Supervisor’s Bottom Line: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

The old maxim “No good deed goes unpunished” is rarely as applicable as when untrained supervisors and managers try to be good bosses.

If you have 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 think so,” says the employee, under her breath, “but since you ‘regard me as disabled’ my ADA lawsuit will probably succeed.”

“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 during our busy season!” 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.

Need help with engagement and retention? Join us June 19 2014 with a free interactive webcast Grateful Leadership: Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results. Learn More

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.

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.”

Engagement is key to productivity, but how do you create it? Join us June 19 for a free interactive webcast Grateful Leadership: Using the Power of Acknowledgment to Engage All Your People and Achieve Superior Results . Earn 1 hour in HRCI Recertification Credit. Register Now

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 supervisors and managers will be more able to deal competently with the routine aspects of all their HR-related responsibilities.

In tomorrow’s Advisor, five basic rules for new supervisors and managers, plus we announce a free webcast on using Grateful Leadership to boost engagement and retention.