I am in communication with Mr. Gireesh.
Communication is the key to absolute success.
In a recent feedback session with our engineers, we found that the underperformance of the erstwhile superb performing engineers has gone down drastically. The main reason for the same is a communication gap between seniors and juniors. When we addressed the problem, we got a good, speedy result in a matter of a few days.
When it comes to chum, I do agree that in spite of this, there are some employees who are stubborn. The concerned will be called for a discussion and one-on-one meeting. We would understand what is making him stubborn (might be the boss, colleagues, job responsibility, personal), then a solution can be arrived at based on the post. If he still is stubborn, part ways.
From India, Coimbatore
746Communication is the key to absolute success.
In a recent feedback session with our engineers, we found that the underperformance of the erstwhile superb performing engineers has gone down drastically. The main reason for the same is a communication gap between seniors and juniors. When we addressed the problem, we got a good, speedy result in a matter of a few days.
When it comes to chum, I do agree that in spite of this, there are some employees who are stubborn. The concerned will be called for a discussion and one-on-one meeting. We would understand what is making him stubborn (might be the boss, colleagues, job responsibility, personal), then a solution can be arrived at based on the post. If he still is stubborn, part ways.
From India, Coimbatore
If an employee starts acting weird, it's time for you to act smart. For an employee acting weird, the reasons could be many - as stated above (just summing up): job dissatisfaction, overworked employees, under-appreciated employees, lack of challenges, less interaction/feedback from superiors, an employee could be looking for a change, or having some problem in the working environment (including supervisors and peers), etc., etc.
As an HR professional, we should be alert enough to catch these behaviors at the budding stage. Having a word with the employee at the time of the problem doesn't really help. Generally, employees treat HR as a detective agency and keep their distance. Therefore, the bond should be built up right from the beginning. A one-on-one conversation, if had over a coffee or a samosa (casual in approach), will help better. You need to present yourself as a friend, not just as an HR person, to truly understand where the real problem lies.
Now, the solutions:
1. Actively interact with employees (even before problems arise). Make sure to take a round of the floor at least once a day. Take time to say "hello" to all. If possible, stand with one or two employees and have a casual conversation - not only about their professional life but also their personal life.
2. Keep having regular town halls where employees can discuss their issues directly with top management and receive updates about the company's status. This makes them feel like part of the family. Ensure that all raised issues are properly addressed and resolved within a specified time, or else the whole exercise will be in vain.
3. Team Building Exercises: Make the workplace a place where people love to come. Incorporate fun activities, outings, or any innovative HR initiatives.
4. All the points mentioned above focus on prevention. If a problem arises, counseling is the way out. Dive deep into the problem and find an appropriate solution. Seek help from supervisors, managers, and senior managers if necessary.
5. Treat employees like babies occasionally, but ensure you are getting the best out of them and they are not taking advantage of your politeness and friendly behavior. Remind them of their responsibilities and duties for the organization from time to time.
I believe this is the best we can do. It involves many ifs and buts, but overcoming those challenges is part of our job. Hope it works! Cheers!
From India, Delhi
As an HR professional, we should be alert enough to catch these behaviors at the budding stage. Having a word with the employee at the time of the problem doesn't really help. Generally, employees treat HR as a detective agency and keep their distance. Therefore, the bond should be built up right from the beginning. A one-on-one conversation, if had over a coffee or a samosa (casual in approach), will help better. You need to present yourself as a friend, not just as an HR person, to truly understand where the real problem lies.
Now, the solutions:
1. Actively interact with employees (even before problems arise). Make sure to take a round of the floor at least once a day. Take time to say "hello" to all. If possible, stand with one or two employees and have a casual conversation - not only about their professional life but also their personal life.
2. Keep having regular town halls where employees can discuss their issues directly with top management and receive updates about the company's status. This makes them feel like part of the family. Ensure that all raised issues are properly addressed and resolved within a specified time, or else the whole exercise will be in vain.
3. Team Building Exercises: Make the workplace a place where people love to come. Incorporate fun activities, outings, or any innovative HR initiatives.
