No Bull Business Blog

Everyone must walk the talk

Excerpted from Executive Report: Dealing with Difficult Employees – Restoring Civility in the Workplace

Everyone must walk the talk. Even CEOs can't tell off-color jokes offensive to some people. Nobody is above the law or above company policies.

It is especially important for all people in the management ranks, from first-level supervisors to senior managers, to set the example. If any manager is allowed to get away with behavior that's supposed to be against company policies, like telling dirty jokes or engaging in other bawdy behavior, it will be impossible to credibly discipline employees for the same offenses.

The tone for the right behavior in any organization is set from the top. Executives determine the culture of a company both by what they do themselves and by demonstrating what will and won't be condoned.

A policy-on-paper-only, if not adhered to, actually does more harm than good. It gives plaintiffs' attorneys a chance to argue that the company knew better because it had a good policy on paper and deliberately chose to ignore it.

That kind of situation spurs juries to tack on multi-million-dollar punitive damage awards against employers.

Misbehavior by senior executives also allows plaintiff's' attorneys to introduce the dreaded "culture expert" at a trial who is then allowed to give expert testimony on how senior executives' misbehavior sets the tone for a fraternity-type old boys' network.

Such a culture expert was instrumental in obtaining a $250 million punitive damages award against the pharmaceutical giant Novartis in a class action suit known as Velez v. Novartis, which was brought by 5,500 female employees who were employed as drug reps. The company eventually had to consider itself lucky to be able to settle the case after an appeal for $152 million.

DIGGING DEEPER
Unacceptable behavior is growing in the workplace. And more and more, people are getting away with it. To help you nip it in the bud, read the Executive Report: Dealing with Difficult Employees – Restoring Civility in the Workplace

ManageElite: Great new tool for training managers

Most managers get little to no training. Yet they need it as much or more as anyone on the staff. Biggest problem? Getting the time to train. And it’s always expensive. Here's a new product that is extraordinarily affordable (only $37 a month for unlimited use) and fits every manager's schedule.

A new product called ManageElite just launched and it’s perfect for getting managers the training they need. It’s online and the training modules are short – only 10 to 20 minutes long. And it is interactive. Plus, it’s real practical stuff and many of the modules have real-life scenarios that require the manager to make choices.

And managers can do the training right at their desks – at any time. Even on weekends when they are at home.

There are also other interactive pieces and PDF handouts in many cases.

The modules cover everything from Handling Difficult Conversations to Interviewing job applicants to doing Performance Review. Plus, there are modules on those tricky compliance issues like Sexual Harassment, Workplace Bias and Retaliation.

But one of the best points, is that it really affordable. ManageElite's charter subscription is only $37 a month, though the cost will eventually go up. But charter subscribers will lock in at $37.

Check out the site at ManageEliteTraining.com

The "Dirty Dozen" of performance reviews

Excerpted from the Executive Report – Performance Reviews: Best – and Worst Ways to Do Them

Here are the 12 biggest mistakes supervisors habitually make in performance reviews:

1. They do not adequately prepare for the review, and they do not allow enough time for the process, rushing through it.
2. They regard the review as a waste of time. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when they just go through the motions of giving all employees a "C" as a cop-out for not giving specific and pointed feedback.
3. They base the review on a score according to meaningless criteria. Does it really matter if someone scores 90% or 95% on attendance? Attendance problems can be dealt with separately through normal discipline.
4. They fear the employee's response. Many supervisors still avoid giving constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement because they fear a confrontation with the employee.
5. They lack training in how to give constructive feedback and have not sought it out on their own.
6. They are uncomfortable siting down one-on-one with employees to talk about performance and attitude.
7. They are plagued by anxiety over any possible area of disagreement with the employee being reviewed, instead of accepting it as a natural part of the process.
8. They let the review process reflect their own poor management skills.
9. They hide behind other supervisors - if other supervisors don't make a special effort on the performance evaluations of their personnel, why should they?
10. They use the performance review only to lay blame, instead of using it as an opportunity to point out the good and the bad. You want to praise good deeds so the employee will repeat them.
11. They don't want to say negative things. Everybody likes to play Santa Claus and give away raises and praises, but not everybody is comfortable sharing necessary bad news, and can do it in a way that is uplifting and points to a better future.
12. They save up some negative feedback to surprise the employee with it at performance review time since they believe they have to have something negative to say. Necessary criticism should be given out over events as they occur in real time, not "saved up" and stored for review time. The best reviews are the ones where there are no surprises on either side, the supervisor or the employee.

