip is Sharing Information With Others.
1.  Invite them into a private area for a chat.
2.  Let them know you are aware of something they have shared (do not divulge your source if at all possible as it will only generate conflict).  Explain what it is you heard, and allow them to respond.
3.  Thank them for being honest with you.  If they deny saying anything ask your question a couple of different ways.  If they continue to deny it skip to the final step in this process.
4.  Ask lots of questions (see above for examples)
5.   Caution them that things aren't always what they seem and educate them on the damaging effects of gossip.
6.  If necessary, ensure them you will handle the situation but you will not be reporting back to them unless it has to do with them personally.  Tell them you expect them to keep what they know private as you seek more information.
7.  Explain that in the future you would like them to come to you with this information and not generate gossip within the department.  Explain that gossip will destroy a team and you need their help and making sure that doesn't happen.
8.  Explain that gossiping is a performance issue as it disrupts the work environment and will be handled as such.

On a more positive note, the "Gossip" can be a great resource for you when implementing change.  Think about it, you have someone on your team that likes to talk . . . .make sure they are armed with the information you want others to have.  They can be your greatest resource if you know how to utilize them.  This post is getting way too long so I'll cover than topic in a future post.

What are your thoughts regarding the impact of the Gossip?  What success have you had in dealing with this person?  I want to hear your thoughts!

Mari

The 3 Reasons People Don't Do What You Want Them To Do

Some find it hard to believe but it's true.

There are really only three potential 
reasons people don't do what you want them to do. 

Getting to the root cause of a performance issue is really not all that difficult when you think about it from this perspective.  The real trick is determining which of the three reasons it is and then implementing an appropriate solution.  But really, three potential reasons, that's it - this is doable right?


Let's take a look at the three reasons and then I'll go into a bit more detail on each of them.

1.  They don't know how.

2.  They aren't capable.

3.  They don't want to.

Our natural tendency is to assume number 3 is the reason our employees are not doing what we need them to but stick with me here and read the explanation for numbers one and two.  Quite honestly, the first one is often the culprit.


1.  They Don't Know How
This could mean nobody has taken the time to show them so they truly don't know how to perform the task correctly or it could mean they don't know how YOU want it done (i.e. you haven't clearly communicated your expectations).  Before you can jump to the conclusion that someone just doesn't want to do what you have requested, you must first rule out this possibility.

If they simply don't know the proper procedure or process or need to learn a skill or software program, that's an easy fix - send them to a class or assign a more experienced person to show them.


Let me be clear - this possibility could be the reason why you have quality issues and it could also be the reason you have employees spending too much time on the internet at work.  


Without getting too psychological on you, all people come to the work environment with their own ideas, experiences, perceptions, and expectations.  For example, you'll likely notice generation Y much more interested in social media than your baby boomers.  And generation Y will likely not see any problem with texting and checking their facebook status throughout the day.  They've done that their entire life so that's what they know.

Unfortunately, many leaders believe others come into the workplace with the same expectations, ideas, and work ethic that they have.  This, my friend, is a big mistake.

Most people cannot read your mind (I'm sure there are a few telepathic people out there although I've yet to run into them in the workplace, which is probably a good thing).


If your employees are not doing what you want, your first step should be to clearly articulate your expectations.  


I can't tell you the number of leaders that have said to me "Shouldn't they just know that?  Do I have to tell them everything?"


Of course, you don't have to tell them EVERYTHING but you do have to clearly articulate your expectations.  If they come in five minutes late every day and have been doing it for two years without anyone saying anything to them, they likely believe it's not an issue.  If it's an issue, you need to tell them.  Again, they can't read your mind.


