7 Things to Remember Before Approaching Your Manager with a Problem, Solution

Have you ever had a thought that popped into your mind about a good or poor manager or a workplace issue, but you didn't feel confident sharing it?  Did you run it by your spouse, a friend or even a coworker, but still didn't feel at ease about talking about it?  Those thoughts are usually the ones that need to be dealt with whether we like to verbalize them or not.  Sometimes it may be one issue/idea or a multitude of them, but whatever the case, it is best to sit down with self and think what is the most important.  Which workplace thought or idea might be of benefit to all and not just myself?  What time am I willing to put in to make some things happen? 

1)  Think before you speak.

How often have we been told this in our lifetime, "Think before you speak"?  The rushed response or the thought that comes out of nowhere did get us in trouble with some people (like parents) in the past, so we are careful, maybe too careful about what we say.  However, that is a good thing.  Sit down with yourself and really think the thought through then sleep on it.  Yes, sleeping will provide your mind with the rest that it needs before you say or do some thing that might promote or demote you.  In faith circles it is advised, "Pray on it."

2)  Is it really that serious or can the situation be managed without others' input?

The kind of employer related thoughts and actions that hurt others, deceive, lie, steal, or cheat, do need attention and may need counsel from others.  Maybe you don't trust your manager with the knowledge, then speak with a professional that doesn't know you or your company.  Your state's department of labor may be a good resource.  If it's personal, don't share with anyone you work with, seek a life coach, spiritual counselor, psychologist, or therapist.  No matter how personable a manager or coworker might be, he or she is not a friend.  Too much information both on and offline can be detrimental to your career.  Situations that you really don't need others to help you solve are those things that you know you are responsible for, paid to perform, or are in control of.  

You seek workplace resources or a trustworthy human resource that helps you manage those situations such as: a fellow coworker, register for a class about the topic that is giving you trouble, watch an instructional video, read a nonfiction book, or watch a documentary about it.  Too much asking questions about the obvious, the tasks that you claim you already know, does make you look like you don't know what you are doing and will make the manager second-guess his or her decision hiring you in the first place.    

3)  Will the thought, solution, concern, or idea help or hurt your reputation?

We like to make coworkers feel good by saying, "There are no dumb questions." Maybe not, depending on who you ask, but some statements will hurt a worker's reputation such as: personal comments, stories or phrases where there is no filter.  Unkind words, generalizations, false assumptions, bias words, etc. that insult, demean, or appear like you think you know more will upset listeners and cause them to tune you off. 

4)  Do you know for certain that others will support you on what you are thinking or planning to do?

Most job related bright ideas and criticisms require assistants.  If you aren't willing to put the work in, keep your mouth closed.  The workers who are often recognized for their accomplishments, are those who are not only willing to talk about it, but be about it.  Negative Nancy sitting in the corner with a mountain of issues concerning a company usually doesn't want to do anything more than what she is paid to do and upon closer inspection, she probably isn't even doing that much.  So if you are the one who is blessed with a gift, skill, talent, etc., you should be the one to not only open up your mouth about it, but have the plans to show for it.  Think about who wouldn't mind joining forces with you.  

5) How might your actions or lack thereof impact others?

So let's say that you have done your due diligence concerning your thought or concern about work.  Weigh in on whether it will bring about the peace of mind you seek while helping others.  If you find that you or the company doesn't have the time, money, energy, connections, etc. to make some changes, then reserve that thought for a future employer that might be willing to back you on it.  Companies that have a long history of shutting employees down when it comes to their suggestions usually lose good workers and you might be one of those that will have to walk one day.  If an idea is a burden, you will know, simply test it if you are able to and if it causes you a headache, you know what it will do for others.

6) Can your manager be trusted?

Notice what traits are important to your manager.  If for instance, if a manager says, "I appreciate honesty."  Really?  Watch how he or she reacts to someone who gives his or her honest opinion.  If he or she is defensive about it, chances are he or she may not be honest at times and has his or her issues with self-esteem.  Listen to how the manager responds or worse ignores others who share their problem-solving opinions.  If he or she doesn't take workers seriously and doesn't enjoy implementing new concepts, tasks, structure and other company related duties, it is safe to say not only is he or she not a good manager, but probably goes around complaining to others about what is being communicated at meetings.  Find someone else to talk to, better yet, you might want to plan to be a manager yourself one day.

7)  What might be your next move if the manager chooses not to listen to your advice/concern/thought?

The sky is the limit.  Research the competition, find out how other companies handle what you have suggested, spend your off time developing your idea and make plans to reach the ears of those who can do something about what you have suggested if you believe that the idea is definitely going to do one of the following or all: save the company time, make the company money, save the company money, help the team, create new business, stand out from the competition, build the company's reputation, etc.

No matter what the issues might be floating inside that wonderful mind of yours, know this, that all concerns are there to be processed.  Some are just fleeting harmless thoughts put on the back-burner for future employment, others are there to be dealt with sooner rather than later, and then there are those that are just what they are simple ideas for our enjoyment or life lessons to learn from.

Nicholl McGuire is the owner and contributor to this blog.  Feel free to reach out to Nicholl McGuire Media for business inquiries.

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7 Signs a Manager Cannot Handle Conflict, Workplace Challenges

Workplace challenges can be very difficult to manage.  Headaches, stomach upset, and more can result, but these are no excuses to avoid workplace conflict altogether.  Eventually issues will need to be dealt with before there are staff walking out the door, profit losses, and other issues that might put a manager’s head on the chopping block.

Upper management is sometimes not aware or doesn’t care when middle managers are often delegating responsibilities to staff that they should be handling.  When this occurs, a team can start to feel like fearful and/or lazy managers are getting away with something.  Why should they have to do the managers’ job?  Not every employee is looking to take on a leadership role and they shouldn’t be expected to, the manager is getting paid to lead not hide!

1.  Makes excuses to get out of work.  The fearful or often worried manager will make up excuses as to why he or she can’t be in the office during a challenging time.  “I have to take care of my relative…I can’t be there because something has come up…I really wish I could help but I have to leave early.”  How true are these statements during a time when the manager’s presence is very much needed?
2. Fakes busyness. The leader may not come up with an excuse to leave the office, but he or she will lie about being “busy” while conflicts are ongoing.  The instructions are given to team members “not to disturb…or interrupt” when the office doors are closed.  However, the conflict that is ongoing out on the floor ought to be addressed by the manager and not a staff member.  Issues are priority not making busy work for one’s self to avoid handling problems.
3. Takes days off. The manager conveniently takes personal or vacation days to do things like:  avoid critical meetings, train new staff, reorganize the office, assist out-of-state visitors, etc.  When a date is pre-planned or fast approaching, managers who don’t want to get involved, make certain they will be unavailable on those days.  Upper management, who isn’t carefully watching the timing or looking for any patterns when days are being taken off, will inadvertently approve time that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place making it quite inconvenient for the rest of the team.
4. Talks negatively about having to work.  There is a tendency to frequently complain about workplace conflicts or challenges, but management doesn’t do anything about them.  Instead, the manager hopes the problems will work themselves out.  When they don’t and they grab the attention of upper management, now he or she wants to write people up or terminate them.  Unfortunately, the manager should have been proactive from the start.
5. Ignores responsibilities.  An important thing to remember is that not every manager who is hired by a company is there for the right reasons.  The position could simply be a temporary gig until a better position comes around.  With that said, the nonchalant manager, who isn’t fearful or worried about the office conflicts or challenges, simply doesn’t address them because his or her mind is somewhere else.  This manager expects the office to be run on autopilot whether or not he or she is present.
6. Delegates tasks to people who are ill-equipped to handle them.  Whether pre-planned or requested at the last minute, work is given to those who really have no clue what they are doing.  Very little training or none at all occurs and when things are done incorrectly, the irresponsible manager blames those who he or she assigned to complete the tasks rather than hold his or herself accountable.
7. Calls off due to a myriad of genuine or conceived health issues.  Real or imagined health problems, managers, who slack on their duties, will share either in advance or at the last minute with select team members. They will do this when they don’t want to or can’t handle tasks by deadline.  Sometimes health woes really do show up because the manager is sincerely stressed out because he or she is doing poorly at his or her job.

Employees who notice leadership is not working up to par need not suffer through the excuse-making and ploys to get out of work, notify Human Resources or upper management about your concerns.  State what you are noticing and how the manager’s lack of enthusiasm, poor work ethic, and nonchalant attitude is causing the team to miss important deadlines and other relevant information. Managers, who behave in this way, bring employee morale down and ultimately cost companies more to keep them around while losing revenue.

Nicholl McGuire is the owner and contributor to this blog.

The Workers Who Don't Want to Go Back [employees, employers]

12 Bad Habits Complacent Employees Do at Work

They are complacent employees, they have reached a time in their careers where they believe they are untouchable.  They still perform well at their jobs (when they feel like it) and they still believe that one day they will be promoted despite all the things that they do below.  During times like these with many business owners looking to recoup profit losses, this is not the time to be the complacent, nonchalant and self-entitled employee no matter how much tenure you have with a company!  

These "mistakes" or "I forgot" or "I wasn't aware..." excuses have been the culprits in getting some employees prematurely laid off (with the hopes to one day get rid of them altogether), suspended from their jobs, demoted, or worse terminated.

1)  A pattern of showing up late to work and leaving early.  After all these years of getting away with this behavior with old managers, new management decides to carefully watch the time-honored employee who is guilty, and so the write-ups start building up.

2) Missing important deadlines whether a pattern or not.  Whatever the excuse for missing a deadline, the point is the so-called established employee is cherry picking when he or she feels the need to work or not "I didn't think I had to do that...I didn't think it needed to be done so soon."  Evidently this employee doesn't want to be promoted.

3) Missing meetings.  Once again, the time-honored employee who believes that he or she can never be replaced and doesn't think that certain things are important, also doesn't think that having to attend every meeting is necessary.  Why wonder why employees like this, regardless of tenure, are passed over?

4) Refusal to take company classes.  They are boring and a waste of time to the long-standing employee, but necessary.  Chances are there is something new being discussed and that employee who thinks he or she knows it all will be bothering his or her coworkers for answers.  Why get angry when they don't want to help?

5) Workplace harassment (sexual and bullying).  After all the media hype about harassment, yet an employee still thinks it is okay to flirt with a coworker while bullying another with insulting remarks.  Can someone please call human resources?

6)  Discriminating behaviors.  The deep-rooted leader sitting cushy in the corner office, huh?  What's with the eye rolls and deep sighs when "those people" come around?  Why does an employee consistently hire people who don't look anything like he or she while there are plenty of resumes that aren't even viewed because "I think that name is black...that name is definitely middle eastern...I know how those people are...U.S. and China aren't getting along so let's just pass on this one."  Again, can someone please make some phone calls, we have racist on site?

7)  Lying.  The complacent workers recruit new employees to lie.  "I just say this...Don't tell the manager that...If she asks about...tell her this..."  Long-standing employees sure know how to lie and when caught they are "never aware, don't recall, can't ever remember saying that."  Enough already! Let's just start building that case to get rid of them!  There are plenty of other companies that welcome liars.

8) Stealing or so-called "borrowing."  Interesting how things go missing and then are suddenly returned when questioned, then go missing again and are never returned.  The seemingly stable employee still has something at home from like five years ago and another long-standing employee knows all about it (chances are he or she used it to) and never says one word.  Write them both up or better yet can we just call this company theft and start the process of getting them out!

9) Bring family and/or pets to work.  What's with this?  The workplace isn't a family reunion and there sure isn't any babysitters at work.  Stop with the "emotional support" case.  Funny, how all this happens when now it is inconvenient for everyone to stay home.  Start looking for a new job, because coworkers are only going to deal with so much concerning an employees' crying child and barking dog--either they get to work from home or not!  How long they have been with the company is not an excuse to keep allowing children and pets to come to work adding to an already stressed atmosphere.

10)  Staying on personal phone calls for long periods of time.  Established employees feel quite comfortable doing this because they have gotten away with it for so long.  Meanwhile, coworkers are answering phones, running around offices, helping visitors at the door, and doing other things while the veteran employee continues to talk and talk and talk.  Then after the phone call, this employee wants to share.  Well this kind of sharing is not caring to most employees, stop accepting these unimportant phone calls during business hours!  Is anyone noticing that the employee is stealing company time to do his or her nonemergency personal business?  Hmm.  I smell a write-up.

11)  Using company equipment to visit websites for personal pleasure.  The use of this equipment was never meant for employees to have fun doing what they want when they want and how they want it, but veteran employees feel like they are entitled because "well I use my personal phone to take photos for the company and I receive texts from management on my phone...so I can use their computer, copier...whatever to do what I want.  No one cares."  Are you sure about that?  Someone is keeping track of how much shopping for company supplies is happening each month.  Looks like it's time to check company credit cards, phone bills, office supplies and the like.  There's a veteran employee guilty as charged.

