Don’t Ignore Employee Issues

We’re in unusual times. Work has been disrupted. People are working from home and managers are concerned about productivity. Even though studies show that employees are more productive when they work offsite, current circumstances are highly unusual. There are some many additional distractions – partners, pets and children. Nevertheless, managers can’t overlook performance issues even when times are tough.

Most of us have never worked in this kind of circumstances before, and we may think there isn’t a playbook on what to do. Actually, there is. Follow your organization’s guidance and policies on performance management. But in times of crises, tread lightly. Here are some thoughts,  

• Empathy. Whatever the issue is, this is the time to be empathetic. That’s not to say you let serious issues slide because we’re in a time of crisis, but go a little slower and gentler than usual before you take any management action.

• Communicate. As in any issue, you’ll want to talk to the employee. This is complicated if you and the employee are not physically in the same place, but you can use Zoom or Skype or other platform your organization uses to communicate virtually.

• Get the facts. Ask open ended questions and listen carefully to responses. Your intent is to get the employee’s perspective. The key here is to keep an open mind. You may think you understand the issue or situation, but you may not have all the facts.

• Clarify. Clear up any misunderstandings about your expectations. Clarity on expectations is extremely important to a successful working relationship.

Yes, even during a pandemic, employees behave badly at work—even if they’re working from their own home. Relaxed environments and atmospheres break down boundaries. There have been concerns about on-line harassment and cyberbullying. At the same time, everyone’s stress level is high. Remind employees that your conduct policies still apply even in a drastically changed workplace, and follow your disciplinary processes if you decide action is required.

The Manager’s Answer Book provides a roadmap for coaching and counseling employees.  See page 59 to 61 for actions you can take to help an employee get back on track—even during a pandemic. In this time of crisis, we suggest you grant a bit more grace than usual; but no matter the employee issue, deal with it in a timely and professional manner.

Positively Connected

We are definitely in unchartered territory. Work is only one of the challenges you and your employees are facing during this time of crisis. While getting work done may be top of mind for you as a manager, remember you probably have no idea what your employees are faced with each and every day. Here are some tips to keep your connections positive.

• Phone calls. Zoom and Skype meetings are keeping us connected, but they are exhausting. As a manager, you want to be as available as possible, so don’t overlook the significance of a personal phone call from time to time.  They give you a chance to hear one-on-one how your employees are doing.

• Be human. You should be as visible as possible, but don’t forget the human side. Have some fun. We have a colleague who is sending a fun JibJab video to her team every day. What a great way to put a smile on a face while showing a silly and very human side to your employees.

• Open-door policy. Sure, doors don’t exist in our virtual world, but bring meaning to policies that promote transparency and open communication. Make sure your employees know they can connect with you when they need you, but don’t forget to set some boundaries as to when it’s appropriate to call or text.  Let them know you’ll respond in a timely manner.  Being available during this time will make your staff more comfortable.

• Have fun. Our meetings may be virtual, but that doesn’t mean they have to be impersonal. Consider starting each meeting with an ice breaker.  Ask a question like “what’s the best meal you’ve cooked or eaten while quarantined or anything that gets people talking and laughing. This will make a huge difference to your team.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This is a great time to remind your employees to take advantage of their helpful services available to employees and family members.  EAP’s offer counseling on a variety of topics including depression and anxiety, and most have financial experts as well.  These services can be lifelines for your staff at a time like this.

• Recognition programs. Praise your employees for the things they do above and beyond, and right now, that’s probably most if not all of your team. Celebrate as if you were physically together using online platforms and applications. 

Be kind to your employees and also to yourself and we’ll get through this.  

Is There Anything Else I Should Know?

Kyle answered his ringing phone. His colleague, Renee, on the other end of the line sounded desperate.  “I need your advice,” she said, and then described an employee problem she was grappling with.  

It was an attendance problem. The employee was often late arriving for work, or taking time off during the day allegedly, for personal appointments, without notifying anyone.  Some days he was just missing in action -- somewhere in the building, but no one could find him.  His manager had spoken with him about it more than once and documented those conversations.  The last conversation resulted in a formal written warning for the employee. Yet his behavior had not changed.  Now they wanted to terminate his employment.  “What do you think, Kyle,” Renee asked, “Can we terminate him?”

Kyle verified with Renee that the documentation was clear and complete, and he was assured the employee received a copy of the written warning. “From everything you shared, it appears that the policy would support termination,” Kyle said. 

Imagine Kyle’s surprise when Karen London, the General Counsel, called several days later wanting to know why he gave the okay to terminate the employee. “Kyle, didn’t you know this employee had filed a harassment complaint the week before he was terminated?”

“Karen, this is the first I’m hearing about his complaint. Renee never told me when she called for my advice. She only described the attendance issue.” 

“Okay, Kyle,” said Karen. “This didn’t sound like something you’d do if you had all the facts and information.  I’ve got it from here.”

Kyle hung up the phone questioning his own competence, and feeling a bit betrayed by Renee. How was I supposed to know there was more to the situation?  I gave her my opinion based on the facts she provided and my interpretation of the policy. She twisted everything.  

He reached for a piece of and wrote something down. Then he taped the paper onto the message board above his desk and thought next time when anyone asks my advice or opinion, I’m ending the conversation with these words: “Is there anything else I should know?”  

Maryanne Robertson

P. S. Who is Maryanne Robertson and why is she writing this post? Find out more about her at

http://makingpeoplematter.blogspot.com/2020/01/meet-maryanne-robertson.html.

Webinars, Presentations & Training, Oh My

Webinars are happening constantly now as people are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  My friend, Joe Cardillo, posted some extremely good advice on LinkedIn recently. It was timely because I’d suffered through a 90-minute webinar containing only 30 minutes of useful content. The presenter took 30 minutes telling his backstory (of nominal relevance to the topic) before getting to the content. Then another 20 minutes at the end promoting his services before getting to the Q&As. He broke all of Joe’s guidelines which I’ve tailored and added my own thoughts before sharing below.  This advice is also relevant to in-person presentations and other training sessions.

Want to make your webinars and presentations useful for the attendees? 

• Include only relevant content. Edit out anything not originally built for the webinar’s topic.
• Total time should be one hour – 45 minutes to present and 15 minutes for Q&As from the audience. If you can’t meet this guideline, then cut something out. Times may vary for in-person presentations or virtual conferences. Nevertheless, honor the time that’s allotted. 
• Have structure and don’t wing it. Divide the program into blocks using the topics you plan to cover.  You’ll have some introductory material and some ending material, so plan approximately 10 minutes for each block or segment, depending on the number of segments you have.
• Practice in advance. Review and re-write bullets and talking points. This will keep you on track and succinct, ensuring that the audience remains engaged. If you do, they’ll want to come back for more. 
• Make sure that your slides are engaging.
• Part of practice is timing the webinar. You want to make sure you can cover all of the useful information you plan to share with the audience in 45 minutes or the allotted time.
• Promote it by using an easy-to-understand description that tells people the title (make it informative – 50 to 70 characters maximum). Include what you’ll cover (keep it brief – 50 words or less), who will present, and the length of the webinar. Include a registration page or form.
• Send registrants: one (1) email to confirm their registration, one (1) email to remind them, and one (1) email to announce a replay or recording afterward. Nothing is more annoying than getting multiple and constant emails before and after. I know because my presenter did all those annoying things.

Follow these rules and you will do fine, learn some things, and make your second, third, and fourth webinars even better.

Cornelia Gamlem