Certain situations you’re faced with as a manager seem fairly cut and dried. If an employee is struggling under a heavy workload, for instance, you may be able to reassign some duties to other staff members. Or you may choose to work with the individual to prioritize the list of assignments.
Determining the proper way to handle other issues, however, can be a challenge.
How do you approach a worker who wears inappropriate outfits to the office, for example? Is it even worth talking to a team member who always seems to leave the break room a mess? However difficult, your job as a manager is to know when to step in and how to solve all types of tricky issues.
Here are three sticky situations you may find yourself faced with and advice for navigating the ensuing conversations with your staff:
• ‘Boss, Joe left a mess in the break room again. Can you step in?’
Disagreements about issues that arise in the break room may seem like the least of your worries, but seemingly small breaches of workplace etiquette can have a significant impact on your staff and the relationships they form with one another.
A recent survey by Robert Half International indicates that workers take it seriously when colleagues don’t follow proper protocol. Forty-four percent of respondents said making a mess for others to clean up is the most annoying break room behavior. Stealing a coworker’s food came in second, with 19 percent of the response, followed by leaving expired or spoiled items in the refrigerator (18 percent). These types of actions can leave your workers frustrated by, and even resentful of, colleagues who show a lack of consideration for others.
What should you do if break room complaints have reached a fever pitch?
This is a situation where establishing a set of rules can be very helpful. Work with your team to develop a formal etiquette policy that involves their feedback and ideas. When the rules are set, post them in the break room and inform all staff of the new standards.
Let your employees know you expect them to police themselves on this matter, but that you want to be informed of violations they observe. If a particular employee is a repeat offender, you may want to have a private word with him or her to re-enforce the organization’s policies and explain the importance of following them. The point here is that establishing a set policy that applies to all makes it less likely that offending employees you may have to speak with will interpret your intervention as “picky” or unfairly targeting them.
• ‘What’s wrong with wearing a tank top and flip-flops to work?’
Even in a casual work environment, some employees can take things a bit too far when it comes to their appearance. Consider, for example, a worker who regularly comes to work donning ripped jeans, a tank top and flip-flops. Or the staff member whose outfit seems more appropriate for a dance club than a business meeting.
Of course, you want your employees to feel comfortable at work and able to express their personality and individual taste through their clothing. But some style choices may not fit your corporate culture or constitute appropriate attire for employees in customer-facing roles.
Here again, establishing objective rules or guidelines can come to the rescue. Help your staff meet expectations by outlining acceptable standards of dress and posting them on a bulletin board in the break room or including them in the employee handbook for new employees. Have a private conversation with anyone who consistently flaunts the rules and be clear that you consider styles of dress that do not follow the prescribed rules unacceptable for the office.
• ‘I just can’t work with Gene on this project. He’s so hard to get along with!’
You have a talented employee, but you’ve received several complaints from others that he’s not the easiest person to work with. In fact, he’s so poor at collaborating with others that it’s affecting team morale and performance.
Sit down with the employee and talk about the contributions he makes to the firm and the strengths he possesses. But explain that strong interpersonal abilities also are necessary for moving his career forward. Outline the comments you’ve received and ask the staff member for comment. Does he agree that his soft skills could use improvement, or does he feel the issue has been overstated? For example, his desire to “get down to business” rather than engage in small talk at the start of a meeting could be interpreted the wrong way by others.
If improvement is called for, consider what type of training you can offer to help the individual strengthen his communication skills, diplomacy or ability to resolve conflict.
As a manager, many qualities are expected of you — extensive industry knowledge, strategic vision and superb organizational skills, to name a few. But sometimes a little finesse and good judgment are even more critical. While there aren’t always clear, simple answers for workplace challenges like these, there are tactics you can learn to address many of them diplomatically and successfully.
Duane Sauer is the Hartford division director of Robert Half Finance & Accounting and has more than a decade of experience recruiting in the Hartford area. Reach him through the corporate website — www.rhi.com — or contact the Hartford office at 860-278-7170.