So, before moving on to the second potential reason, you'll first need to rule this reason out.  Depending on the performance issue, you can rule this out by observation (skill deficiency) and by conversation (i.e. clearly articulating your expectations).  The topic of "clearly articulating your expectations" deserves it's own post but a cliff notes version would include the need to be very precise and specific directly with the person who has the issue.  Having a staff meeting and announcing to everyone in the room that they need to come to work on time is not precise and specific directly with the person.  Quite honestly, the person you want to hear that message is probably not listening at that point or thinks it doesn't apply.  This means bringing Jane or Joe into your office and saying "Hey, I notice you come in 5-10 minutes late at least four times a week.  I need you to be here at (insert time) from now on.  Is there anything preventing you from doing that?"  I guarantee your problem will either be solved or you'll have grounds to start the formal discipline process.


2.  They Aren't Capable


Again, too often leaders jump to this conclusion when more often than not, this is NOT the reason people aren't doing what you need them to do.  It's actually pretty rare to find this to be the cause although it does happen.  I hate to paint a very visual image but it's the best way I know how to rule this one out.  Another way to say it is "If you put a gun to their head and asked them to do it, could they?"


I'll use a personal example here.  There are lots of things I know how to do but just don't for whatever reason.  Eat right, Exercise consistently, get enough sleep . . . .  this are all things I know how to do.  It isn't that I'm not capable.  I could have a PhD in all of those topics if one were offered.  However, if you put a gun to my head today and said "Be a world class ballerina," I couldn't do it.  No matter how hard I tried, I'm not built (nor will I ever be) to be a ballerina.  Some other examples here might include mechanical aptitude, mathematical ability, or even painting or singing.  Some people may be able to learn some of these skills to a certain proficiency but not at the level that you would need in the workplace if they don't already have the aptitude.


If this truly is the reason they aren't performing, it would be best to move them to another role if you have that option.


3.  They Don't Want To
Ahhh, finally, we get to the one reason most people jump to right away.  Remember, before you get to this option you should have ruled out option one and option two.

This option would include outright defiance (even though it might be masked by a professional attitude and a smile) motivation (or lack thereof), frustration, passive-aggressive behavior, and just plain not liking their job.  There is so much information to cover here that I'm sorry you'll have to look for other posts on the topic.  If this is the reason the person is not performing and you want to modify the performance behavior, you'll need to dig beyond the obvious.  Let me explain.

Have you ever heard yourself saying "they just aren't very motivated."  My question is always "why?" People are unmotivated for lots of reasons and sometimes all you have to to do is change a process or your communication a bit to completely turn around behavior.  Here is an easy example.


Example
You have a salesman responsible for getting a report to you each Friday afternoon.  Let's say his name is Charles.  He is perpetually late with this task and it frustrates you because you need his report to complete your report to your boss.  It's a constant battle.  If you don't figure out the why behind this it will always be a constant battle.  Worse yet, it could end up that a very good salesman gets fed up and leaves because he is tired of your nagging about the stupid report.  If you ask "why?' you may find that this salesman is paid based on his sales.  You may also find that Friday is his busiest day of the week.  Charles happens to get a charge out of selling more and beating his own records.  If you know all this it should become crystal clear as to why he isn't getting the report done.  It's not that Charles is not motivated or defiant, or just trying to make your life more difficult.  On the contrary, Charles is highly motivated . . . . to sell and that is, after all why you have him in this role.  


Now that you understand what is going on, you have some options to work with - is there an administrative assistant that could help (i.e. process change)? Could you change the due date of the report to Monday which happens to be his slowest day?  Or can you you change your compensation structure in some way so Charles doesn't feel like he is missing the busiest day of the week?


As you can see by this example the why can make all the difference in performance.  This may apply to absenteeism, spending too much time on social media, and any other performance issue you may be having in your organization.  

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't mean every employee can or should be "saved."  But it also doesn't mean you get away with throwing in the towel so easy.  There are times is it absolutely necessary to address performance.  And there are times when employees have quit and forgotten to tell you so you have to assist them to their next adventure.  Too often however, leaders are quick to judge and punish without even trying to find out how to motivate and inspire their employees to excellence.

I'd love to hear your comment on this topic.  What has been your experience in this area?