Dear All
I have a female employee in Accounts team. Her nature is very aggressive & that leads to verbal tiffs with many around office.
She also has a habit of taking personal calls while sitting on the work place & so all her personal issues at home are public. She doesnt mind that either & always eager to discuss her personal issues with any one who would hear her.
I have tried speaking to her explaining her that it would be unethical if she needs to work while at home after work hours or on leaves & similarly it is unprofessional to discuss personal problems while working. Sadly it doesn't seem she understands the same.
I have now spoken to her reporting head regarding the issue & explained him about a requirement for training for her. I would be starting a basic behavioral training for her & incorporate work stress elimination simultaneously.
I request any experts in training for any suggestions that can help in designing such program.
Thanks
Darshana
From India, Mumbai
25I have a female employee in Accounts team. Her nature is very aggressive & that leads to verbal tiffs with many around office.
She also has a habit of taking personal calls while sitting on the work place & so all her personal issues at home are public. She doesnt mind that either & always eager to discuss her personal issues with any one who would hear her.
I have tried speaking to her explaining her that it would be unethical if she needs to work while at home after work hours or on leaves & similarly it is unprofessional to discuss personal problems while working. Sadly it doesn't seem she understands the same.
I have now spoken to her reporting head regarding the issue & explained him about a requirement for training for her. I would be starting a basic behavioral training for her & incorporate work stress elimination simultaneously.
I request any experts in training for any suggestions that can help in designing such program.
Thanks
Darshana
From India, Mumbai
Before giving any training please find out
1. Why she is aggressive? Is it from day one or recently there are changes in her behavior?
2. What family problem she has at home?
3. As an organization how you can help her to sort the same? ( If is value addition to your organization, else NO)
From India, Pune
1. Why she is aggressive? Is it from day one or recently there are changes in her behavior?
2. What family problem she has at home?
3. As an organization how you can help her to sort the same? ( If is value addition to your organization, else NO)
From India, Pune
Dear Darshana,
You have an employee in Accounts Department, whose nature is:
a) Aggressive
b) Has verbal tiffs with many around
c) Has a habit of taking personal calls while sitting on the work place
d) Always eager to discuss her personal issues with any one who would hear her
e) You have tried counselling her about her behaviour but she remained incorrigible
Now you would like to talk to reporting authority so that she corrects her behaviour.
All said and done Darshana, but the question arises as why her Manager is silent all along? Why he did not notice that her behaviour does not conforms to norms? Why you were required to tell to him that there is a odd sheep in his flock? More than individual's, it is managerial failure! He needs to be trained in exercising authority or how to give feedback to the juniors! With proper feedback this type of behaviour is correctable. Please note that the training is not a panacea to all types of problems.
Since when this person is working in your company? Who interviewed her and why her aggressiveness was not detected in the interview? Do you consider this as recruitment failure?
Going further, if the employees has a time to talk on telephone, then it means she has surplus time at her disposal. How do you measure her performance? What are targets and what is her score? Why her Manager has not stepped in if there was gap in performance?
Did you conduct induction of this employee? In the induction manual, have you included the topic on workplace etiquette or workplace behaviour?
Your feedback on her behaviour did not work because she might have considered you as lightweight. Secondly, how the feedback is given that also matters.
Instead of wasting time and money on training such persons, it is better if some senior authority gives feedback to her. If she does not reform then it is better to get rid of such person. Please note that we run enterprise that needs to be run professionally. There are larger issues to like customer satisfaction, innovation, R and D etc on which training needs to be conducted and not reforming quixotic persons!
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
You have an employee in Accounts Department, whose nature is:
a) Aggressive
b) Has verbal tiffs with many around
c) Has a habit of taking personal calls while sitting on the work place
d) Always eager to discuss her personal issues with any one who would hear her
e) You have tried counselling her about her behaviour but she remained incorrigible
Now you would like to talk to reporting authority so that she corrects her behaviour.
All said and done Darshana, but the question arises as why her Manager is silent all along? Why he did not notice that her behaviour does not conforms to norms? Why you were required to tell to him that there is a odd sheep in his flock? More than individual's, it is managerial failure! He needs to be trained in exercising authority or how to give feedback to the juniors! With proper feedback this type of behaviour is correctable. Please note that the training is not a panacea to all types of problems.
Since when this person is working in your company? Who interviewed her and why her aggressiveness was not detected in the interview? Do you consider this as recruitment failure?
Going further, if the employees has a time to talk on telephone, then it means she has surplus time at her disposal. How do you measure her performance? What are targets and what is her score? Why her Manager has not stepped in if there was gap in performance?
Did you conduct induction of this employee? In the induction manual, have you included the topic on workplace etiquette or workplace behaviour?
Your feedback on her behaviour did not work because she might have considered you as lightweight. Secondly, how the feedback is given that also matters.
Instead of wasting time and money on training such persons, it is better if some senior authority gives feedback to her. If she does not reform then it is better to get rid of such person. Please note that we run enterprise that needs to be run professionally. There are larger issues to like customer satisfaction, innovation, R and D etc on which training needs to be conducted and not reforming quixotic persons!
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
Dear Dinesh Sir
Thanks for your detailed reply. The concerned employee is with the company since past 5 years. So you see the reason for my intervention. She is an old employee & we have a culture for valuing people.
It is not that her manager did not try to intervene. He did to his best.(I do take your point of addressing his training needs too) We are a growing SME with about 18-20 staff working at Head office & I am heading the HR department. This is the reason why I am addressing the issue & want to try with training before the department has to take any further action.
