Employee Behavior

Tackling Troubling Tackling Troubling Employee BehaviorEmployee Behavior

EMOTIONe·mo·tion A mental state that arises

spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love.

How might you rate your emotional stability?

1. My emotions are stable2. My emotions tend to be stable3. Don’t know4. I occasionally feel unstable and have mood

swings5. I have frequent and significant emotion/mood

swings

• Now think about those in your workplace who may answer this as a 4 or 5

How does heightened emotion on the job affect the workplace?

Damages morale

Lessens cooperation

Increases worker conflict

Increases absenteeism

Decreases productivity

Deflects focus from the job

Increases employee turnover

Impairs judgment and reaction times, therefore raising the risk of errors and accidents

Emotion Principles• Our emotional responses are learned, usually

patterned.

• Involves mental conversations that deal with contradictions to our beliefs and expectations.

• Negative emotions, such as anger, are internally created and thus can be internally managed.

• Our feelings are most often expressed to those that are meaningful to us.

Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions

The Emotion Effect

If left unresolved or unaddressed, a primary emotion can lead to a secondary emotion, and ultimately to a tertiary emotion.

Example: Anger > Rage > HostilitySadness > Neglect > Alienation Fear > Horror > Panic

Troubledtrou·bled Disturbed, worried, distressed,

agitated.

Why might your employee betroubled…

• Are they displeased with the outcome of a situation?

• Were expectations unmet?• Was there a misunderstanding?• Do they feel things are out of

their control?• Do they feel mistreated?• Are they creating their own

internal stress?

Can they control/stabilize their mood and actions?

From Expectations to Responses

EMOTION

Primary Feeling

Behavioral Response Mental Conversion

Situation

Expectation

Warning Signs:Warning Signs:

•Obsessive involvement or emotional attachment to the job•Prone to making direct or indirect threats•Aggressive, anti-social behavior•Overreaction to work policies or performance appraisals•Inconsistent or apathetic work performance•Stressed relationships with co-workers•Frequently irritable, moody or sarcastic behavior

Keep in mind…Keep in mind…Persistent or excessively irritable,

angry behavior may be a symptom of alarger psychological problem –

such as:

AddictionPost-traumatic stress disorder

Depression

Common causes of supervisor/employee conflict:

• Poor communication• Disrespect/undermining authority• Betrayal of trust• Excessive negative feedback from manager• Unreasonable demands made by managers• General harassment – sexual, bullying• Failure of a manager to take disciplinary action

when needed• Micromanaged environment with little

opportunity for decision making

DEFENSE OR TRAP DESCRIPTION OR EXAMPLE COUNTER MOVE

Excuses & Sympathy Problems

Employees will have a good reason for everything that happens. “You’d have the same troubles I do if you had a family like mine.”

“You may have problems at home. I am concerned about your performance and my data here says you are not doing your job. ”

Apology & Promises “I’m really sorry. You know that I’ll never do it that way again.”

“I appreciate your apology. But what you did is serious. I need to file a deficiency report.”

Switching “I know about that, but look what a good job I’ve done on that Harris job!”

“You did do well on Harris. I want good work on all jobs. You have had more problems than success lately. Look at the record.”

Anger “Damn it! One mistake and the roof falls in – after 15 years of killing myself for this place.”

“I expect you to listen to me. Just getting angry won’t help anyone, especially you. I’m concerned about your performance. And I’m not talking about one mistake. Look at the record.”Tears “I don’t know what to do. I’ll never get out of this mess.”

(Cryin“I appreciate your feelings. I want you to know that I want to help, which is why I set up this meeting. You have been a valuable part of our organization. I want to tell you about our Employee Assistance Program.” Self Pity “I knew this would happen. I’ve never been able to do

anything right.”“I wouldn’t be taking the time to talk with you if I didn’t have faith in you. So let’s move on to talk about what can be done to help. You know our Employee Assistance Program could help.” Innocence & Blaming “It’s not my fault. Joe let me down. I don’t get any help at

all around here.”“I’ve checked into this in detail (points to record). We need to start with what we can do.”

Friendliness & Deduction “Now, you know we’ve been through this before and we worked it out together. Let’s get together after work and figure this out where we can be more comfortable. ”

“I know we’ve been through this before, and this time things will be different. I am filing a report because I’ve done all I can do to work this out on the job. I think something is wrong and I want you to see the EAP.”Hopelessness “I may as well quit right now.” “You may have done excellent work. I want more of that from your department which is why I set up this meeting.”

When is an Employee Considered High Risk?

• It is advisable to seek consultation from Employee Relations immediately when you have knowledge of employees presenting with the following traits or behaviors, especially more than one:

• Known history of violence• Preoccupation with violence or weapons (or owns

weapons)• Threats with intent to harm self, others, and property• Defiant/ demanding/intimidating behavior• Frequent disruptive behavior in the workplace• Mood swings

How to Counsel Troubled Employee

Step 1:Take note of dramatic changes in the employee's performance and on-the-job behavior.

