Let’s face it, at times it’s jolly hard being an employer (or manager) and sometimes we can feel like we are walking on eggshells around our employees.
Do not get me wrong, most employees are great and an asset to your business. You rarely (or never) have a need for a difficult conversation with such employees.
But when you have a problem employee on your hands, it can be all-consuming and hard to see the wood for the trees. This is when you need to hold onto that internal mantra of “settle petal”.
What does that mean, you’ll be wondering? Is she asking me to find my inner hippie?
Not at all – it’s all about taking a moment to think, create boundaries and put steps in place to regain control of an employee situation:
- Make time for your employee to air their concerns but schedule that time rather than doing so in the here and now.
- You do not need to respond straight away – create thinking space for yourself and use the opportunity to:
– organise your thoughts
– develop a considered response
– get any advice you need. - When you do respond, change your tone – drop your voice and speak a bit slower. As fluffy as this may sound, it sends a message to your employee that you mean business.
- Use the term non-negotiable, it’s difficult to argue against when couched this way.
- Reinforce your non-negotiable standards regularly.
– Role model the standards
– Quietly hold your employee to account. - Keep your communications within usual business hours (don’t text your employee at 10 o’clock at night). Don’t create an opportunity for your employee to cry harassment.
Deploying some of these steps can help you resolve simple issues. They can also help you create the boundaries that employees need. They might not like those boundaries and might even choose to work elsewhere in time, but if you have followed these steps they are more likely to leave of their own accord.
For more difficult or complex situations, engage the same tactics and, at the same time, consider getting professional advice on board to help you navigate the pathway ahead.
As always, if there’s something you are not sure of give us a call on 07 823 3250 or email [email protected] and we can help.