4. All the points mentioned above focus on prevention. If a problem arises, counseling is the way out. Dive deep into the problem and find an appropriate solution. Seek help from supervisors, managers, and senior managers if necessary.
5. Treat employees like babies occasionally, but ensure you are getting the best out of them and they are not taking advantage of your politeness and friendly behavior. Remind them of their responsibilities and duties for the organization from time to time.
I believe this is the best we can do. It involves many ifs and buts, but overcoming those challenges is part of our job. Hope it works! Cheers!
From India, Delhi
I was briefly working in an HR function for a company before CiteHR. During that time, I experienced that employees were very interested in talking to someone from the company who can forward their concerns without bias to the top management.
I was in close contact with the president of the company, and I had, at many times, forwarded requests or made suggestions about how to make sure the employees stay happy in the company. It was a small IT firm, and we had very high standards of recruiting - only IIT or brilliant programmers - the president didn't understand that these kinds of people require some extra attention, or they will leave.
One of the developers was very well known in the Linux development community - he was starting to become unhappy. I suggested to the president to send him to conferences he is interested in, with an additional task to promote our brand - it probably wouldn't have been too expensive - but the president didn't pay heed to my request.
Within two months, the developer got an offer from Nokia and left - another got an offer from HP and left.
The reason why I am telling everyone this story is because I think that it is the duty of the HR managers to go and "Say Hello" or see what's up with the employees. If the HR managers expect the employees to build a relationship with them, it would probably never work.
From India, Gurgaon
I was in close contact with the president of the company, and I had, at many times, forwarded requests or made suggestions about how to make sure the employees stay happy in the company. It was a small IT firm, and we had very high standards of recruiting - only IIT or brilliant programmers - the president didn't understand that these kinds of people require some extra attention, or they will leave.
One of the developers was very well known in the Linux development community - he was starting to become unhappy. I suggested to the president to send him to conferences he is interested in, with an additional task to promote our brand - it probably wouldn't have been too expensive - but the president didn't pay heed to my request.
Within two months, the developer got an offer from Nokia and left - another got an offer from HP and left.
The reason why I am telling everyone this story is because I think that it is the duty of the HR managers to go and "Say Hello" or see what's up with the employees. If the HR managers expect the employees to build a relationship with them, it would probably never work.
From India, Gurgaon
Good one to discuss.
In fact, the one thing that scares me is that an unhappy employee leads to another bunch of newborn unhappy employees. The message and feelings spread really fast.
To avoid such instances, I would try using the following strategies:
a) Learn to appreciate and incorporate this habit into every manager - to appreciate the people who report to him.
b) Sometimes, a simple nod may not serve the purpose. So it's necessary to let the employees know that their contributions are being valued and recorded for promotion consideration.
If an unhappy employee is identified, try to find out what exactly went wrong but in a calm atmosphere where the employee feels relaxed to explain the situation.
It usually arises that the employee is unsure about his abilities or is frustrated about someone else's treatment towards him/her not being up to the expected standards, or feels that he is not being recognized (including even financial components).
For the first concern: the employee is unsure about his abilities.
I or the Manager may quote instances where the employee's performance was much appreciated and try highlighting where recently he has just been off track and what he/she could do to overcome that shortcoming.
Regarding feeling frustrated about someone else's treatment not meeting expectations:
Counsel him/her towards how he could behave or expect reports in a better manner so that it would reduce any rough friction in the relationship. If investigations prove that the other person is really rude, then even counsel the person in discussion on how to improve the relationship through better communication.
The last issue: feeling that he is not being recognized (including even financial components).
I would highlight his performance track and point out the areas where he could perform much better to be considered for a promotion or a raise.
Pointing out never helps. Showing the facts and pointing out areas to be improved may help.
From India, Madras
In fact, the one thing that scares me is that an unhappy employee leads to another bunch of newborn unhappy employees. The message and feelings spread really fast.
To avoid such instances, I would try using the following strategies:
a) Learn to appreciate and incorporate this habit into every manager - to appreciate the people who report to him.
b) Sometimes, a simple nod may not serve the purpose. So it's necessary to let the employees know that their contributions are being valued and recorded for promotion consideration.