Also from what I have collected, she has got some family issues recently but started talking about them with others recently.
And Sir I really liked the line "training is not a panacea to all types of problems"
Regards
Darshana
From India, Mumbai
Thanks for your detailed reply. The concerned employee is with the company since past 5 years. So you see the reason for my intervention. She is an old employee & we have a culture for valuing people.
It is not that her manager did not try to intervene. He did to his best.(I do take your point of addressing his training needs too) We are a growing SME with about 18-20 staff working at Head office & I am heading the HR department. This is the reason why I am addressing the issue & want to try with training before the department has to take any further action.
Also from what I have collected, she has got some family issues recently but started talking about them with others recently.
And Sir I really liked the line "training is not a panacea to all types of problems"
Regards
Darshana
From India, Mumbai
Dear Darshana,
You have given the reply to my post but you have not mentioned anything about the employee's performance and how do you measure it.
How long the lady has been discussing her family issues on phone? Is it in the recent past or five long years? Is employee using her length of service as an asset so as to trade-off her wayward behaviour?
Now let the matter go the level of General Manager or above. Let that senior give a feedback. In the feedback, let him tell that she needs to master workplace etiquette, interpersonal skills and so on. For this, she can refer videos on Youtube, refer web resources or buy books. There is something called as self-learning in this world. Let your organisation does not lose faith on it. If you start conducting training on the subject that can be self-learnt then it will set wrong trend.
Let the records of this feedback by senior management professional be maintained properly. If there is no improvement, then let her be given warning letter. If still there is no improvement, then second warning or order enquiry and check her out.
From your replies one gets a feel that she has some internal connection on which she relies on. When she brushed aside your as well as her manager's feedback, it speaks volumes.
About that lady's personal problems. Each and everybody in this world has personal problems. Let us remember famous saying of Sant Ramdas, jagi sarevasukhi asa kon aahe?. However, that does not mean that one should start washing her dirty linen in the office!
If you are HR Head, then did you plan her career? If the career-consciousness is infused in the employee's mind (or head), it helps to make them ambitious. This fire of ambition helps them to goad their career.
Lastly, once against let me come to her performance targets. These need to be revised upwardly. In other companies, the targets are such stiff that employees get immersed in routine work and occasionally few go to the extent of skipping their lunch. When employees are on their toes, they shut their mouth and problem of garrulity does not arise at all!
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
You have given the reply to my post but you have not mentioned anything about the employee's performance and how do you measure it.
How long the lady has been discussing her family issues on phone? Is it in the recent past or five long years? Is employee using her length of service as an asset so as to trade-off her wayward behaviour?
Now let the matter go the level of General Manager or above. Let that senior give a feedback. In the feedback, let him tell that she needs to master workplace etiquette, interpersonal skills and so on. For this, she can refer videos on Youtube, refer web resources or buy books. There is something called as self-learning in this world. Let your organisation does not lose faith on it. If you start conducting training on the subject that can be self-learnt then it will set wrong trend.
Let the records of this feedback by senior management professional be maintained properly. If there is no improvement, then let her be given warning letter. If still there is no improvement, then second warning or order enquiry and check her out.
From your replies one gets a feel that she has some internal connection on which she relies on. When she brushed aside your as well as her manager's feedback, it speaks volumes.
About that lady's personal problems. Each and everybody in this world has personal problems. Let us remember famous saying of Sant Ramdas, jagi sarevasukhi asa kon aahe?. However, that does not mean that one should start washing her dirty linen in the office!
If you are HR Head, then did you plan her career? If the career-consciousness is infused in the employee's mind (or head), it helps to make them ambitious. This fire of ambition helps them to goad their career.
Lastly, once against let me come to her performance targets. These need to be revised upwardly. In other companies, the targets are such stiff that employees get immersed in routine work and occasionally few go to the extent of skipping their lunch. When employees are on their toes, they shut their mouth and problem of garrulity does not arise at all!
Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar
From India, Bangalore
Dear Sir
Sorry to miss the point about her discussion of personal problems & her performance.
She is an average employee who is meeting her routine targets. But due to her increased family problems recently, about a year or so, her performance has been affected & it has been conveyed at several intervals & even resulting in a lower increment percentage this year.
About her connections in the company, no direct ones, but as I said we are a small knit company valuing people, yes she gets the benefit sometimes of being older in the company.
I appreciate the point of self learning & plan to discuss regarding the same with her manager & if need be with her too. About her brushing off prior suggestions, as you said correctly, it might be the way it is conveyed. At least from my end it was a casual approach not to hurt any sentiments. This time I will ensure a more professional approach.
Once again Thank you for your guidance.
Regards
Darshana
From India, Mumbai
Sorry to miss the point about her discussion of personal problems & her performance.
She is an average employee who is meeting her routine targets. But due to her increased family problems recently, about a year or so, her performance has been affected & it has been conveyed at several intervals & even resulting in a lower increment percentage this year.
About her connections in the company, no direct ones, but as I said we are a small knit company valuing people, yes she gets the benefit sometimes of being older in the company.
I appreciate the point of self learning & plan to discuss regarding the same with her manager & if need be with her too. About her brushing off prior suggestions, as you said correctly, it might be the way it is conveyed. At least from my end it was a casual approach not to hurt any sentiments. This time I will ensure a more professional approach.
Once again Thank you for your guidance.
Regards
Darshana
From India, Mumbai
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