DIGGING DEEPER
Lawyers will tell you that if you aren’t going to do performance reviews the right way, then you’re better off not doing them at all. Find out the right way in this Executive Report – Performance Reviews: Best – and Worst Ways to Do Them

Employee discipline: Too little, too late

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Disciplining Employees - The Right Way to Do It

Managers tend to be focused on one thing: Productivity.

They don't want to deal with disciplinary problems any more than an employee wants to be disciplined.

It's easy to let small things slide because bringing up minor problems sometimes seems like more trouble than it's worth. You pick your battles.

And who wants to stir the pot, and maybe make an enemy, when it's already hard enough to meet monthly goals?

The last thing a manager wants is for a disciplinary action to create a wider staff morale problem.

It's an understandable rationale ... but it's flawed. Those small issues rarely go away by themselves - indeed, they almost always get worse.

And by not taking action, managers send employees the message that undesirable behavior will be accepted, or - even worse - hasn't even been noticed.

Delay has another adverse impact on the manager. As the problem worsens, it's common for managers to build up resentment against the employee - and that can warp the supervisor's perspective in a way that makes it difficult to eventually deal with the person in an objective and positive way.

DIGGING DEEPER
Poor performance and unacceptable behavior are inevitable. And too often the dread of disciplining employees stops managers from taking immediate action to resolve the issues. Find out what managers need to do by reading the Executive Report: Disciplining Employees - The Right Way to Do It.

Hold employees to expectations

Excerpted from the Executive Report: 6 Dumb Ways to Kill Employee Morale - And What You Can Do to Fix It

Most people want to do well on the job, regardless of their intrinsic nature and their different behavioral traits. People rarely go into a job with ideas of failing and/or sabotaging the works. As long as they know clearly what's expected of them, they'll try hard to meet those expectations.

Setting clear expectations as to what's expected within a certain timeframe also helps a manager reach a decision quickly to fire when it's not working. One of the worst things an organization can do is to continue to write a paycheck to somebody who everybody else in the organization already knows should not be working there. Whatever managers can do to shorten that decision cycle will be a positive step, for the organization as a whole and for the morale and the productivity of all remaining employees.

Holding on to a bad hire too long is one of the most common dumb mistakes companies and their managers do to kill productivity and morale. It's almost always better to bite the bullet and get through a difficult transition period with the help of all concerned than to leave the underperformer in place until a replacement can be found. The greatest tool managers need to make those decisions quickly is the yardstick of clear expectations by defined time frames.

DIGGING DEEPER
The last thing a good employee wants to do is work next to a bad employee. Taking action early is good management. For help, read the Executive Report: 6 Dumb Ways to Kill Employee Morale - And What You Can Do to Fix It

Time to fire? Don't wait

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear – What Employers Need to Know

Sometimes managers fear pulling the trigger on a termination out of fear that other employees might "think I'm a bad person." It's a common sentiment, and a misplaced one, too.

Remember: Good employees know who the bad ones are. Good people are looking to management to do something about it.

If an employee's not performing up to standards, his or her co-workers know it. They're probably wondering why the person's still around, and they're likely growing resentful that they're fulfilling their duties while the other worker isn't.

The longer managers wait before proceeding to the actual termination, the more respect they can lose in the eyes of their other workers.

Employees prefer to work for supervisors who enforce high standards evenly, uniformly and fairly.

DIGGING DEEPER
Firing an employee isn’t fun. But to keep a bad employee is a huge mistake. Need help? Read the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear – What Employers Need to Know

Seven things not to say

Excerpt from the Executive Report: Document, Document, Document - What Every Manager Needs to Know About Tracking Performance and Problems

Good documentation lists specific events and examples, clearly identifying issues that need to be addressed. So some words and phrases weaken good documentation because they're either too vague or too hard to prove.

