“No good deed goes unpunished.” Nowhere is that more true than when untrained supervisors and managers try to be good bosses.
If you’ve got new or recently promoted supervisors or managers, see if any of these situations are familiar:
“Do you think you might be depressed?” asks the concerned but untrained boss. “I didn’t,” says the employee, under her breath, “but since depression makes me eligible for special accommodations under the ADA, well, sure, I’m depressed!”
“I didn’t think a woman with young children should have a job with so much travel, so I gave the promotion to John,” says the inexperienced new manager. “Actually,” thinks the employee, “I won’t need a job at all after my discrimination lawsuit settles.”
“Eight weeks off to take care of your mother? Hey, that’s not going to happen!” declares the new supervisor, determined to be tough from the get-go, unaware that the door has just been opened for a lawsuit for interfering with family leave rights.
These supervisors are trying to be good bosses who do what’s best, but instead they are laying the groundwork for expensive lawsuits.
What’s the solution?
Training, training, training.
But before that, the first thing to say to new supervisors and managers is, “until you have been trained, don’t do anything related to HR without checking with me.”
Reason: You just can’t have new supervisors firing from the hip in response to requests for FMLA leave, complaints about protected subjects (like pay or safety), requests for accommodation, and so on. There’s little hope that they will get it right, and you’ll be stuck dealing with the damage.
And while we’re at it, you don’t want them hiring, promoting, disciplining, or firing without your review either.
Train your line managers with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. There won’t be time for classroom boredom. Try it free. Read more
So, instruct new supervisors and managers to check with you before dealing with any of these situations. Tell them to say, “I’ll check up on that to be sure I’m giving you a complete and accurate answer.”
Break-In Period the Most Dangerous
The “break-in period” for new supervisors and managers is a particularly dangerous time because they are eager to prove that they can be good, independent bosses. They won’t want to come asking for help, and they don’t like the idea that they need “babysitting.”
You have to convince them that it’s not a reflection on their abilities, it’s just a routine requirement that they check with you before acting.
Until you train them, that is. Once trained, your new bosses will be more able to deal competently with the routine aspects of all their HR-related responsibilities.
Do you wish you could train but feel you don’t have the time, money, or expertise? In the next issue of the Advisor, we’ll tell you about a tool that will allow you to overcome these obstacles … in as little as 10 minutes.
No Time to Train Managers in HR?
Nobody’s got the time for HR training, but everybody’s got the need. We’ve compacted exactly what managers have to know about key laws and best practices into 50 prewritten learning modules that you can use in just 10 minutes each. Put us to the test. Try BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer at no cost for 30 days! Read more