A: Bluntly put, Linn is a thief. By accepting a paycheck, then using work time for her own personal gain, she is effectively stealing from the company. Advising management of this transgression is no different from reporting someone who pockets money from a cash register.
If you work in a large business, you can ask the human resources manager or corporate attorney to investigate while keeping your name confidential. However, if you’re in a small company, going directly to management may be your only option. In that case, have a concerned colleague accompany you to verify your story.
When you describe the situation, remain calm and focus on the facts. For example: “I thought you should know that Linn has been running a personal business on company time. She spends several hours a day selling products through her website. Other employees are becoming resentful because she’s falling behind in her work. We would appreciate your investigating this.”
Once you inform the powers-that-be, you will have done all that you can do. If your management is at all competent, Linn will soon be operating her business at home.
Q: One of my employees constantly criticizes her colleagues for making “immoral” life choices. Her judgmental remarks are creating a very uncomfortable atmosphere on our team. As a business owner, I feel I have a responsibility to keep people from being harassed this way. What should I do?
A: For starters, you should tell this self-righteous woman that she must immediately stop lecturing co-workers about their personal lives. Explain that this rule applies to all team members, including anyone who might criticize her own life choices.
To ensure that everyone understands your expectations, discuss the issue in a team meeting without mentioning this particular employee. The others may assume that her behavior triggered your remarks, but that’s OK as long as you don’t single her out.
For example: “As team members, we need to recognize and respect the boundary between our work and our personal lives. Making critical comments about a colleague’s lifestyle is disruptive to the team and totally unacceptable. If anyone ever treats you this way, please let me know.”
A stern admonition may resolve the problem. But if your sanctimonious employee stubbornly refuses to curb her offensive behavior, the only solution is to remove her from the team.
Q: After working as a temporary administrative assistant for a small company, I was recently promoted to office manager. My boss said that she liked my professionalism. However, I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve gotten in over my head. I’m being given unfamiliar tasks, no one ever explains anything, and I’m not sure exactly what my job includes. Now I’m constantly stressed out from worrying whether management is unhappy with me.
A: Your distress is understandable, because it’s a big leap from temporary assistant to office manager. Someone owes you a clear job description, but since nobody is providing one, you will need to make the first move. Draft a list of your apparent responsibilities, then review it with your boss and reach agreement on a final version.
Next, rate your ability to perform each duty with an A, B or C. For each B & C rating, propose a strategy for quickly improving your skill level. Possibilities might include formal training, online research, “shadowing” experienced colleagues or getting coaching from your boss.
Review this development plan with your manager, and schedule regular feedback sessions to discuss your progress. However, if she seems reluctant to support you through this learning curve, you may want to consider other employment options.
Source http://www.omaha.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment