Last Advisor, we talked about 7 things not to say; today we’ll cover 3 things supervisors should say, and tell you about a new audio conference that will keep you, your supervisors, and your managers from saying “stupid things.”
“Gee, I never knew that.”
“Where does it say I was supposed to do that?”
Aren’t those the quintessential responses whenever employees are called to the carpet? Let’s put a stop to that right now. Here are some things that supervisors should say to employees.
1) These are our policies.
Your employees should be familiar with policies that pertain to them. The policies probably range from work rules, to bans on gambling, fighting, and drugs, to how to apply for FMLA leave and report harassment.
Go over them at meetings, orientation sessions, whenever you can fit it in, and get employees to sign off that they understand what the policies say.
Fully in compliance with all the HR laws? How can you be sure? Attend the March 13 BLR audio conference, HR Self-Audits: How to Discover (and Fix) Your Weak Spots Before a Federal Agency or Disgruntled Employee Does. Can’t attend? Pre-order the CD. Click for details
2) These are my expectations for you.
Make it clear to individual employees what your expectations are. What should they accomplish, and how should they accomplish it? Establish measurable goals whenever possible.
3) Here’s how you are doing.
Talk to people about how they are doing at meeting expectations. Don’t wait for formally mandated annual review time—talk now so they have a chance to improve.
When talking about performance, be honest. There are few things more pathetic than a manager trying to explain how a terminated employee ‘s performance could have been “so poor we had to fire him” when his appraisals show all “good” ratings.
Peace of mind is hard to come by in HR. But you can come close with a successful HR self-audit. Find out how at BLR’s new March 13 audio conference on how to do one. Satisfaction is assured. Click for info
How to Tell if Your Policies and Procedures Are Being Followed
How do you know that your supervisors and managers are following your policies? And for that matter, how do you know that your policies and procedures are in compliance with all the latest changes in the laws?
There’s really only one way to be sure—a self-audit that digs down and checks at each level and in each department. To learn to do this, and do it the right way, our editors recommend a new 90-minute BLR audio conference called HR Self-Audits: How to Discover (and Fix) Your Weak Spots Before a Federal Agency or Disgruntled Employee Does.
Such audits are necessary because many companies fail to keep up with the complex, ever-changing world of employment laws, regulations, and court cases. Even those with a fully staffed HR department often can’t keep up.
Well, here’s the bad news: If you keep putting off a self-audit, you will almost certainly find someone else doing that audit for you. That action will come by way of an investigation or lawsuit—one that quickly takes center stage and that, sadly, could have been avoided or minimized, had you done some basic preventive maintenance.
The date is Thursday, March 13, 2008. The time: 1:30 pm to 3 pm (Eastern Time—adjust for your time zone). As with all BLR audio conferences, one fee trains all the staff you can fit around a conference phone, and you can get your specific phoned-in or emailed questions answered in the extensive Q&A that follows the presentation. What’s more, your satisfaction is assured or you get a full refund.
Can’t attend on that date? Pre-order the conference CD. For more information on the conference and the experts presenting it, or to register or pre-order the CD, click here.