You're Fired
The drain on morale created by an employee who performs poorly is a problem managers all too often accept because they're afraid to confront the guilty party. In a recent article in Government Executive, Brian Friel (not the playwright) recounts an example of senior managers who took straightforward disciplinary action that, far from plunging them into a bureaucratic battle, actually succeeded in correcting unacceptable behavior.The problem in question was an employee who started bullying — staring menacingly at — two co-workers he was angry with because they had complained about him. His boss's bosses told the man that he was going to be fired. His reaction was an abject plea to be kept on, with a promise to cut out his abusive behavior. In light of his assurance that he would reform, the managers agreed to give him another chance (but did move him to a different office).
Friel extracts this example from Managing Government Employees: How to Motivate Your People,Deal with Difficult Issues and Achieve Tangible Results, by Stewart Liff. Based on over 30 years of experience in the federal government, Liff argues that managers in the bureaucracy should not succumb to the view that trying to actively control their work units is an exercise in futility.
Instead of being afraid to act, Liff argues that a government manager should adopt a clear philosophy concerning how the work unit is to function, and then apply that philosophy in his/her day-to-day decisions and guidance of employees' work.
Labels: Management practices
posted by Karen Nelson @ 11:23 PM
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