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Tips For How To Have Difficult Conversations With Employees

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Photo of manager and employee having a difficult conversation

HR Question:

Each time I take on a new role managing staff, I find myself needing to have difficult conversations with employees about sensitive issues. I’ve had to deal with hygiene issues, someone who wore too much perfume, and even someone who wore an unsightly shirt every single day. What is the best way to deal with these issues and talk with employees about these sensitive topics that are impacting others?

HR Answer:

Most business leaders will tell you that having difficult conversations with employees is one of the most challenging aspects of their leadership position. Whether it’s a team member with a notable hygiene issue or a co-worker with an exceptionally sensitive sense of smell, these interpersonal issues are disruptive to business, and we all wish they would just disappear!

It’s human nature to want to avoid that which we find unpleasant, and most of us would rather have a root canal than have a discussion about another person’s body odor. Great leaders understand that avoidance fosters a culture where issues are allowed to become toxic and spread, potentially impacting the entire team. To truly create change, it is important to be sensitive to the concerns of the individuals involved and handle the difficult conversation with a calm professional demeanor.

Build Trust From the Beginning

The best preparation begins long before the sensitive problem even occurs! Building trusting relationships with your team members early on will make difficult conversations less awkward and more productive.

One way to build trust and establish open lines of communication with your employees is to hold frequent and regularly scheduled one-on-one conversations with them. As an additional benefit, maintaining regular communication with your team members may allow you an opportunity to identify potential areas for concern and proactively address these situations before they escalate into a more serious problem.

How to Prepare for Difficult Conversations with Employees

When a sensitive problem does occur and a tough conversation is warranted, you should address the issue promptly, yet also take the time to fully evaluate the situation and properly prepare for the conversation. Review the details and facts as you are aware of them with the understanding that there is likely more to the story that you will need to uncover in your discussion with the employee.

Also, find the right words to tactfully address the concerns that have been raised and brainstorm potential responses and solutions ahead of the meeting. Approach the conversation from a place of empathy and avoid making assumptions as to the root of the problem.

Suggestions on how to have a respectful and productive discussion:

  1. Make sure the employee knows it is not a disciplinary meeting but rather a coaching conversation.
  2. Meet with the employee in a private location without interruptions where you can explain the problem and how it affects the workplace. Have items such as water and facial tissues available if needed.
  3. Allow the employee to lead the conversation which may result in an apology, learning they were not aware of the situation, or possibly a personal discussion as to why the person is having the issue.
  4. Be open to the possibility that the employee may have a disability or religious or cultural factors that are impacting the situation at hand (hygiene, for example).
  5. If they aren’t readily forthcoming in your conversation, try to understand the root of the issue by gently guiding them and allowing them plenty of time to open up.
  6. Holding the meeting at the end of the day may be best as it will allow the employee to leave immediately afterward.
  7. Be compassionate and focus on the company’s future expectations.
  8. Emotions may run high. If it seems the employee is struggling with the information, allow the employee time to process the information on their own. Offer to have a follow up meeting to continue the discussion once they have had time to think about it.

Don’t Fall Into These Complaint Pitfalls

While it is vital for managers to proactively address these issues, it is also important to do so without jumping to conclusions. It must be noted that it is not always the subject of the complaint that needs to be addressed. Be careful when handling issues to ensure that there is validity to the complaint and that it wasn’t a result of one overly sensitive employee, or worse yet – a bully.

Additionally, don’t allow employees to play what Marlene Chism calls “Power of Attorney” by bringing complaints on behalf of others. Ensure that complaints are brought to you by the party involved and avoid falling into secret conversations and gossip with complainers.

You may also find that negative employees can spread negativity resulting in a detrimental impact on the morale, productivity, and profitability of your team. Sometimes the difficult conversation needs to be with the chronic complainer who may allow their own personality flaws to lead to frequent complaints about their co-workers.

Although having difficult conversations with your employees is not likely to be your favorite part of your job, they can be critical to ensure the productivity, health, and well-being of your team. If you can go into the uncomfortable discussions with a professional and development-focused approach, often you can solve issues while also building trust and respect with your employees.

Thank you to Colleen Mahoney, PHR for contributing to this HR Question of the Week.

 

Communication often seems like a “no-brainer,” until you have a difficult or complex message to deliver. HOW you communicate is often as important as WHAT you communicate when it comes to getting results! Strategic HR has years of experience preparing HR communications for a variety of audiences and topics. Visit our HR Communications page to learn how we can assist you with your HR communications needs.

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Writing a Winning Employee Newsletter

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Question:

I’m trying to improve our old traditional employee newsletter.  What information will help create a communication piece that is effective and meets the needs of all of our employees (onsite, remote, etc.)?  I really want it to be worthwhile.

