It’s not easy to reprimand an employee, but above all it is never pleasant. Generally, we prefer congratulations to remonstrations. But beware; tolerating behaviour at work that is not professional or does not comply with office rules or even unsatisfactory work (and accepting it in the meanwhile) is ultimately condoning it. And at the same time, in the eyes of the employee in question and his co-workers, it’s legitimizing a situation that should not be legitimized. In time, the problem that will arise is the erosion of the manager’s credibility and the insidious introduction of a sense of injustice, particularly demotivating for employees who do comply with requirements.
Some employees have the tendency (admit that you do sometimes as well…) to test the their superior’s limits to see how far they can go. Fair enough, certainly, but beware, it’s up to the superior to dot the “i’s” and not leave the situation unattended to. A team learns as well. Far from me to be paternalistic but if it is not corrected as it arises, behaviour becomes “loose” and gives way to a new attitude, ultimately unacceptable but… becomes the norm. This requires a “reprimand” and bosses who avoid confrontations at any price are more at risk.
When a series of incidents is tolerated without protest for several weeks or more than a month it’s almost impossible to back up, and the outcome is always the same – the employee is let go, resigns by himself or the boss quits and… gives way to the next one. The manager who follows will have to work hard to get things back on an even keel and redefine the standard, as well as appearing like a villain for months.
Here are some examples.
Simon was a friendly employee (friendliness is very important – but don’t forget that it is always harder to reprimand someone who is friendly and kind than otherwise…); he was always appreciated by his colleagues and his performance was acceptable. However, Simon was always late. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there. He never worked an extra minute and always left on time. At 4:30, his office was already cleared of any folders, computer switched off and he was ready to bound outside. The problem was that everyone noticed. There was chatter in the hallways and at the coffee machine. There were always plenty of good reasons to justify it – the bus schedule, his car broke down, he missed the subway, etc.
Julie worked for Roger for several years. Performance was average and no more but not bad enough to set off a process of discipline or specific support. Her problem was her moodiness, downright cyclothimic. One day she was in a bubbly mood and her assignments moved ahead at great speed, while the following week she forgot half of her instructions and you could barely speak to her. When Roger tried to address the situation (on a day when she was in a good mood) she denied it and with a big smile returned to her management duties. For a while he was almost convinced that it was him that was off beam!
We’re not talking here about highly reprehensible behaviour or flagrant and chronic non-performance. The risk lies exactly on the thin grey line of what is the tolerable limit and what others conclude. What we tolerate as laziness, timidity or sloppiness we pay dearly for in lack of performance, loss productivity and demobilization of the troops. It’s up to the manager to raise the bar of standards and enforce them.
The key for intervention is to know how to choose the right moment to take action. Sometimes action must be taken on the spot but sometimes confrontation in the field can lead to disruption and it’s not the right time. But this should not prevent you from returning to the situation later (tomorrow or next week) by arranging a meeting to address the situation: “I would like to discuss with you what happened yesterday and your reaction…” or even “I have noticed that your lateness is becoming more frequent and for some time you seem to be less engaged. I would like to discuss it…". Sometimes the manager is caught off guard and intervening in front of the group to reprimand an employee is not wise: the golden rule is to never let someone lose face in front of their colleagues. On the other hand, don’t hesitate to have a private interview to get your message across. Be as clear, factual and accurate as possible and make sure that he has understood. Avoid falling into endless accusations and concentrate on the objectives to correct the situation, together. I emphasize the “together” since a part of the solution will come from the employee concerned. It’s not enough to say “you are not to arrive late any more” or “your changing moods are affecting your performance and that of the staff” but what is important is to know what the person will do to not let it happen again.
Always remember that your staff is watching you. Your staff often knows your weak points better than you do and some are very good at playing them at your expense. Having the guts to be courageous is also measured by the manager’s ability to have difficult conversations and address non-performance while they are small problems and before they become big problems. It’s your credibility and legitimacy that’s on the line!