• Adequate documentation will assist you in evaluating job performance and confronting an employee when necessary. – Documentation should be:

• Specific • Objective • Factual• Thorough • Timely

What to look for and document in job performance:

1. Absenteeism (Most Obvious)– Frequent unscheduled short-term absences (with or

without medical explanation)– Frequent use of unscheduled vacation time.

2. “On the Job” Absenteeism– At work but productivity and efficiency lacking– Continued absence from job location more than job

requires – Frequent trips to water fountain or restroom– Long breaks.


3. Accidents • Physical complaints on the job• Accidents on and off the job

4. Observed Changes in Work Pattern• General absentmindedness, forgetfulness• Alternative periods of high and low productivity • Coming to work intoxicated• Missed deadlines • Inability to perform tasks they were able to do in the past


4. Observed Changes in Work Pattern (Cont.)• Mistakes due to poor judgment • Outside complaints about the employee’s work• Improbable excuses for these poor patterns• Carelessness

5. Employee Relationships on The Job• Overreaction to real or imagined criticism • Borrowing money from co-workers• Repeated and compulsive criticism of Department or

University


6. Employee Relationships on The Job (cont.)

• Unrealistic expectations for promotion• Abrasiveness with others (managers and co-

workers)

7. Work Relationships in the University Community

• Inappropriate behaviors• Complaints from other departments or customers


8. Changes In Employee’s Behavior Appearance– Sloppy– Inappropriate clothing– Mood– Withdrawn– Sad– Mood swings (high and low)– Suspiciousness– Extreme sensitivity– Frequent irritability

How to Counsel Troubled Employee Continued…

• Step 2:Meet with the employee and determine whether the problem is personal or job-related.

• Step 3:Avoid becoming involved in an employee's personal problem. If the employee needs professional help (including anger management), put him or her in touch with Employee Relations or EASE.

How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued…

• Step 4:Focus on performance issues if the trouble is job-related. In a calm, non-accusatory manner, point out the changes in the employee's performance.

• Step 5:Ask what you can do to help.

• Step 6:Work with the employee to develop concrete goals and a timeline for resolving the performance issues.– Do establish the levels of work performance you

expect. Set the limits that you will tolerate.– Determine what is acceptable and unacceptable to

you.– Be consistent. Treat all employees equally.


• Step 7• If the person shows behavior that poses a direct threat to

themselves or others (including physically being unable to perform at work safely), call Employee Relations and/or Security immediately. A condition of employment or mandatory referral can be made that requires the person to be evaluated by a mental health professional via EASE or outside EASE and recommendations made as to whether the individual can safely and effectively perform in the job. They would be on a suspension during this period to give them time to provide documentation from their physician. Once we receive documentation, they can be placed on a leave.

• Important: If you feel threatened, you should suspend immediately and deactivate the employee’s accesses.


If you suspect an employee is under the influenceIf you suspect an employee is under the influence

Step 1:

Take note of dramatic changes in the employee's performance and on-the-job behavior.

• Adequate documentation will assist you in evaluating job performance and confronting an employee when necessary. – Documentation should be:

• Specific • Objective • Factual• Thorough • Timely


Observations may include:

• Odors (smell of alcohol, body odor or urine)• Movement (unsteady, fidgety, dizzy)• Eyes (dilated, constricted, watery, involuntary eye

movements)• Face (flushed, sweating, confused)• Speech (slurred, slow, distracted mid-thought)• Emotions (argumentative, agitated, irritable)• Change in performance (errors, failure to follow through,

inability to multi-task)


Step 2:

Contact Employee Relations (ER) immediately for advice and guidance.

In consultation with ER, prepare the Positive Corrective Action form placing the employee on an investigatory suspension.

Schedule the suspension meeting with the employee and ER representative or another supervisor, if an ER representative is not available, as soon as possible.

During meeting, recap previous meetings and refer to documentation of observed behaviors or performance issues.


A mandatory management referral will be made to the Employee Assistance Program, EASE.

EASE will determine if a treatment program is necessary.

The employee will be placed on an investigatory suspension until documentation from a Health Care Provider is submitted. At that time, the employee will be on a personal medical leave.

Summary of Supervisory GuidelinesSummary of Supervisory Guidelines

Focus on behavior• Observe• Document

Confront and Support the Employee• Don’t diagnose• Use documentation

Follow Through• Monitor and document• Be consistent

Employee Assistance Program

• Assists troubled employees in handling personal and/or health related problems that adversely affect job performance and productivity.

• Supervisors are responsible for considering EASE as an option for an employee whose work performance or behavior/conduct is not meeting standards or could warrant corrective action.

• Supervisors must contact Employee Relations or Human Resources Administrator before taking action when work performance issues occur and/or corrective action is warranted.

Documents

Employee Behavior