Answer:

The days of the old employee newsletter have really changed.  With today’s technology, we are able to quickly get information to employees, and solicit input and response quickly with the push of a button. Whichever email marketing platform you choose to use to improve your old traditional paper newsletter, here are a few tips when considering what information to include that will motivate and engage your employees:

  • Seek to make your newsletter not only informational but motivational.  The key to a good newsletter is to make it MOTIVATIONAL, not just full of information.  Use it to motivate your employees and get them engaged.
  • Include information your employees want to see and hear, not just what management wants them to hear.  Don’t know what they want?  ASK!
  • Mix it up.  Make the information informative, provide updates on what is going on.
  • Add live content – links to videos, pictures, or other stories to further engage the reader.
  • Using metrics?  Make them visual and accurate…let employees figure out what they say about company / department performance.
  • Add a social aspect.  Employees like to know what is going on with others in the company – New certification? New degree?  New grand kids?  Let people share the good news in their lives if they wish.
  • Use a “news box” on the home screen where employees log in to the Intranet.  This will allow employees to read it when they are ready, not rushing through it because they have other deadlines to meet.
  • Newsletters should be all about what employees are doing right!  Customer comments on good performance and shout outs to other departments or employees…focus on the positive here.

If executed well, employee newsletters provide an effective way to create employee engagement. In this “Ultimate Guide to Creating the Perfect Employee Newsletter,” you will get additional information, tips and examples to help you create a winning employee newsletter!

Bottomline, get your employees involved in the newsletter.  Get your employees to offer content for the newsletter, review your metrics on what they are reading and clicking, and regularly ask your employees for input on what’s beneficial and what’s not.

Communication often seems like a “no-brainer”. You have something to communicate and you just “do it”. But factor in multiple shifts or locations, off-site employees and a multigenerational workforce and you quickly learn that providing adequate communication to everyone you employ isn’t so easy. Strategic HR has years of experience writing for a diverse workforce. Visit our Communications page to learn how we can assist you with various communication-based projects.

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HRIS Software – What Does “Determine Your Needs” Mean?

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By Clay Scroggins with CompareHRIS.com

If you have read any articles on selecting an HRIS, HRMS or HR software programs, they all say you first have to determine your needs. The phrase is used so often it’s almost a cliche. I am not saying that people who say this are wrong; far from it. I am just amazed at how little depth is behind the words. Determining your needs for a human resource program is extremely important and it’s no easy task. In order to find a system matching your needs, you need to be as detailed as possible with creating them. The better the job you do on this step of the process, the more successful you will be with your final decision.

Why is determining needs so important for HR Software?

In my research, there are over 60 US or Canada based companies that offer an HRIS or HRMS software application. If we include human resource outsourcing and service bureau companies in this list, you might very well be talking about over two or three hundred companies. Your job with determining your needs, as I see it, is to narrow this list from several hundred companies to a handful and then, following your evaluations and research, find the system that offers the closest match to your needs, requirements and budget. When you look at “determining your needs” in this way, it sure sounds like more than a simple cliche.

As someone who has sold HR information systems for more than fifteen years, my first meeting with a prospect was to determine what their needs were for an HRIS application. Most had something written down but rarely provided enough detail. Following, is a typical needs list from one of my customers.

Looking for an In-house or hosted HRIS application that meets the following needs:

  1. Tie to our outsourced payroll application 
  2. Windows based 
  3. Easy to use 
  4. Salary History 
  5. Track dates for review, birthdays, and anniversaries 
  6. Salary Grade Analysis 
  7. Benefits information 
  8. Custom fields or custom screen options 
  9. Affirmative action tracking 
  10. Track training information 
  11. Employee Self Service Option 
  12. Easy to use report writing with the following standard reports:
  13. Turn over reports
  14. Birthday reports
  15. Anniversary Reports
  16. New Hire Reports
  17. EEO Reports
  18. OSHA compliance reports

Does this list look familiar? I am willing to bet that this list is very similar to your own. I’m going to let you in on a little industry secret. All of the vendors who have sold HR software systems have heard this exact list of needs hundreds, if not thousands, of times before. So it’s not surprising that almost all of them offer these exact capabilities. Some meet each need easier or in greater detail but on the surface they meet all of these capabilities. Your list of sixty HRIS vendors is still pretty much at sixty vendors.

Going to an HR software vendor with the list above is sort of like going to a car dealership and saying you want a car with an engine, seats, four tires, and that runs on gas. They all do it.

So how do we narrow down the list?

Step One – Determine if you are looking for hosted HRIS solutions or in-house HRIS programs. Actually, under hosted HRIS there are really two options, subscription and hosted HRIS.

