Dealing Effectively With Unacceptable Employee Behavior

This course is also available as a virtual seminar.

https://www.trainup.com/TrainingDetails/310520/Managing-Unacceptable-Worker-Behavior

You'll learn:

• How to recognize the 15 warning signs that a problem is brewing
• How to act-not react-in a negative situation
• How to offer constructive feedback
• How to set measurable performance standards and communicate them to your employees
• And much more

Get expert advice on the sticky issue of disciplining workers whose performance just doesn't measure up. Learn how to handle each step of the process-from recognizing the problem and assessing its severity ... to intervention strategies ... to termination procedures.

Program hours: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Identifying the root causes of performance problems

• Why bosses sometimes fail to recognize-or worse, fail to address-performance problems
• The good news: When a "problem" employee really isn't a problem
• The major reasons employees don't perform up to standards
• 15 warning signs that a performance problem is brewing
• How to gauge whether a worker has a true performance problem or a personality clash with you or other co-workers
• Recognizing the most common types of difficult workers
• Identifying and getting help for employees whose performance problems are rooted in substance abuse, emotional or mental problems or pressing personal concerns
• Understanding how you, as a manager or supervisor, may inadvertently contribute to or create performance problems

Tips for maintaining an open communication channel with a problem worker

• What to say-and what not to say-when you ask an employee to meet with you about a performance issue
• The 10 characteristics of constructive criticism-and how to use it effectively to convey the perceived problem to the employee and promote productivity
• How to avoid the communication breakdowns that can escalate a problem situation
• How to avoid making emotionally charged statements that trigger a negative response-and lay the foundation for a lawsuit
• Don't soft-pedal the issue: The importance of using specific, clear and direct language when communicating with employees about performance problems

Positive intervention techniques for turning performance problems around

• The importance of taking corrective rather than punitive action
• The critical differences among coaching, criticizing and disciplining-and how to decide which approach a particular situation calls for
• When verbal reprimands are effective-and what you can do to prepare for and manage workers' reactions
• Avoiding several common-but ineffective-managerial tendencies for dealing with problem employees
• 6 ways to provide employees with additional training-even if you're on a limited budget
• Guidelines for establishing measurable performance standards and communicating them clearly to a problem employee
• One vital step you must take to gain employee acceptance for the solution to a performance problem
• The major elements every successful performance improvement plan must include
• How to avoid the common mistakes managers and supervisors make when preparing for counseling sessions or performance reviews
• A step-by-step checklist for conducting effective intervention meetings
• Avoiding one of the most common reasons employee improvement plans fail to work

When the problem persists: How to conduct a formal discipline conference

• How a discipline conference differs from a counseling meeting and other intervention strategies
• A step-by-step checklist for conducting an effective-and legally sound-discipline session
• Crying, anger, hostility and a variety of other employee reactions you may encounter during a disciplinary or termination meeting-and specific strategies for handling each
• Innovative techniques that often work when traditional approaches to discipline don't get results

When to terminate

• Employee actions and behavior that affect performance-and when they warrant termination
• Examples of gross misconduct that are grounds for immediate dismissal-and how to keep control of the situation
• A 6-point checklist for determining when termination is the best course of action
• The 3 actions you must take before firing
• How to build your case with solid documentation
• Step-by-step guidelines for conducting a termination meeting
• What to do after a termination to minimize negative repercussions among remaining workers

Protecting you and your organization from grievances and legal problems

• How to develop a progressive discipline policy that gets results and minimizes the legal liabilities of your organization
• 5 potentially explosive scenarios to avoid at all costs
• 6 actions you can take during disciplinary interviews to reduce the risk of lawsuits
• Understanding the double-edged nature of your organization's employee handbook-how it can be a valuable tool or a legal liability, depending on the circumstances