12)  Favoring employees who one has a friendship with while criticizing others. This behavior is key in creating division between workers.  It is obvious that the personal friendships that the complacent employees have with their favorites is getting in the way of making important business decisions.  Those that aren't favorited are reprimanded formally, but friends are rarely talked to.  Can we find another department for this employee or an exit out the door?  If there is racial, gender, or sexual discrimination involved well there is another case to build against the complacent employee.

So if you aren't one who is guilty of the above, no worries.  However, if you are, it is never too late to change.  Do it before all this catches up to you sooner rather than later.

Nicholl McGuire is the blog owner and author of many nonfiction books.

Disorganization in a Workplace Gives a Bad Impression

Every new workplace I entered I noticed an all-too common pattern of disorganization from the start, which from the look of things, there was a lazy worker or manager somewhere lurking!  I got that sinking feeling within the first hour and the voice within would say, "You won't be here for long.  You know that you don't do well in cluttered office areas. There's a lazy and/or ineffective manager somewhere."  My suspicions proved correct.  Time and time again these were leaders who either burned out with trying to maintain everything (not just employees) or they simply stopped caring and was on to bigger or better things in their minds.

1)  Cluttered Counter-tops

No one bothers to put anything back especially in the lunchroom?  Things are left out, tables and counters are left dirty.  No designated place for them when they are put away.  So time is wasted looking for items.  Management didn't enforce any rules on maintaining a clean, clutter-free work area.

2)  Smelly Odors

I guess there wasn't enough money in the budget to keep the workspace area deodorized which caused people to bring things from home that were either too strong or not strong enough.  In some areas, there was a multitude of nauseating scents.

3)  Outdated Office Desks and Chairs

Looking around, I felt that in some of these work environments I was either in the 80s, 90s, or early 2000s.  I really didn't like the retro look, I felt like we were stuck in someone's favorite time period who refused to move forward or make a difference in the present:(

4)  Wrong Employees

Yes, there were plenty.  You can tell the way they acted in the office and even the way they dressed, they didn't fit.  Why were they still working in these places when they really didn't want to be there?  I would send telepathic messages, "Find another job, find another job!"  I think it worked.

5) Never-ending or delayed construction projects

There wasn't any start and finish time in place, there couldn't have been!  I saw more contractors stop and start projects for long periods of time or maybe these companies were financially challenged, hmm, that's it.  Can we say, "We need payment..."

6)  Disorganized drawers and shelves

Now what exactly is going on in these spaces?  Nothing.  20 plus years of paper work piles  Pens that don't work.  Dried up highlighters.  Dated freebies with company names that no longer are in business.  Files that were rarely opened or updated.  Out-dated office equipment that had long broke.  No one bothers to get rid of anything to make room for anything new (sigh).

7)  Unclaimed shoes, coats and more.

The lost and found is just that!  No one bothered to claim anything and no one is planning to do anything with the goods for fear that they will be labeled a "thief."  It is okay to make announcement that within 30 days of the item being picked up, one is welcome to either rummage through those items or donate.

8)  Dirty furniture

I never understood how anyone could continue to sit on something that no one knows where that stained came from or touch a chair that is obviously dirty while proceeding to shake someone's hand.  Fabric furniture and carpeting are nothing more than dirt collectors.  Companies should invest in furniture that can be easily wiped off with a soft cloth and flooring that all you need is a broom and a mop.

9)  No cleaning supplies

I get it, many of these leaders don't want to get their hands dirty so they make sure that all cleaning supplies and trash bags are brought by the housekeeper.  However, when things get dirty and trash needs to be emptied and there is no housekeeper for a time on the budget, wouldn't it make sense to step-it-up by a mop, a vacuum, trash-bags, and cleaning supplies and keep the office area clean?  Oh, that's right leadership is too good for that, hmm.

10)  Disorganized computer desktop and related files

What on earth is this?  Way too many files saved on the desktop.  One can't find a requested file, instructions, template, graphic design, nothing!  No wonder the computer applications run slow!  Is that an old 90s software program on here?  I would love to clean this up, but do I want to touch the keyboard and mouse?

These were my first impressions of so many work areas.  Let's clean house before we post ads on job boards.  If you want the best to stick around, make that work environment look the best!

Nicholl McGuire maintains this blog and others such as an Organizer Blog and Bored? Looking for Things to Do?  
 

Workplace Training Mistakes, How You Deal with Them Will Make or Break the Training Process

Managers, have you ever cautioned, warned, scolded, or had to re-train a new employee for the umpteenth time who developed a pattern of making workplace mistakes? 

