WorkLifeBridge

Managers love to review the star employees in their organizations, especially in good times when they can afford to reward them in every way. You call the person into your office, greet them with a broad smile, lavish praise and congratulations on them, and hand them generous raises and bonuses.

The problem is that there are only so many stars in any organizations, and often the rewards you can give even your stars fall far short of what you would like to give them or what you think they deserve.

As a result, many managers delay, postpone, and avoid performance reviews any way they can. According to a recent BusinessWeek survey, more than 70% of managers admit they have a hard time giving reviews to under-performing employees. It’s not unusual for employees to complain that their managers are months and sometimes more behind in performance reviews, and often the employees themselves are too unsure of themselves or worried about their relationship with the boss to bring it up. But don’t kid yourself, they are thinking about it.

In addition, many managers, when faced with under-performing employees, can’t bring themselves to give bad reviews, and as a consequence give bland, watered-down reviews that lead employees into thinking everything is going fine. As a result, employees have no sense of where they need to improve their performance, and often communication starts to deteriorate between the employees and their managers. Ultimately, with nothing negative in the under-performing employee’s file, organizations can find themselves sued for discrimination or wrongful dismissal if they ever need to let these employees go.

Thus, whether you are the bearer of happy tidings or bad news, it is crucial to be as straightforward and accurate in performance reviews as you can be, and to face your employees in a constructive, timely, and matter-of-fact manner. Remember that your goal is both to evaluate and guide them, and in the process to advance the interests of your employees, your team, and your entire organization. Here are a few suggestions to make the process more productive:

1. Hold the performance reviews on time - they are part of your commitment to your employees.
2. Have the employees complete an assessment of their own work ahead of time and start the review process by hearing from them. They might already be aware of their shortcomings, which will make your job easier. If they are not, you will know at the outset what perceptions you are dealing with.
3. Don’t argue with your employees’ perceptions. Listen to them and make sure you’ve understood them and acknowledged them.
4. Present your assessment of their performance in terms of your observations of their work rather than the conclusions you’ve derived from those observations. Describe what you see in simple, straightforward terms, as much on a factual level as you can.
5. Expect an emotional response to your factual statements - after all, your review is likely to touch on sensitive ground regarding how your employees feel about yourself and your work. Be prepared to acknowledge the feelings that your employees express without backing down from your factual assessment.
6. Focus the discussion on their goals and interests as well as the expectations that you have in order to create a constructive conversation that looks forward to their future performance rather than just discusses the past.

This is the time of year when many organizations hold company parties, providing important opportunities for people to network and get to know each other in a more informal setting. People from different departments and management levels get to rub elbows socially, with the goal of breaking down some barriers and building morale. Unfortunately, as the evening wears on and the alcohol flows, people sometimes forget that while the party conveys a different atmosphere than the office, they are still with people from their place of work, and that there are consequences to things they say and do at the party.

Of course, the best way to avoid those consequences is to behave yourself during the party. As an article on the Quintessential Careers web site points out, office parties can both advance and cripple your career. After all, where else but the office party can you find the CEO and the mail room clerk bellied up to the bar together, as a recent Monster.com advice column reminds us. This creates opportunities for friendly conversation but also the danger of unfiltered commentary, since consumption of alcohol is acceptable at roughly 70% of holiday office parties.

Since your behavior at an office party can help or kill your career, you definitely don’t want to be the person who got so drunk at the office party that they groped a co-worker, told off the boss, or passed out under the buffet table, since on Monday morning you still have to try to work with those people. And chances are you want to avoid having to write a letter of apology (or of resignation), the week after, as discussed in this NPR Morning Edition commentary.

But sometimes despite what you know you should be doing and the advice of many sages, you still do things you regret later. You might have said things you shouldn’t have said to the wrong people, you might have acted like a fool, or done something very inappropriate. Now it’s Monday morning, and you have to salvage your career. Damage may already have been done, but it’s your behavior on Monday and beyond that can determine whether the damage is fleeting or will kill your career at the company.

My first advice is to not go it alone: seek advice from people you trust within the company who might be able to paint a more accurate picture for you about what exactly happened and who else was involved. Things might not be as embarrassing as your remember them to be, or they might be worse, and have a couple of other perspectives on the matter can be helpful. Then you need to decide whether the event will blow over on its own or needs to be addressed. In some corporate cultures, it may be better to leave things unsaid, whereas in others you might need to bring the matter up explicitly.

If you do need to bring it up, figure out who you have to talk to and how public or private to make your communication. This will largely depend on the nature of what you have done and the circumstances surrounding it. When you do communicate, first listen to what people are saying so you know what their concerns are and what you need to address. It’s also important to encapsulate the event by framing it as an unusual, one-time occurrence that is less representative of you as a person and more of the particular circumstances of the moment. People may not be quick to forget, but they do recognize your humanity and are likely to forgive your transgressions, so long as you take appropriate responsibility for your actions and carry yourself with respect for yourself and for others going forward.

For additional thoughts on surviving the holiday office party, check out the following articles:

• “How to Survive Your Office Holiday Party” posted at ClubPlanet.com
• “Annual Holiday Party Hangover Checklist” at FYI: Central Ohio Employment Law Update
• Part II - Employer Liability at Office Holiday Parties - Beyond Sexual Harassment via Connecticut Employment Law Blog

In the meantime, happy holidays!