If an unhappy employee is identified, try to find out what exactly went wrong but in a calm atmosphere where the employee feels relaxed to explain the situation.
It usually arises that the employee is unsure about his abilities or is frustrated about someone else's treatment towards him/her not being up to the expected standards, or feels that he is not being recognized (including even financial components).
For the first concern: the employee is unsure about his abilities.
I or the Manager may quote instances where the employee's performance was much appreciated and try highlighting where recently he has just been off track and what he/she could do to overcome that shortcoming.
Regarding feeling frustrated about someone else's treatment not meeting expectations:
Counsel him/her towards how he could behave or expect reports in a better manner so that it would reduce any rough friction in the relationship. If investigations prove that the other person is really rude, then even counsel the person in discussion on how to improve the relationship through better communication.
The last issue: feeling that he is not being recognized (including even financial components).
I would highlight his performance track and point out the areas where he could perform much better to be considered for a promotion or a raise.
Pointing out never helps. Showing the facts and pointing out areas to be improved may help.
From India, Madras
Yes, its obsolutely right that once the personal problems are discussed by HR then the employee in turn shows signs of fulfillment and shows interest towards working effectively. KB
From India, Madras
From India, Madras
This happens too often - an employee suddenly starts acting weird and showing signs of unhappiness. I am going to put in my ways of dealing with this and I would like other members to put in theirs.
This is usually the first sign of an employee going astray from his/her responsibilities and eventually shifting to another organization in hope that it'll help change the way he/she is feeling.
The main reasons I feel this happens:
1) Over worked employees.
2) Under-appreciated employees
3) Lack of challenges.
4) Less interaction/feedback from superiors.
All the above issues can be resolved if u preach and put the below mentioned lessons into action, which I learned from Kenneth Blanchard & Spenser Johnson book ONE MINUTE MANAGER. If each individual a manager or not a manager applies in his professional and personal life will bring happiness to the employees and people around him
One Minute Goals: Summary
One Minute Goal Setting is simply:
1. Agree on your goals.
2. See what good behavior looks like.
3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using
less than 250 words.
4. Read and re-read each goal, which requires only a minute or so
each time you do it.
5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at
your performance, and
6. See whether or not your behavior matches your goal
One Minute Praisings: Summary
The One Minute Praising works well when you:
1. Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how
they are doing.
2. Praise people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did right—be specific.
4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and
how it helps the organization and the other people who work
there.
5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them “feel” how good you
feel.
6. Encourage them to do more of the same.
7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that
you support their success in the organization
One Minute Reprimands: Summary
The One Minute Reprimand works well when you:
1.Tell people beforehand that you are going to let them know how they are doing and in no uncertain terms
The first half of the reprimand:
2. Reprimand people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did wrong—be specific.
4. Tell people how you feel about what they did wrong—and in no
uncertain terms.
5. Stop for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence to let them feel
how you feel.
The second half of the reprimand:
6. Shake hands, or touch them in a way that lets them know you are
honestly on their side.
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance
in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.
Regards,
Pournima
From United Kingdom, Brentford
This is usually the first sign of an employee going astray from his/her responsibilities and eventually shifting to another organization in hope that it'll help change the way he/she is feeling.
The main reasons I feel this happens:
1) Over worked employees.
2) Under-appreciated employees
3) Lack of challenges.
4) Less interaction/feedback from superiors.
All the above issues can be resolved if u preach and put the below mentioned lessons into action, which I learned from Kenneth Blanchard & Spenser Johnson book ONE MINUTE MANAGER. If each individual a manager or not a manager applies in his professional and personal life will bring happiness to the employees and people around him
One Minute Goals: Summary
One Minute Goal Setting is simply:
1. Agree on your goals.
2. See what good behavior looks like.
3. Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using
less than 250 words.
4. Read and re-read each goal, which requires only a minute or so
each time you do it.
5. Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at
your performance, and
6. See whether or not your behavior matches your goal
One Minute Praisings: Summary
The One Minute Praising works well when you:
1. Tell people up front that you are going to let them know how
they are doing.