Subscription Service solutions (also referred to SaaS or PEPM) are sometimes referred to as multi-tenanted, as many companies share a system that has been configured for general use. The software and the data reside on servers in a secure facility, managed by the Vendor, where you access it from a Web browser. These solutions do not require IT support on your part. They usually require a set-up fee and you typically subscribe to this service on a month-to-month basis based on your employee population for a minimum term.

Licensed/Purchased solutions are sometimes referred to as In-House or On-Premise solutions. You pay a one-time license fee and your IT department installs and maintains the solution on your hardware using your network. Licensed software is configured to your particular needs. There are implementation fees to set up the software. Ongoing annual Support fees are a percentage of the original license cost.

Licensed/Hosted solutions are the same as Licensed/Purchased with the software being configured to your particular needs. The difference is, however, the Vendor hosts your software in its secure facility and provides the back office I.T. support. There are still implementation and Support fees. There is usually no minimum term as you own a license.

Step Two – How much money do you have to spend? HR software varies widely in price. You need to determine how much budget money you have to spend before arriving at your short list of vendors to review. You will waste your time if you have People Soft needs on a Microsoft Excel budget.

Determining how much you can spend is, not surprisingly, a little tricky. With the hosted or subscription vendors you are going to spend less up front but so much per month or per payroll cycle. In this case, you would need to find out how much you can spend per month or year. With a licensed in house application, most of your investment will be up front but you will have annual support costs going forward. Even with licensed options, you can spread the payments over a period of time by leasing the software.

Step Three – Increase your HRIS or HRMS IQ. Before deciding exactly what capabilities you are looking for with an HR software application, it’s obviously important to understand what your options are.

Clay C. Scroggin has over fifteen years experience in the human resources software industry. Clay is President and Owner of CompareHRIS.com, a web site dedicated to assisting HR professionals with their search, selection, implementation and use of HR systems. CompareHRIS.com offers an extremely comprehensive HRIS selection tool to assist you with your HRIS, HRMS, or Human Resources software selection process. Make sure to download CompareHRIS.com‘s free HR and Payroll Software Buyer’s Guide.

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Unleashing Employee Potential Through Competency-Based Job Descriptions

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by Linda Gravett, PhD, SPHR

How many times have you heard statements like these from your employees?

“I have no idea what my official job duties are.” 
“My job description mainly says ‘other duties as assigned’.” 
“I’m evaluated on things that aren’t even in my job description.”

If you’ve heard these complaints much too often, perhaps the time is right for your organization to develop competency-based job descriptions.

A competency-based job description has one significant feature that traditional job descriptions do not possess. In addition to listing duties assigned to a position, the skills and behaviors required to successfully perform these duties is also included. This feature does the following:

  • Enables recruiters to fully describe job requirements
  • Helps supervisors adequately explain areas for improvement during reviews
  • Lets employees understand skills they must acquire if they’re interested in other positions within the organization

Here’s how competency-based job descriptions are used on a practical basis:

Employees are often told that communication skills are important. Does that mean written, verbal, body language, or all of the above? An example of communications competency components that I’ve helped one of my clients identify is:

Communications

  1. Negotiating – dealing with others in order to reach an agreement or solution; for example, consensus building
  2. Persuading – dealing with others in order to influence them toward some action or point of view; for example, recommending an innovative solution to a problem
  3. Instructing – expanding knowledge or skills enhancement, in either a formal or informal setting
  4. Interviewing – conducting interviews directed toward some specific objective; for example, interviewing job applicants
  5. Routine Information Exchange – giving or receiving job-related information
  6. Public Speaking – making formal presentations before internal or external audiences
  7. Writing – writing and editing concise, clear letters, reports, articles, or e-mails
  8. Effective Listening – actively engaging in conversations in order to clearly understand others’ message and intent

Employees are often advised how important it is to be a “team player.” The supervisor may have a definition of a “team player” in mind that is vastly different from that of the direct reports he or she supervises. This was the case with another client who developed this set of statements to describe teamwork:

Teamwork and Collaboration

  1. Establishing Rapport – establishing and maintaining a good rapport and cooperative working relationship with all members of the organization
  2. Taking Initiative – showing flexibility in joining ad hoc teams and taking on extra responsibilities when required
  3. Choosing Communication Methods – effectively selecting the appropriate communication method to fit the situation
  4. Involving Others – involving coworkers and direct reports by sharing information through reports, meeting, or presentations
  5. Soliciting Input – asking for input from others through reports, meetings, or presentations
  6. Respecting Others – treating others with respect, regardless of position or function
  7. Influencing – using relationships to influence others to take risks for the good of the overall organization
  8. Facilitating Brainstorming – initiating brainstorming sessions when required to ensure that team members are invested in team activities and decisions

I don’t recommend that an organization use a “canned” approach toward developing competencies. Your organization’s Mission and Vision statements are the starting point to develop competency-based job descriptions. Why does your organization exist? How does your organization want to do business in three years? five years? What skills and behaviors must your employees have in order to successfully carry out the Mission and Vision? I advocate the company leadership taking time out to address these questions, with the input of Human Resources, to determine the unique set of competencies the organization requires.