Avoid using these seven when documenting performance or problems:

1. Perhaps
2. Possibly
3. I think
4. Never
5. Every time
6. Always
7. It seems

DIGGING DEEPER
Documenting employee performance or problems is key to being a good manager. To do it the right way, read the Executive Report: Document, Document, Document - What Every Manager Needs to Know About Tracking Performance and Problems

The right way to give verbal warnings

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear - What Employers Need to Know

Verbal warnings are a reliable first step when trying to get people back on the right track without making a to-do of things.

But it can be a bit of a judgment call.

A non-specific verbal warning, such as "Bob, you need to dial up your attention to detail" probably isn't worth the time it'd take to make a written record of the interaction.

It doesn't say enough.

Instead, try: "Bob, today is the third day in a row you failed to put the extra washer on the thingamajig. You know that step's been added to the assembly process, and I've mentioned it to you several times, and it is mandatory. I'm going to be monitoring your attention to detail, and if you continue to make the same mistake, I will have to move on to the next disciplinary step."

After an encounter such as that, a manager should make a written note of the interaction - as precisely as possible - making sure to include exactly what the employee was told, the date and time of day. Also include the employee's actions or response.

The paperwork should be filed away, but since it is a written record of a verbal warning, it is not necessary to get the employee to sign off on the document at this point.

If the employee then fails to improve, the manager might begin a more formal process of progressive discipline.

And in the first write-up, the manager should refer to earlier verbal coaching: "As we've discussed on several occasions, your attention to detail ..."

If the employee claims he wasn't given prior notice that his performance or behavior was unacceptable, the manager has the earlier notes to fall back on, and can and should recount the specifics of those earlier interactions with the worker again.

DIGGING DEEPER
Managers too often let fears of legal repercussions cloud their judgment about pulling the trigger on terminations. For help, get the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear - What Employers Need to Know

The dangers of Facebook, Twitter, blogging in the workplace

Excerpted from the Executive Report - Facebook, Twitter and Your Employees: The Dangers of Social Networking

Employees are flocking to social network sites. Every organization needs to have a written policy on use of social networking sites by employees - for the good of both employees and the company.

A recent Harris Interactive survey found that just under half (48%) of U.S. adults have either a MySpace or Facebook account.

Usage statistics are much lower for Twitter, with only 5% of Americans saying they currently use it. But that number doesn't tell the whole story.

Twitter grew 1,382% year-over-year as of February 2009, registering a total of just more than 7 million unique visitors in the U.S. for the month.

As you might expect, there are substantial differences in who is and who isn't using these selected social networking sites:

• Three-fourths of those ages 18-34 (74%) have a Facebook or MySpace account, but this quickly drops off the older people get. Just under
• one-quarter (24%) of those ages 55+ have an account.
• Tweeting's also more common among the young, but not by much; only 8% of 18-34-year-olds use Twitter, while 7% of those ages 35-44 use it, 4% of those ages 45-54 and only 1% of those ages 55+ use it.
• While men and women use Twitter at the same levels (5% each), women are more likely to have a Facebook/MySpace account (52% vs. 45%).
• There's also an educational difference in usage of MySpace and Facebook. Two in five people with a high school degree or less (40%) have a Facebook or MySpace account, compared with 55% of those with some college and 52% of those with at least a college degree.

DIGGING DEEPER
To protect your company and employees, it's smart to have a policy to explains what's acceptable and what's not. To find out more, get the Executive Report - Facebook, Twitter and Your Employees: The Dangers of Social Networking

Prima donnas: Are they worth keeping?

Excerpted from the Executive Report: The 7 Most Disruptive Workplace Issues - and How to Handle Them

No question, prima donnas are often valuable to companies. Start-ups especially benefit from the high-powered energy that prima donnas can bring to the table.

But there are times that these employees are simply more trouble than they're worth. And then management has a critical decision to make.

A few questions to ask:

• What's this person's effect on morale? Did good employees jump ship because of this person's behavior?
• How much extra staff time is spent dealing with this person?
• Is he/she really the only employee who can handle this assignment?

The answers will indicate whether it's appropriate to make internal adjustments or end the relationship. Sometimes, jettisoning the top-performing prima donna may be less painful than managers fear it's going to be.

Other employees (rejoice) step up to fill the vacuum, and morale gets a boost.

There's an old saying: "The cemetery is full of indispensable people." That sort of puts it back in perspective.

DIGGING DEEPER
Keeping employees focused has gotten more difficult. So no manager can afford the distractions that a disruptive employee causes. Get the help you need in the Executive Report: The 7 Most Disruptive Workplace Issues - and How to Handle Them

What nervous employees don't want to hear

Employees are quite antsy these days. So be careful what you say. BuzzWhack.com listed the top 10 things not to say, including:

• "I've always thought of us as family around here, but ..."
• "Can I see you in the conference room"

And our favorite is: "They've asked everyone to come to the Employee Appreciation Room for a 4 p.m. meeting."

See the full list and another 10 that readers offered up at BuzzWhack: Top 10 things nervous employees don't want to hear right now

Use the word 'behavior' instead of 'attitude'

Excerpted from the the Executive Report: Dealing With and Eliminating Unacceptable Behavior.

You may think a person has a good attitude or bad attitude, but unless you're crawling around inside his or her head you really don't know.

Managers should steer clear of using the word "attitude" in the work setting.

Instead, use "behavior."

You can actually see and document behavior.

You can tell a worker: "It's unacceptable for you to suck your teeth and walk away while I am giving you instructions."

That's more clear and specific than "I don't like your attitude."

DIGGING DEEPER:
For the most part, employees do the right thing at work. But there are always those moments of "unacceptable behavior." Get a handle on it with the Executive Report: Dealing With and Eliminating Unacceptable Behavior.

Why managers hate difficult conversations

Most managers will do almost anything to avoid having a "difficult conversation" with an employee.

Obviously, they aren't fun and no one looks forward to them.

But there's another reason why managers hate them. They don't know how to do them!

Why? Well, most good managers were promoted into management because they almost always did the right thing - without being told. They had initiative. They produced results.

There's a good chance that their bosses never had to have a "difficult" conversation with them. So they don't know what it's like to be on either side of the difficult conversation. And therefore don't know what to do when they finally have to have one with their own employee.

DIGGING DEEPER
Difficult conversations are just part of business. And when they're needed, it's bad to put them off. The sooner you have the conversation, the better the employee, your staff and company will be. For help, read the Executive Report: Handling Difficult Conversations with Employees - What Every Manager Needs to Know.

Recipe for conflict: Comparing one employee to another

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Dealing With and Eliminating Unacceptable Behavior

A rule of thumb when dealing with unacceptable performance is to avoid comparing the employee to co-workers. That just creates more problems.

Instead, focus just on the person in front of you, giving a straightforward assessment.

For instance, it should never be "You only do six of these a day, and Beth does 10."

Instead, it should be "You do six of these a day, and there is room to do more. I'd like to find a way to build you up to eight, or even 10. What do you think of that? What do you think we need to do to help you get to that number?"

DIGGING DEEPER

One of the biggest headaches that managers have is dealing with inappropriate behavior in the workplace. For additional help, see the Executive Report: Dealing With and Eliminating Unacceptable Behavior.

10 most outrageous lies on resumes

Only 8% of employees admit to stretching the truth on their resumes, but 49% of hiring managers say they’ve caught job applicants lying on their resumes, says a CareerBuilder.com survey.

The most common lies included:

• Embellished responsibilities – 38%
• Skill set -18%
• Dates of employment -12%
• Academic degree -105
• Companies worked for – 7%
• Job title 15%

But some folks make incredible claims: Here are some of the most outrageous:

1. Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family
2. Invented a school that did not exist
3. Submitted a resume with someone else's photo inserted into the document
4. Claimed to be a member of Mensa
5. Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had
6. Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee
7. Listed military experience dating back to before he was born
8. Included samples of work, which the interviewer actually did
9. Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian
10. Claimed to have been a professional baseball player

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Interviewing: Weed Out Slackers, Stupid People and Bad Fits.