Difficult Staff - not listerning to instruction.?
A member of my staff keep failing to file away her files and confidentail documents each day. I have spoken to her a few time and emailed her. What action can I take next and is it fair to terminate her contract?
Answers:
What communication methods have you tried?
1. Give instruction and follow up asking if the task has been done yet, until it is done (nagging can work!)
2. Is that person trying "inverse delegation"? Such responses as "Oh, I haven't learned that yet. It will be quicker if you did it yourself" are inverse delegation. Your answer is, "If you don't do it or learn it, you will never be able to, so let's see how you get on."
3. Active Listening: ask why task has not been done, listen to response and repeat it back in your own words: "So, if I understand you, you think so-and-so should do it and not you, is that right?" Then ask why, repeat answer in same way. generally, this method, if asked and repeated enough times, makes the iidler see the flaws in his or her thinking.
4. try "I" instead of "you" statements. These have a pattern: State the offending behaviour, then how you feel about it and then the consequences of the behaviour continuing, e.g., "When people don't do the tasks that are allocated to them (The Offending Behaviour - Note: it's impersonal, not accusing), I get really upset (your feelings) because if no one performs their tasks, we would all be out of a job (consequences). Many people respond with a suggestion how he or she could cure the behaviour.
All this takes some practise, but since I learned these tactics 30 years ago, I don't have many problems except with genuine idelers who deserve the sack.
If it goes to the sacking phase, make sure you avoid tribunal by issuing the verbal warning (recorded on personnel file), followed by written warning for second offence within 4 -5 months of the verbal warning (filed same place) and dismissal on third offence within a year of the written warning. The dismissal letter should give full reasons for the dismissal.
Good luck with this character.
SACK HER
If you got clear standards, enforce them.
written counseling statement, make her sign it and file in her personnel file
next time FIRE HER!
A written warning saying if this situation continues you will have to consider her future with the firm.
Follow proper disciplinary steps. . . Verbal, Written, Final, Termination.
These shold not just be "you screwed up", they should point out the issue, the consequences to her and other employees, steps you will take to help her, and what will happen next if not resolved.
Depends on what the terms of her contract are. You should check it out. You might have to go through a process of formal warnings before you can sack her.
After a correct verbal warning & a written one, persistant faliure to comply with requests would be gross misconduct.
a good boss not only can direct they can also train. take time to have her grab her documents up and go with her and help her filing them. do this for a few days and then say you need to keep this up or I will have no choice but to terminate you.
I would follow up with a written reprimand and if this still doesn't work then you have no choice but to either suspend her or cancel her contract. Some people need to have their actions hit them in the face for it to sink in and hopefully the written notice will do the job but if it doesn't then at least you have it documented and good cause to terminate if needed.
I would have another word with her and just put your foot down say something like "look you either follow the company's policies and procedures by ensuring that you file away your files and confidential information as i have told you on quite a few occasions or unfortunately i am going to have to take you down the disciplinary route which could mean dismissal" and then make sure you tell her why the files and information needs to be filed away or even better give her a document which clearly states the rules and regulations of the Data Protection Act. Then if she does it again ensure you follow your company's disciplinary procedures (usually two verbal's then a written warning) make sure that you find out what your specific company's procedures are to ensure that it does not come back on you in any way and then get rid.
Yes, if she never listens, you can't afford to keep her. Give her a warning, and one last chance, but be prepared to let her go.
How important is it that the files are put away each day? If its very important then ultimately she should be sacked if she refuses to do it. I think the proper course would be to give her plenty of warnings, starting with verbal then written and if she continues then dismissal. Continuing to leave them out would then be a definite case of insubordination. I'd leave a suitable time frame between warnings, say one week and ensure she has the opportunity to a representative at your meetings.
sack her and take me on! i need a new challenge, have experience as a PA and respect confidentiality.
Managers have a two-fold job. They have to accomplish the company objectives and they have to train and develop the skills of their staff. It's a difficult balance.
If you have an Human Resources dept, contact your rep. Tell him/her the problem and they will give you direction as how to handle. If you are in a smaller company, then call her into your office and have a open and clear talk. Consider that she may not know how critical this element of her job actually is. Give her the benefit of the doubt right now. Tell her that her work is unacceptable and give specifics. Put her on an action plan. This is in writing and it tells her what is expected of her and how she is failing. It also should provide her with written direction as to how she is to improve her work. This works well for everyone involved. It gives her the opportunity to get clear info and improve her work and it protects you in that she can never say she didn't know the problem or say you didn't try to help her. Action plans have timelines, i.e. 30, 60 or 90 days. If her work is still bad (w/little or no improvement) then you have grounds to fire her. Also, she may not be happy at the job either. If she knows that her job is in jeopardy, this gives her a chance to seek other employment.
a caring employer will train their staff, you need to do things in an orderly professional manner or you culd be sued for all sorts of reasons.
Start with a formal meeting and make sure you do this for ALL your staff. to begin with.
Explain why it is so important to follow procedures and follow the meeting up with A MEMO to all staff.
Then, if she carries on ignoring the rules, you need a private chat. Be sure to record what was said.
Do things properly and if it comes to it you will at least have given her every opportunity to so things right before you let her go.
Have you thought of just asking her why she is not following the rules? Is it laziness or does she have a problem? Perhaps her workload is too heavy.
Good luck sorting it.
:-)
Its fair and very reasonable to terminate her contract but before you do, talk to her and give her a warning, 2 verbal and 1 written warning then terminate. This way it protects you from any legal battles
Your in charge and have confidential documents open for others too see.! . you and she could be breaking "The consumer credit act 1988 "The Data protection act 1998" and you could be sued..!
As a High Court Bailiff iv seen this many times, That staff just don't know the repercussion of there actions.
You don't want to be taken to court cos the cleaner saw this info do you..?..
I would talk to her ..forget Emails. and give her a Written warning..! ..Its your *** on the line mate.
Oh and make her sign your copy of the warning , then she cant deny anything if things go "**** up "
Hope this helps.
Paul (UK)
Firstly request the she draws up a daily work schedule building in time for her filing duties. Also if taking care of confidential documents is her sole responsiblity remind her that she if in breach of her contract and if she continues to disregard her contractual obligations she will recieve a written warning. I think you will see a swift improvement in her attitude and no further action will be necessary. Do not fire her out of hand as she may have right on her side,err on the side of caution in the first instance.
If she has been with you less than 12 months you can give her a months notice and say goodbye. if more than 12 months you need to follow a procedure, have her in the office, and tell her that her performance isn't acceptable and that you want to see a rapid improvement, ask if there is a reason why she is not doing her job properly. Tell her that if she doesn't improve then she will be asked to attend a disciplinary hearing
That should not be an issued ("is it fair to terminate her employment")
There is always 1 verbal warning and 2 written and the last is termination of her employment.
Start afresh on Monday morning. Begin, have a chat with her and let her know what is going to happen then carry it out and don't let sentimentality come in it.
Stand by your convictions. Good luck
Ask yourself one question first. Are you being unnecessarily picky? Is doesn't sound as though you are because of the confidential nature of the documents.
It is now fair to issue a written warning. State what you expect her to do, what you have already done to get her to do this and what the consequences of her continued non-compliance will be. Finally, offer to formally meet and discuss the situation if she wishes to. I believe she is entitled to have a colleague with her at this meeting and to speak on her behalf if she wishes.
If you have written her Job description using the same level of grammar as you used on the question, she probably does not understand it. If you need to ask the whole internet community for advice on how to manage staff you must work for a crummy company. Speak to your boss and ask advice there first.
Check the company disciplinary procedures with HR first, but it will probably go like this:
Verbal warning.
Written warning.
Terminate her contract.
You need to ask her why she isn't doing as you ask, and help her accomplish what it is you are asking her to do, so that you can show you tried to help her achieve the request and that the request was not unreasonable.
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Answers:
What communication methods have you tried?
1. Give instruction and follow up asking if the task has been done yet, until it is done (nagging can work!)
2. Is that person trying "inverse delegation"? Such responses as "Oh, I haven't learned that yet. It will be quicker if you did it yourself" are inverse delegation. Your answer is, "If you don't do it or learn it, you will never be able to, so let's see how you get on."
3. Active Listening: ask why task has not been done, listen to response and repeat it back in your own words: "So, if I understand you, you think so-and-so should do it and not you, is that right?" Then ask why, repeat answer in same way. generally, this method, if asked and repeated enough times, makes the iidler see the flaws in his or her thinking.
4. try "I" instead of "you" statements. These have a pattern: State the offending behaviour, then how you feel about it and then the consequences of the behaviour continuing, e.g., "When people don't do the tasks that are allocated to them (The Offending Behaviour - Note: it's impersonal, not accusing), I get really upset (your feelings) because if no one performs their tasks, we would all be out of a job (consequences). Many people respond with a suggestion how he or she could cure the behaviour.
All this takes some practise, but since I learned these tactics 30 years ago, I don't have many problems except with genuine idelers who deserve the sack.
If it goes to the sacking phase, make sure you avoid tribunal by issuing the verbal warning (recorded on personnel file), followed by written warning for second offence within 4 -5 months of the verbal warning (filed same place) and dismissal on third offence within a year of the written warning. The dismissal letter should give full reasons for the dismissal.
Good luck with this character.
SACK HER
If you got clear standards, enforce them.
written counseling statement, make her sign it and file in her personnel file
next time FIRE HER!
A written warning saying if this situation continues you will have to consider her future with the firm.
Follow proper disciplinary steps. . . Verbal, Written, Final, Termination.
These shold not just be "you screwed up", they should point out the issue, the consequences to her and other employees, steps you will take to help her, and what will happen next if not resolved.
Depends on what the terms of her contract are. You should check it out. You might have to go through a process of formal warnings before you can sack her.
After a correct verbal warning & a written one, persistant faliure to comply with requests would be gross misconduct.
a good boss not only can direct they can also train. take time to have her grab her documents up and go with her and help her filing them. do this for a few days and then say you need to keep this up or I will have no choice but to terminate you.
I would follow up with a written reprimand and if this still doesn't work then you have no choice but to either suspend her or cancel her contract. Some people need to have their actions hit them in the face for it to sink in and hopefully the written notice will do the job but if it doesn't then at least you have it documented and good cause to terminate if needed.
I would have another word with her and just put your foot down say something like "look you either follow the company's policies and procedures by ensuring that you file away your files and confidential information as i have told you on quite a few occasions or unfortunately i am going to have to take you down the disciplinary route which could mean dismissal" and then make sure you tell her why the files and information needs to be filed away or even better give her a document which clearly states the rules and regulations of the Data Protection Act. Then if she does it again ensure you follow your company's disciplinary procedures (usually two verbal's then a written warning) make sure that you find out what your specific company's procedures are to ensure that it does not come back on you in any way and then get rid.
Yes, if she never listens, you can't afford to keep her. Give her a warning, and one last chance, but be prepared to let her go.
How important is it that the files are put away each day? If its very important then ultimately she should be sacked if she refuses to do it. I think the proper course would be to give her plenty of warnings, starting with verbal then written and if she continues then dismissal. Continuing to leave them out would then be a definite case of insubordination. I'd leave a suitable time frame between warnings, say one week and ensure she has the opportunity to a representative at your meetings.
sack her and take me on! i need a new challenge, have experience as a PA and respect confidentiality.
Managers have a two-fold job. They have to accomplish the company objectives and they have to train and develop the skills of their staff. It's a difficult balance.
