By Stephen D. Bruce, PHR
Editor, HR Daily Advisor
It’s important to seek an employee’s explanation for a policy violation before you discipline, says attorney Allison West, as this story true story illustrates.
Sometimes You May Be Surprised
West, who is principal of Employment Practices Specialists in Pacifica, California, says that you always want to ask the employee for his or her explanation.
Circumstances may be out of the employee’s control. Maybe he or she runs out of parts at the end of the month. Maybe it’s one of those “You can’t make this stuff up” situations. Or maybe it’s this:
Manager William Walters: I have to fire Jenny Stark, that employee that you just transferred into my department.
HR Director Jesse Rumson: Really? What’s going on?
Walters: I told her on the very first day that I was very particular and very fanatic about people being on time. She’s been late three times in the last 2 weeks. That’s unacceptable. She’s mocking me.
Rumson: Did you ask her why she’s late?
Walters: Nope, and I don’t care why. She’s either on time or she’s not.
Rumson: Please ask her.
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A Few Days Later
Walters: I’m really glad you made me ask Jenny about her lateness. It turns out that in order for her to transfer to me, her old boss made her agree to train a replacement in the other building. She was coming in early to do that and then rushing over here.
Rumson: So are you going to fire her?
Walters: Are you kidding? Someone with that drive and initiative?
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By the way, says West, she could have been going for chemo. So always ask.
How about you, readers? Any time there was a surprising explanation (or a funny one), that made you glad that you asked? Use the Share Your Comments button below or write me at sbruce@blr.com.
Jenny is probably due overtime for her extra duties.
I was surprised that you would portray a manager/supervisor describing himself as ” I was very particular and very fanatic about people being on time.” and include the comment from him “She’s mocking me.”
Those comments from the manager/supervisor, as said to an employee, can portray that supervisor/manager as somewhat unstable and as a taskmaster…using words like “fanatic” which is actually improperly used in the statement. Fanatic is a noun…fanatical would be the proper term, but should never have been used to describe himself. It would imply he is “overbearing” or “unrealistic”
See below:
fa·nat·ic/fəˈnatik/
Noun: A person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, esp. for an extreme religious or political cause.
fa·nat·i·cal/fəˈnatikəl/Adjective
1. Filled with excessive and single-minded zeal.
2. Obsessively concerned with something.
I think the whole scenario as portrayed rather poorly done, however, asking questions to get the full picture is always the course to follow.
Have your people proofread a little better. Thanks for your time.
I think Joyce@lawbros.com is a “fanatic”. This was a comment section not a grammar lesson. Can you say “overbearing” ? Fogot what the topic was about.
Asking is valuable, definately. Up front communication could have avoided the entire situation.
However, employees also have a responsibility to inform their supervisors if/when they are late. When this employee transfered and the new boss explained his reasonable expectation that employees come to work on time, this was the perfect opening for the employee to explain her agreement to train her replacement and that it would result in her tardiness for a short period of time. In this example, since it’s all in the same company, the company itself had responsiblity to inform the new supervisor of this larger company need that impacted two departments.
If the employee is having chemo, under the American’s with Disabilities Act, employees have an obligation to disclose debilitating medical conditions that might negatively impact performance and that may require a reasonable accomodation. Employers are invading privacy to ask about health matters. Employers are under no obligation to offer accmodations without information from health care providers regarding the impact of medical conditions on the specific job and a request for accomodation. Accomodating without this in place can lead to an expectation of endless accomodation and no clear boundaries on what is a reasonable accomodation.
Let’s treat employees like adults. Let’s start our relationships by explaining the need for open communication regarding matters that impact work to avoid any misunderstandings. Then, let’s follow through with communication. An attendance policy should be clear about notifying a supervisor about tardiness.
Will Joyce@lawbros.com tell us where the HR office is at?
(The rest of the joke:
She lectures us about correct use of propositions. Then we say, “OK. Where is the HR office at, a$$h__e?”