EMPLOYEES BEHAVING BADLY? WHEN SHOULD EMPLOYERS STEP IN?

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We offer some tips and encouragement on Employee Issues. They never seem to go away and it’s good to read an occasional reminder that some issues require management involvement.

These tips are excerpted from a longer article published by Human Resources Director, HRD.

Employees are the greatest and most valuable asset an organization has. However, employees displaying inappropriate behavior can affect the workplace negatively. If employers fail to address and correct bad workplace behavior, negative consequences such as poor morale, employee stress, damage to reputation, and employee turnover might occur.

How do you address inappropriate work behavior?
Employers should strive to provide an atmosphere wherein all employees can perform without threats of any kinds. Consider taking the following steps to minimize inappropriate behavior and diminish potential liabilities.
Identify the inappropriate behavior.
Inappropriate behavior should not be subjective or questionable. Identify any behaviors that you feel are inappropriate for your workplace and give clear guidelines in your employee handbook on consequences for the behavior, up to and including termination.
POOR WORKPLACE BEHAVIOR CAN TAKE SEVERAL FORMS, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
1. Workplace aggression, including a mix of humiliation, intimidation, and sabotage of performance.
2. Disruptive work behavior, including yelling, tantrums, bullying and disregard of duty or insubordination.
3. Being unproductive; uncommunicative employees as well as those who regularly miss deadlines, or fail to complete assigned work will, over time, hurt the company with their inattention and laziness.
4. Gossiping: sharing negative, often untrue or incomplete, information about colleagues or company management can create tension and distrust in the workplace.
5. Oversharing: many people feel uncomfortable when a coworker overshares details of their personal or professional lives. Issues such as sexual behavior, indulgence in alcohol or drugs, or conflicts with management are best addressed with one’s family, friends or a therapist.
6. Inappropriate dress: It includes anything outside of the company dress code. Employers should be very specific when discussing expectations, including skirt lengths and types of clothes and shoes allowed or prohibited on “casual dress” days.
STEPS MANAGEMENT SHOULD TAKE:
1. Educate employees; this is usually best achieved by publishing and periodically updating an Employee Handbook.
2. Set an example. Executives and management should set the tone for acceptable behavior in the workplace.
3. Enforce policies consistently. Inconsistent discipline can lead to discrimination claims.
4. Seek help: if behavior issues become severe within your organization, seek external help from a management consultant or an attorney who specializes in employment law.
We hope that you found these HR tips to be a helpful reminder of our HR challenges and responsibilities.

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