2. Praise people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did right—be specific.
4. Tell people how good you feel about what they did right, and
how it helps the organization and the other people who work
there.
5. Stop for a moment of silence to let them “feel” how good you
feel.
6. Encourage them to do more of the same.
7. Shake hands or touch people in a way that makes it clear that
you support their success in the organization
One Minute Reprimands: Summary
The One Minute Reprimand works well when you:
1.Tell people beforehand that you are going to let them know how they are doing and in no uncertain terms
The first half of the reprimand:
2. Reprimand people immediately.
3. Tell people what they did wrong—be specific.
4. Tell people how you feel about what they did wrong—and in no
uncertain terms.
5. Stop for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence to let them feel
how you feel.
The second half of the reprimand:
6. Shake hands, or touch them in a way that lets them know you are
honestly on their side.
7. Remind them how much you value them.
8. Reaffirm that you think well of them but not of their performance
in this situation.
9. Realize that when the reprimand is over, it’s over.
Regards,
Pournima
From United Kingdom, Brentford
Geerish, Excellent answer for the entire conversation.... just a single word "communication" Kavitha
From India, Madras
From India, Madras
For instance, A reports to B, and B in turn reports to C. A is highly qualified and more intelligent than B (despite reporting to B). A doesn't have access to C, and C is unaware that all the work is being done by A. The result: there is no proper system in place, leading to a lack of recognition and demotivation. Do you have any suggestions for this situation?
TM
From India, Madras
TM
From India, Madras
Hello All,
I have one query. Other departments can escalate their problems to the HR department. But where will an HR person go if he/she is frustrated with the company or the boss? If the topmost management is unreachable to that junior HR person and the only bridge of contact between this individual and the top management is the boss who is causing the problem, then who is there in the organization to solve this person's problem?
Regards,
Aparajita
From India, Delhi
I have one query. Other departments can escalate their problems to the HR department. But where will an HR person go if he/she is frustrated with the company or the boss? If the topmost management is unreachable to that junior HR person and the only bridge of contact between this individual and the top management is the boss who is causing the problem, then who is there in the organization to solve this person's problem?
Regards,
Aparajita
From India, Delhi
Hi everyone,
I have one more reason why employees start behaving strangely.
Can anyone think of a situation where you do not have any faith in your management or Board of Directors?
No type of communication is effective if employees do not have faith in their management or the company itself.
I have been through a situation where I used to feel like quitting my job just within 4 months of my DOJ. But because of the market situation, I could not take immediate action on this, and I started getting frustrated. The main reason was unprofessionalism shown by the Board of Directors. None of the employees had faith in their management team. No one was satisfied working in such an atmosphere. And it is not a small company; they have a turnover of 500cr.
Gradually, even I started behaving strangely. My managers knew the reason behind my behavior, and even they accepted it because they felt the same.
What could be the remedy in such a situation?
So what I believe is that rather than taking curative measures, organizations should take preventive measures so that such a situation never arises. And even after all preventive measures are in place and a positive atmosphere prevails, I believe that counseling can help or, as a last resort, terminate the employee before the bunch starts to rot.
With Regards,
Jigar Gangar
From India, Mumbai
I have one more reason why employees start behaving strangely.
Can anyone think of a situation where you do not have any faith in your management or Board of Directors?
No type of communication is effective if employees do not have faith in their management or the company itself.
I have been through a situation where I used to feel like quitting my job just within 4 months of my DOJ. But because of the market situation, I could not take immediate action on this, and I started getting frustrated. The main reason was unprofessionalism shown by the Board of Directors. None of the employees had faith in their management team. No one was satisfied working in such an atmosphere. And it is not a small company; they have a turnover of 500cr.
Gradually, even I started behaving strangely. My managers knew the reason behind my behavior, and even they accepted it because they felt the same.
What could be the remedy in such a situation?
So what I believe is that rather than taking curative measures, organizations should take preventive measures so that such a situation never arises. And even after all preventive measures are in place and a positive atmosphere prevails, I believe that counseling can help or, as a last resort, terminate the employee before the bunch starts to rot.
With Regards,
Jigar Gangar
From India, Mumbai
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