Sunday, September 7, 2014

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Big Problem: When Your Employee "Owns" You!

I have supervisors email me periodically with stories of out of control employees, and typically they have been around a long time. There is no coincidence there with regard to the following problem. This problem...let's be honest is about treating employees like family members. It sounds nice, but to literally practice this management philosophy?! Don't do it. (Save this language of how we are all "family" here for those special occasions when people gather in the company auditorium.) One story I get is about employees who refuse assigned duties. The next part of the equation is management not being willing to fire for insubordination. How do you fix a problem when you have not leverage!? Simply put, this situation leads to an inability to direct the employee’s work. If true, then you have lost control of the employment relationship. Troubled employees who have gained this sort of leverage over their employers create a lot of risk. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon. Entitlement thinking may lead to bossing coworkers, bullying fellow employees, breaking work rules, end-running managers, and using company property for personal business. Fear of the employee’s reaction to confrontation and adapting to avoid it ultimately created this personnel issue. Start by making a formal referral to the EAP. Document the poor cooperation, work refusal, etc. Regardless of whether the employee accepts are referral, meet and consult with the EAP; your manager should also be involved in this meeting. Discuss a concrete action plan. In matters of this type, management teams that focus on a solution usually decide to draw a line and insist on change. The good part is that most are pleasantly surprised at how easily the employee turns around!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Improving Social and Occupational Functioning of Autistic Employees

Imagine an employee with an "off the chart" IQ never realizing their full potential in the capacity to contribute to your company because they hesitate or have a disability that limits or inhibits them socially engaging, having eye contact, or giving a presentation. Now comes an idea, recently patented by AutismSees, LLC. Led by a 20 year female tech-idea wiz, Danielle Feerst, a Tuft's University Engineering Psychology student, she's patented an #Autism Technology device for computer tablets to train youth on the Autism Spectrum Disorder to give them effective public speaking skills, group collaboration, and eye contact skills. See the presentation here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h0uzszh84v1r5nb/02%20Autism%20Sees.mov

See the SeedKicks.com campaign to fund the advancement of this device at http://www.seedkicks.com/browse/recently-created

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Goal: Coaching and Mentoring Your Employees




Being able to effectively coach and mentor your employees on an individual basis allows you to build both trust and respect within your work environment. It provides your employees with an added level of comfort knowing they can not only count on you when they need your help but that you are also advocating their own successes. Supervisor training often omits skills this aspect of education.

A successful employee leads to a successful company. Keep this in mind and you'll make the right decision 90% of the time.

Exercise:

Note: Depending on the number of employees under your supervision, you may want to increase the number of employees you meet with each week.

Select one day a week to schedule an hour of your time to meet with one employee for a
one-on-one session.

To make the selection process easier, begin with an alphabetized list of your employees, by first or last names. Start at the top of the list and work your way down the list until you have met with each employee over the time frame allotted.

Prior to your one-on-one, type a list of questions, concerns, goals, etc. to act as your personal guide throughout the meeting. The following is a suggestion to help you create your personal guide:

1. Begin with setting expectations for the meeting and thanking employee:
           
            a. meeting length: approximately one hour
            b. purpose of meeting: recognize goals/projects completed
                                                 address employee concerns
                                                 establish future goals/projects
c. "[Insert employee's preferred name], I appreciate you taking the time to meet
               today. Our meeting shouldn't take more than about an hour. The main purpose
               is to evaluate your performance the past quarter and address any concerns you may have."


2. Recognize and acknowledge goals/projects completed:
            a. Provide construction feedback on any goals achieved during the past quarter
            b. Briefly discuss projects completed during the past quarter
            c. Ask employee for his/her own feedback in regards to goals/projects
                        1. Were you able to meet your goal(s) in the time you hoped? Why or
                            why not? What can you do in the future to ensure you meet all of
                            your quarterly goals?
                        2. Were you able to complete all assigned projects/tasks in the allotted
                            amount of time? Why or why not?
                        3. Are you satisfied with the outcome of your goals and projects? Why or
                            why not?
3. Addressing employee concerns:
            a. This is the time to address any of your employee's concerns that have not been yet
                been raised during the course of this meeting
                        1. Outside of what we have discussed thus far, do you have any concerns that
                            need to be addressed today?

