Reading: Lesson 4 - Employee Issues and Work Rules

2.4.A - Employee Issues and Work Rules

1. MANAGING PERSONAL ISSUES

1. Employees have full lives with responsibilities beyond work. Young people may be trying to balance work, completing additional education, and starting a family. Families with children may be juggling two careers, school and activity schedules for children, and normal daily activities including meals, errands, and appointments. Some workers are caring for elderly parents or family members with long-term illnesses. Personal interests, hobbies, volunteer activities, and social needs take additional time and compete for the attention of employees and managers alike.
   
2. Personal and family issues are important to employees. These issues cannot be forgotten or ignored when the employee comes to work. While most people are able to balance their work life with their personal life, occasionally personal issues arise that can affect their work. In most cases, the employee is able to resolve the problem and the manager doesn’t need to take any action. At other times, the manager just needs to be understanding and sympathetic. These situations occur infrequently, such as when an employee has an ill child or is late to work because of a transportation problem. Many businesses develop procedures that allow employees to deal with those types of problems.
   
3. Managers are increasingly confronted with some personal problems of employees that are more serious. Problems such as drug or alcohol abuse, conflicts in personal relationships, or serious financial difficulties may result in employees being unable to perform their jobs well. Some of the personal problems have effects beyond the individual employee and begin to affect the performance and morale of coworkers. In those situations, managers must do more than give the employee an opportunity to resolve the personal issues.
   
4. Managers need to be aware of employees who are having difficulty on the job and try to determine the reasons for it. Then they need to work with the employee to get the necessary help to resolve the problem even if it is a personal issue. Most managers are not trained to solve difficult personal problems, and they should not attempt to do so. But they should not ignore the problems either. Many businesses provide employee assistance programs. Employee assistance programs provide confidential individual assistance including counseling and support services for employees experiencing serious personal or family issues. The services range from treatment for substance abuse; professional counseling for family, personal, or financial difficulties; and support through major life events such as the birth of a child, death of a family member, serious illness, or divorce.
   
5. Managers need to make employees aware of those services and the importance of solving personal problems before they affect job performance. Managers should encourage employees to use the services available in the company when the problem first occurs. Then the manager should support the employee’s decision to seek help. That usually means treating the problem confidentially and providing some accommodation for the employee’s schedule while he or she works to solve the problem.
   

2. THE NEED FOR WORK RULES

1. When we play a game, we follow a set of rules. Rules are prescribed guides for actions and conduct. Without rules, each person could decide how he or she wants to play the game. Soon there would be disagreements and arguments. Everyone would soon become dissatisfied with playing the game. In the same way, when people work together in a business, rules are needed to describe expectations and offer guidance for acceptable actions and conduct. The rules of a business are known as work rules. Work rules are regulations created to maintain an effective working environment in a business.
   
2. Employees must meet certain expectations if a business is to operate effectively. Those expectations might deal with hours of work, care of equipment, worker safety, and relationships among employees and between employees and management. Companies develop work rules to identify expected behaviors. There are usually company-wide rules that must be observed by all employees. Then unique sets of rules are developed for workers in different divisions or job categories in the business to meet the specific requirements of those areas. Those specific rules may be needed because of safety issues in operating machinery, unique work responsibilities or schedules, or the needs for confidentiality and security when handling information.
   
3. The employees in some businesses are represented by labor unions. A labor union is an organization of workers formed to represent their common interests in improving wages, benefits, and working conditions. The contract between management and the union identifying rights and responsibilities of the business and its employees is a labor agreement. The labor agreement often specifies important work rules and the procedures to be followed if there are violations of the rules.
   
4. Managers need to make sure each employee is aware of and understands all work rules that apply to the job. In addition to the work rules, each manager needs to clearly communicate to all employees what is expected of them and how the manager will resolve problems if they occur. If managers do not communicate expectations to employees and do not handle problems in a reasonable and equitable way, they soon lose the respect of the employees. Managers who involve employees in developing rules and procedures usually find greater support for those rules and fewer problems when penalties need to be applied for rules violations.
   

   
   

5. In addition to developing work rules, companies must have procedures for responding to violations of those rules. The procedures should be clear and specific, communicated to all employees, and enforced fairly and equitably.
   
6. Procedures sometimes include an oral warning for the first violation, a written warning for the second violation, a short suspension, and finally termination if the problem continues. Penalties are usually more severe for serious violations of work rules. Some rules are so important that any violation results in termination. As a part of the procedures for dealing with rules violations, employees should be provided protections. Those protections might include hearings, appeals of penalties, and labor union representation.
   
7. It is not easy for managers to handle difficult employee situations, especially if they must reprimand or discipline an employee. Managers do not want employees to dislike them or perceive their actions negatively. However, it is important that managers deal with those situations in a direct way rather than postpone or ignore them. The result of not dealing with an obvious rule violation or other employee problem is that employees will not have clear expectations and will not know whether the manager intends to enforce the rules.
   
8. If work rules and procedures for responding to violations are clear, well communicated, and reasonably enforced, employees will understand and respect the process. If employees have been involved in developing the rules and believe their rights are protected from unfair treatment, they will support the use of work rules that contribute to a positive work environment.
   
9. Reacting immediately, objectively, and firmly to rules violations is sometimes referred to as the “hot stove principle.” We may remember as small children that if we touched a hot stove, we got immediate feedback in the form of a burn and probably an immediate reprimand from an adult. Because of that feedback, we learned not to touch the hot stove again. In the same way, if an employee gets an immediate reprimand from a manager for a violation of the rules, the employee will pay more careful attention to the rules in the future.
   
10. l pay more careful attention to the rules in the future. Effective leaders handle many types of work-related problems confidently. Successful leaders understand human behavior and apply good management and human relations principles in working with people. They also continue to study and learn to improve their management skills. When conflicts and problems occur, leaders work to solve them before they create larger problems. They understand that they must help employees satisfy their own needs while also accomplishing the goals of the business.