Most of us aren’t trained psychologists. But many of us would welcome the opportunity to learn from the insights psychologists have into human behavior — particularly when it comes to our jobs and the people we work with. Especially if those insights were provided in language that a layperson can understand in a well-organized format that’s easy to use and readily accessible from any computer screen.

The American Psychological Association Online offers visitors to its web site exactly that in a special section on workplace issues. Here you can find a wealth of great articles that include:

• “Telecommuting has mostly positive consequences for employees and employers, say researchers“
• “Tips for women negotiating salaries“
• “What makes a good leadership: the assertiveness quotient“

Click here to explore the APA’s library of articles on workplace topics.

Americans are working harder than ever, according to a recent article posted at the Society for Human Resource Management web site. The article described a phone survey conducted by OfficeTeam, the California-based professional staffing service. This survey revealed that 42 percent of workers will not take any time off between Thanksgiving and New Year’s in 2007 beyond employer-provided time off, and 17 percent will only take one or two days off.

This means that nearly two thirds of employees intend on working without respite at a time of year when stress levels in both their work and home lives are at their peak. According to the survey, among office workers the situation is even more extreme, with only a quarter of employees taking time off, as organizations rush to complete end-of-year tasks.

As the stress level rises and the hours and days get long, tired people naturally get more impatient and testy around each other, and conflicts arise. Individuals experiencing this tension need help recognizing what is happening to and around them as well as support in managing stress and conflict in the workplace. Organizations that fail to address these issues proactively can experience a drop in morale and productivity, and some conflicts might escalate to levels that damage relationships for a long time past the holidays. Here are some steps you can take to prevent and manage work-related stress and conflict around the holidays:

• Give yourself and those around you a break. People in conflict are not at their best, and a little bit of empathy can go a long way.
• Encourage stress-relieving activities, such as exercise, games, walks, yoga, and others. Everyone has different pressure valves.
• Laugh - people lose their sense of humor when stressed.
• Communicate often and freely - stressed people hunker down and people in conflict stop talking altogether. This only makes things worse.
• Connect people with resources, internal and external to the organization, such as EAPs, ombuds, and others, to supplement what they can do on their own if the need arises.

For additional tips on managing stress at work during these times, here are a few articles worth exploring:

“Is your work stressing you? Find out the better way to deal with stress”

“Tips for Managing Stress and Change at Work: Stress Management Tips”

“Tips for Managing Stress: How to Slow Down in a High Speed World”

“Managing Stress“

“Managing Stress: Tips to Chill Out”

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season.

“Why bother?”

I often hear that when I coach employees, managers, and executives in the workplace, many of whom feel as if they are drowning in a sea of ineptitude, with no support lifeline in sight. It usually starts with one bad experience: they ask for something that they need to get their job done and then get rebuffed — or worse — chewed out — in response. The slide to “why bother” begins.

There’s a way to avoid the “why bother” cycle. You can ask for what you need and increase the likelihood that you’ll get it by following these simple guidelines:

1. Know exactly what you need and why. Think it through. If you need to hire another employee, what is the return on investment? Can the need be met in other ways? Be able to justify the expense and think through the possible challenges you might get when you present your request. This goes for the smaller things too. A replacement laptop? What’s wrong with the one you have? You’re not scheduled to get another one yet. Why now? It’s not in the budget. Prepare a list of specific reasons to support your request — and provide evidence that this will support your department’s or organization’s goals. Is there another solution that will work?
2. Get the details. How much is this going to cost? When? What vendor? Who is going to spend the time on this? All of this matters. Have the answers ready and be prepared for pushback.
3. Timing is everything. Asking for something costly immediately after a bleak quarterly report is not the best time to ask. During the budget cycle may be a good time unless everyone has been told that there are significant cutbacks coming. You need to gauge the tenor of the office and the company and decide when it’s best to ask.
4. Ask the right person. You don’t want to go over the heads of your immediate supervisors but you may want to ask them who the right people to talk with are so that you have permission to go above or around them. Find out who makes the decisions and get there without stepping on toes.
5. Be aware of the politics. (See step 4 above.)
6. Ask nicely. Don’t demand. Don’t argue. Remember what your mother always said — “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” Ok, so that’s a stupid saying, but it’s true. People like to do things for nice people. The only reason people do things for nasty people is to get rid of them. And they resent doing it. Find out what you can do for the person in return. If they do something for you, thank them somehow — let them know that you appreciate it will make their day — and be more likely to help you out next time.
7. Listen, listen, listen, and ask questions. When the person you ask has objections, listen to the objections and ask questions about them. What would you need to do to overcome the objections? Under what conditions would you be able to get what you need? And really listen to the answers. Don’t argue! See number 6. Who else needs to be involved in the decision? What other information is needed?
8. Be patient but persistent. Sometimes it takes several tries. You may need to return with more information. Continue to work with the person. They need to know that you’re serious and you need to provide the right information and counter any objections they have.
9. And one final piece of advice – you may not be the best person to be asking. Someone else may have more clout or be able to call in favors. If they do, remember to thank them.

Science Daily reports that while few people are free from prejudice, the good news is that our biases can be overcome through reconditioning.

Interested in testing the extent of your own hidden biases? Visit Project Implicit, a collaborative research project undertaken by researchers at Harvard University, the University of Washington, and the University of Virginia. This research project utilizes online tests to gather information about and gain insights into conscious and unconscious preferences on a wide range of topics, including religion, sexuality, gender, race, and even U.S. presidents.