Impatience, annoyance, frustration, regret, or anger may have been emotions that some of you in leadership roles may have felt.  However, if the employee finally caught on to the process, then you were most likely relieved, ecstatic, satisfied, or grateful especially if they positively impacted your job.  How did you deal with the employee making the mistakes from the start and did what you do or not have a lot to do with why they are a success now?  Most likely yes!

Every company has a routine or process that must be followed to get results.  When new employees are not trained effectively or are left to manage process on their own, they are set up to fail.  It isn't any wonder why some new hires will quit as soon as they start when they see there is no one or nothing that helps them perform their jobs successfully.  In addition, they may not have felt welcomed from day one and unfortunately discovered that there were no tools prepared to help them do their jobs.

Some poor managers have dealt with workplace mistakes by doing the following: being overly critical, ignoring them because they plan on leaving their jobs, respectfully addressing them, or posting mistakes up in view as a way of shaming an employee into performing better.  Depending on the personality of some workers, they will simply not catch on no matter what they are told or done to them. 

Managers who were simply too impatient, too quick with explanations, short-tempered, or over-the-top during the training process, most likely were unable to keep anyone around long term whether the new worker was quick to learn or not.  If you are looking to keep someone, you have got to be understanding about unintentional errors and willing to shell out some praise and appreciation when a new employee finally does things right.

People, who are already negative about their workplaces, should never be put in positions to train others, no matter how good they might be at their jobs.  When a leader makes the mistake of doing that, he or she will suffer the consequences left behind by the old employee/trainer.  The relationship with the new employee starts off being challenged, because he or she has been told much unflattering things about the leadership and coworkers.  The new employee may not trust the manager, supervisor or coworkers who were not liked by the old employee.  Sometimes if you want good training, you are going to have to do it yourself whether you would like to or not if there just so happens to be bad blood between you and others.

When it comes to a new employee making mistakes, a manager will need to remember the following:

1.  Be patient.  Remember someone had to be patient with you and fix your errors, so why not do the same?

2.  Avoid talking unnecessarily to fellow coworkers about the new employees' errors.  You may be creating division between workers from the start without even knowing it.

3.  Demonstrate self-control regarding the joking and name-calling concerning a new employees' errors.  You will come across as looking like a workplace bully even if you claim you meant nothing by your statements.  A complaint made to the human resources team will be dealt with and will most likely mean something.

4.  Never assume that a new employee knows everything about the job, the computer applications and more just because he or she has worked elsewhere using similar tools.  Oftentimes, companies will customize certain applications to fit their specific environment; therefore, one may not be able to jump in right away and start working.

5.  Make time to answer questions and avoid blowing an employee off during their time of need.  No matter how you might feel about the questions and interruptions, keep in mind you want this employee to do a good job.  Their work is not just a reflection of his or herself, but you as well as the team.

6.  Don't rage in view while a new employee is still learning.  You look mentally unstable and he or she will consider to leaving the job sooner rather than later.  Who wants to work with a ticking time bomb, someone who you have to walk around on eggshells for fear they might freak out?

7.  Keep personal conversation such as marriage, interests and hobbies to a minimum.  With new employees, a first impression is a lasting one and if you get too personal, he or she may form a judgment about you that will be hard to dispel later on.

If you noticed from the information provided in this article, that much of what makes or breaks the training process is not with the new employee, but with the trainer who trains the new employee.

When we think about those who were good trainers, who might come to mind?  What did they do that was quite helpful when they trained you?  You might want to utilize some of those tactics.  Training employees doesn't have to be a challenge, but it becomes one because some trainers simply don't want to follow wise counsel.  Trainers' mistakes are what ultimately costs the company much money every time a new employee quits or is fired and has to onboard yet a new employee.

Nicholl McGuire is the author of What Else Can I Do on the Internet? and other books 

The Hostile Work Environment

What Your Black Coworkers, Employees Wish You Knew

Before I decided to take a moment to update my blog today, I saw the following: 4 things your black employees and coworkers wish you knew —and how you should offer allyship and support  So I decided to not write something that pretty much says the same thing I want to say.  I agree with the article.  I simply can't bring you peace of mind on how you feel and what you should have, could have done to right wrongs from your past.  Let your personal faith and your therapist help with that.  Enjoy the article.


Nicholl McGuire

COWORKERS ARE NOT YOUR FRIENDS

Emotional Leadership