I believe you’ll discover that a core set of competencies will be required organization wide. For example, one of my clients concluded that Communications, Teamwork and Collaboration, Research Skills, Innovation, Problem Solving, Coaching, Developing Goals and Objectives, and Leadership were all required to some degree. As an employee moves to the manager and executive level, the scope, impact, and level of sophistication increase. One size (job description) does not fit all.

For my clients that are now using competency-based job descriptions, there have been some clear advantages and some implementation challenges. The advantages are:

  1. Lower turnover because of better matches between applicants and jobs
  2. Less ambiguity during performance reviews because supervisors can provide more concrete examples of expectations
  3. More clarity about skill sets required for career development throughout the organization

Change is not easy to accept, even when the change will be beneficial to individuals and the organization. Some supervisors prefer room for subjectivity in hiring and promoting decisions. It’s so much easier to check a box for “Initiative” and “Dependability” than to think about specific behaviors and how those behaviors demonstrate competency. Those same supervisors, however, desire much more specificity when their review time rolls around!

I recommend that cross-functional, multi-level focus groups work together to develop the competency components – following the leadership’s articulation of the core competencies required for the organization to survive and thrive. I’ve found that this promotes buy-in and encourages employees to start developing a new language to describe how work gets done.

If you decide to move toward competency-based job descriptions, don’t forget to revise your performance reviews so they’re parallel. The competencies and their components on each individual’s job description should reappear on the performance review. Employees that I’ve talked with really appreciate the consistency!

Dr. Linda Gravett, PhD, SPHR is with Gravett & Associates (www.Gravett.com). If you have any questions or wish to share your comments with Linda, you can contact her at Linda@Gravett.com.

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Improve Employee Communication

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Question:

It seems like employees don’t listen to us when we communicate. What can we do to improve our communications to employees?

Answer:

Back in the late 70’s, my first boss at an ad agency used to refer to the “95% Factor,” meaning that 95% of the time when you are communicating with people, they are only thinking of how the information will impact them. Today, folks refer to it as WIIFM or “what’s in it for me.”

Makes sense. You’re probably thinking that same question right now.

So here’s my HR communication tip for the week: use the 95% Factor to get results by doing the following:

  • Use the second person, not third. Don’t speak from the company’s perspective; take the employee’s point of view. Talk about how “you” can access and use your benefits or how “your” performance impacts your pay.
  • Be specific. Focus your communications more on the “what” and “how” and not so much on the “why.” The more specific you are about the actions you want employees to take, the better results you’ll get. It also helps if you can target your communications to specific audiences so folks only get the messages that apply to them. (The last thing you want to do is make people work to figure it out.) Plus, if you can be specific about the personal impact to employees, they will pay closer attention. For example, instead of saying “you can save thousands by switching to this plan,” create versions based on current plan enrollment to say “what would you do with an extra $2,050?”. Believe me, the second version will get more attention.
  • Keep it simple. Not only should you write from the employee’s point of view, you should speak their language. Avoid acronyms and other benefits “geek speak.” Try to write on about a 5th to 7th grade level by keeping sentences short and avoiding words with multiple syllables. Not because your audience isn’t smart enough to understand higher reading levels, but because they only have seconds to scan for the 95% Factor information.
  • Make it relatable. People make decisions based on emotions, then justify with facts. To make an emotional connection, your communications need to be relatable. Use photos or images of folks like your employees. If they are blue collar, don’t use the infamous conference room shot of a bunch of models in slick suits. Show folks who get their hands dirty. When you are trying to explain a complex issue, use examples or stories to illustrate your point. People relate much better to stories of “people like me” than they do to charts.

When creating your HR communications, keep this in mind: whenever employees see or hear any message, all they want to know is three things:

  1. What’s this about?
  2. How’s it impact me?
  3. What do I have to do?

Answer those questions, and you’ll have met the 95% Factor 100% of the time.

Note to AP Stylebook geeks: I realize percent is supposed to be spelled out. I used the symbol on purpose.

A special thanks to Elizabeth Borton, President of Write on Target, for sharing her expertise with us.  Sign-up on her website at to receive future communication blogs at www.writetarget.com.  Or, you can contact her with questions at EBorton@WriteTarget.com or  937.436.4565, ext 28.