“Am I allowed to do that?” – Supervisors Have to Deal with Workplace Issues

At the conclusion of a recent coaching session, I got the sense that the guy I was coaching was somewhat reluctant to take on a homework assignment that I had given him. When I told him that I sensed he wasn’t sure that he had the authority to take on the issue and the person we had been discussing, he readily agreed.

The issue we had spent time creating a solution for, was an employee who did a good job, but who was always challenging, defensive, dismissive, etc.  No matter what was said to him about how he did his job, he bristled and pushed back.  Many people had experienced this person’s style and universally it had negative impact on everyone he interacted with.

So I told the supervisor that yes, he had to take this on because the attitude was affecting the work environment: people didn’t want to work with him, supervisors avoided him and he was being passed over for promotion, despite his considerable expertise and experience. 

Anything that affects the workplace needs to be dealt with by a supervisor.  That isn’t to say that every behaviour should be viewed as something to be dealt with – somethings that people say or do are none of your concern.  But where they create a negative atmosphere at work, you must act.

What to do?

1. Provide feedback.  “When you pushed back and refused to accept my feedback about the problems that a client had with your behaviour, it made me feel that you were not taking responsibility for your actions.  In future, I want you to listen to what I have to say and reflect on what you could do differently.”

2. LIsten to his side of the story.  You may not know all that is going on in his life that might create such an attitude, and in truth, there isn’t a compelling reason for someone to be continually difficult to interact with … its a choice people make.  But it doesn’t hurt to listen, just in case there is something you missed.  Maybe he hates his job, maybe he doesn’t know how to express himself.  Try and find out so you have more options for solutions.

3. Keep in mind that it isn’t your responsibility to ‘fix him’.  But it is your responbility to ensure that no person or persons behaves in a way that gets in the way of the organizaiton achieving its objectives.  It may be enough to just get people to keep their negative thoughts to themselves while they were at work.

The entire discussion with the supervisor made me think of a situation a few years ago in which a manager, who had been listening to an employee  complain about everything in the work place, finally snapped.  She stood up and said to the employee …

“It isn’t my job to make you happy.”   

And that is what all managers and supervisors need to keep firmly in mind as they manage their direct reports.