Time to have a chat….5 reasons why you shouldn’t put it off
I’ll bet you won’t find it hard to think of someone you know (maybe even yourself) who’s put off having a difficult conversation with one of their employees. Sometimes the chat that needs to be had is about an employee’s underperformance or their conduct in the workplace. Sometimes it’s about some difficult changes that are about to take place, such as redundancies, a transfer of the business or some type of restructuring. Because work is such a large part of our working lives, it’s understandable that we’re often reluctant to begin a conversation which will potentially impact on the ongoing working relationship or which might otherwise have a significant impact on the lives of employees.
As difficult as those conversations are to have, putting them off can lead to outcomes which are even worse for your business. Here are some reasons to address any performance or conduct issues as and when they arise:
- You might find out something about your business that you didn’t already know
Your employees are the ones with first-hand knowledge about many aspects of your business and will often see and hear things that the employer won’t. For example, you might have an employee who has been underperforming. If you address this early, you have the opportunity to find out sooner whether the underperformance is the result of a lack of skill or training, a poor attitude, a failure or flaw in some operational system or something more sinister like that the employee is being bullied. Taking the time to speak with employees about the reasons for poor performance or conduct can reduce the chances of a WorkCover claim being made (e.g. for a psychological injury resulting from bullying) or increase productivity by eliminating the issue leading to the underperformance.
- You will reduce the impact on the balance of your staff
Underperforming employees or those who simply behave badly in the workplace can have a significant effect on other employees. Often, other employees feel disgruntled because they have to do a greater share of the work or because they feel that the underperforming employee is “getting away with it”. Ultimately, this leads to low morale and a higher staff turnover. Worse still is the potential for WorkCover claims by those other employees because they feel stressed and/or because they are physically doing more than their fair share of the work.
- You will reduce the impact on your business’ reputation
Employees who are rude to your customers or who don’t provide great customer service can be damaging to your business’ reputation. The longer that this type of behaviour is allowed to go on, the greater the chances that the business will lose customers and gain a reputation for providing poor customer service. Addressing poor behaviour or performance at an early stage will reduce the likelihood of long term damage to your business’ reputation.
- You will reduce the likelihood of a WorkCover claim
Employees who display poor conduct in the workplace are often being affected by something happening outside the workplace. This might include major life events such as the breakdown of a significant relationship or the death or illness of a loved one. It may be the result of the person’s stage of life (e.g. a difficult teenager or small child at home) or some other outside influence. In these situations, employees may also be suffering from stress, anxiety or depression. Although I’m not aware of any statistics on this, my own experience tells me that if conduct issues are not addressed early, these types of employees often make a workers’ compensation claim either at or immediately after the employer finally gets fed up with the behaviour and attempts to address it. The claim might result from the manner in which the employer tried to address the behaviour (i.e. reasonable management action taken in an unreasonable manner) or it may be that the employee claims that his or her stress, anxiety or depression is work-related. At any rate, addressing poor conduct in the workplace at an early stage will reduce the likelihood and impact of these types of claims.
- You may well be the only person to ask the employee – R U OK?
HR Business Direction is a proud supporter of RU OK? in the promotion of regular, meaningful conversations in the workplace. As noted in relation to point 4 above, it’s often the case that an employee who is displaying poor conduct is suffering from stress, anxiety or depression. It may well be that the employee is not able to discuss this issue with loved ones but may open up to a caring employer, supervisor or co-worker who takes the time to find out the real problem. I’m not suggesting that employers should take on a counselling or psychologist role but there is an opportunity to encourage and assist employees to seek that help for themselves. Taking the time to ask R U OK? can make a real and meaningful difference in a person’s life. You never know – you might be the only one who ever asks the question.
Although addressing poor conduct or performance in the workplace can be confronting and difficult for employers, the importance of addressing these issues for your business, your customers, your reputation, your staff and the relevant employee themselves is clear. Difficult conversations simply must be had and must be had early.
At HR Business Direction we can assist with leadership, organisational culture and industrial relations risks with performance management.
Melissa Fitzpatrick LLB (Hons); B.Int.Bus; IRSQ
Industrial & Employment Relations Specialist
melissa.fitzpatrick@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au