Monday, May 26, 2014

Don't Panic If Your Employee Calls Himself an Alcoholic


You won't hear this in supervisor training courses ,but many alcoholics in an active recovery (especially 12-step programs) who are abstinent from alcohol and mood-altering substances refer to themselves as alcoholics or recovering alcoholics depending on whom they are with and the context of the social or occupational setting. The recognition that one is an alcoholic is not unlike employees who refer to themselves as diabetic even if the disease is well-managed. Many alcoholics believe their very next drink could be the one that leads to their death, because they have come so close to it in the past, tried so many times to get sober, or both. Their sobriety is therefore first and foremost. This attitude of awareness and gratitude is one of self-preservation. Practicing and feeling comfortable with describing oneself as an alcoholic is usually viewed as an important part of their awareness of who they are and the fragile nature of sobriety, and it is a reminder that they could lose it all tomorrow.

Saturday, May 17, 2014

New Supervisor Training: Are You Putting Your New Supervisors to Sleep ZZZZ

Do not use video action movies with actors to train new supervisors. These expensive videos (which you will not replace very often) contain too much fluff. Today, new supervisors are used to getting information fast and furiously. Their brains are trained that way since daycare. So use new supervisor training PowerPoint programs that are converted into videos. Now you have something that is still a move-like product, but intense with no Fluff. Here's an example of exactly what I am referring to..http://bitly.com/new-supervisor-training

Monday, January 27, 2014

Supervisor Training Won't Work for Methamphetamine Abuse By Employees

Meth is the street name for a crystallized form of an illicit drug called methamphetamine hydrochloride. Just as crack is smokable cocaine, so is methamphetamine. You may see photos on the Internet or on TV showing meth addicts with gaunt-looking faces and mouth or skin problems. Employed workers who use meth many not typically look sick. However, they do have performance problems. The chemical properties of this drug are similar to cocaine, but the onset of meth's effects are slower and the duration is longer. Like cocaine, it is highly toxic and extraordinarily addictive. In general, chronic abuse of meth produces a psychosis that resemble schizophrenia and is characterized by paranoia, picking at one's skin, preoccupation with one's own thoughts and auditory and visual hallucinations. Effects on productivity include occupational injuries and fatalities, increased illness rates and health benefits utilization, lost productivity, low employee morale, workplace violence, theft, employees disappearing on the job, criminal activity at work, quality-of-work issues, domestic problems that interfere with work, and arrests or criminal charges that interfere with attendance. Supervisor skills and supervisor training to help spot Meth users usually won't work unfortunately because the direct signs of drug abuse and intoxication will not be so clear as to warrant a reasonable suspicion test. Job performance, conduct, quality of work, attendance, disappearing on the job are more likely to be spotted. They key is a professional evaluation arranged with a knowledge expert who can pick up in a clinical interview the clinical signs and symptoms sufficient enough to recommend an even more indepth assessement, and then a treatment recommendation. Get supervisor training in substance abuse by visiting http://workexcel.com

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Yup, If Necessary, Tell Your Employees How Think



You are not likely to hear this in supervisor training---sometimes, you simply need to tell employees how to think. It's part of your job as the supervisor. I know, it sounds nuts. Employees are supposed to think for themselves. Newsflash: They don't. During the year, tell your employees that if they don’t agree with what’s been pointed out in their review, to ask for clarification. Too many employees accept what they deep down inside know is incorrect. And give them an example, such as, “You’ve said that I don’t always use good judgment. Could you give me an example? I’d really like to learn from this.” Tell your employees to think of a performance review as an opportunity for self-improvement. Acknowledge their disappointment and tell them that they may feel angry about what their review can do. Tell employees to resist the urge to become emotional. Tell employees that if they calmly ask for clarification, that you as their boss will appreciate having the opportunity to explain it. And tell your employees that doing this will help show that they are taking your comments seriously. When employees hear you set the tone, they almost always follow through. Doing this could change your entire work culture for the better, almost overnight. Do you have a skills newsletter for supervisors? You find two such newsletters at http://workplacenewsletters.com