If you have an Human Resources dept, contact your rep. Tell him/her the problem and they will give you direction as how to handle. If you are in a smaller company, then call her into your office and have a open and clear talk. Consider that she may not know how critical this element of her job actually is. Give her the benefit of the doubt right now. Tell her that her work is unacceptable and give specifics. Put her on an action plan. This is in writing and it tells her what is expected of her and how she is failing. It also should provide her with written direction as to how she is to improve her work. This works well for everyone involved. It gives her the opportunity to get clear info and improve her work and it protects you in that she can never say she didn't know the problem or say you didn't try to help her. Action plans have timelines, i.e. 30, 60 or 90 days. If her work is still bad (w/little or no improvement) then you have grounds to fire her. Also, she may not be happy at the job either. If she knows that her job is in jeopardy, this gives her a chance to seek other employment.
a caring employer will train their staff, you need to do things in an orderly professional manner or you culd be sued for all sorts of reasons.
Start with a formal meeting and make sure you do this for ALL your staff. to begin with.
Explain why it is so important to follow procedures and follow the meeting up with A MEMO to all staff.
Then, if she carries on ignoring the rules, you need a private chat. Be sure to record what was said.
Do things properly and if it comes to it you will at least have given her every opportunity to so things right before you let her go.
Have you thought of just asking her why she is not following the rules? Is it laziness or does she have a problem? Perhaps her workload is too heavy.
Good luck sorting it.
:-)
Its fair and very reasonable to terminate her contract but before you do, talk to her and give her a warning, 2 verbal and 1 written warning then terminate. This way it protects you from any legal battles
Your in charge and have confidential documents open for others too see.! . you and she could be breaking "The consumer credit act 1988 "The Data protection act 1998" and you could be sued..!
As a High Court Bailiff iv seen this many times, That staff just don't know the repercussion of there actions.
You don't want to be taken to court cos the cleaner saw this info do you..?..
I would talk to her ..forget Emails. and give her a Written warning..! ..Its your *** on the line mate.
Oh and make her sign your copy of the warning , then she cant deny anything if things go "**** up "
Hope this helps.
Paul (UK)
Firstly request the she draws up a daily work schedule building in time for her filing duties. Also if taking care of confidential documents is her sole responsiblity remind her that she if in breach of her contract and if she continues to disregard her contractual obligations she will recieve a written warning. I think you will see a swift improvement in her attitude and no further action will be necessary. Do not fire her out of hand as she may have right on her side,err on the side of caution in the first instance.
If she has been with you less than 12 months you can give her a months notice and say goodbye. if more than 12 months you need to follow a procedure, have her in the office, and tell her that her performance isn't acceptable and that you want to see a rapid improvement, ask if there is a reason why she is not doing her job properly. Tell her that if she doesn't improve then she will be asked to attend a disciplinary hearing
That should not be an issued ("is it fair to terminate her employment")
There is always 1 verbal warning and 2 written and the last is termination of her employment.
Start afresh on Monday morning. Begin, have a chat with her and let her know what is going to happen then carry it out and don't let sentimentality come in it.
Stand by your convictions. Good luck
Ask yourself one question first. Are you being unnecessarily picky? Is doesn't sound as though you are because of the confidential nature of the documents.
It is now fair to issue a written warning. State what you expect her to do, what you have already done to get her to do this and what the consequences of her continued non-compliance will be. Finally, offer to formally meet and discuss the situation if she wishes to. I believe she is entitled to have a colleague with her at this meeting and to speak on her behalf if she wishes.
If you have written her Job description using the same level of grammar as you used on the question, she probably does not understand it. If you need to ask the whole internet community for advice on how to manage staff you must work for a crummy company. Speak to your boss and ask advice there first.
Check the company disciplinary procedures with HR first, but it will probably go like this:
Verbal warning.
Written warning.
Terminate her contract.
You need to ask her why she isn't doing as you ask, and help her accomplish what it is you are asking her to do, so that you can show you tried to help her achieve the request and that the request was not unreasonable.
The answers post by the user, for information only, UKQnA.com does not guarantee the right.