This month’s dilemma

The Frustrating Culture of HR

Readers Respond

Here are readers’ ideas for coping with this month’s Manager’s Choice dilemma. To post your own ideas, see the instructions at the bottom of this page.

COOL YOUR JETS

OK, Bob. You might have a great solution, but it would take forever to get to the root cause of this issue. The apparent lack of internal customer service is a big deal here, and deserves some attention. But a long, roundabout way to get HR to change might not be the first thing the manager should set out to accomplish.

A couple other options might be worthwhile — and be more direct.

The West Dakota co-workers have complained about Casey Hughes’ bad attitude and sloppy work so much that the manager changed the primary duties of Casey’s job? First mistake. When a manager alters the job or expectations for that job because the incumbent is incompetent, they have lowered the bar and in essence made it harder in the long run to do much about the main problem. Mr. Hughes needs to be held to his original job requirements. Peer pressure from his co-workers is a good thing, not something to be avoided.

Before the manager does anything, though, he needs to stop and cool his jets. You say he is “damn hot” about this situation. His boss told him to “cool it.”

Tell him to take a clue from the clue bag and calm down. Addressing any employee performance problem while the manager is steamed will usually result in poor decision making, and a real adversarial approach.

Here’s my advice for the manager:

Think your documentation and supervision strategy through again. You say Hughes’ work behavior is terrible and he deserves to be dismissed, but you only can catch him “violating” the rules every few months or so. Maybe what you need is some more supervisory training. Intense coaching to help Mr. Hughes get his work behavior back in line may either help him and the whole team produce better, or drive Mr. Hughes crazy, and he’ll look for a transfer as soon as possible. At least, documentation of his alleged horrid behavior could be more frequent.

And what is up with your request to HR for professional counseling? Who would that be for? Anyone ask for counseling? Avoid viewing performance problems as issues requiring therapy.

Yes, you do have a problem. Several, as I see it. As Bob paints your scenario, you have a culture of adversarial relationships. You think HR is your biggest problem. Randi doesn’t even feel Public Works goals are her concern. Your efforts to “work” with HR have gotten you in trouble. Your boss doesn’t even want to hear “your side of the story.” Your culture is whacked.

If your goal is to be a great leader, start with yourself. Address problems with consideration for others, and have the courage to deal with them when they happen. Sounds like you were the one who allowed Mr. Hughes to settle into his slacker comfort zone. Take some accountability, and start modeling win-win. Like Gandhi taught us, “You must be the change you seek in the world.” Sure, you can go with the internal customer service survey, but until there is more mutual respect in your workplace, stock up on the aspirin. Cool your head, and warm your heart. I don’t think your biggest problem is HR or Randi Bragen or even Casey Hughes, it’s the relationships you have and how adversarial they are portrayed. After you develop a new reputation as a manager who sees all departments as a team, demonstrates respect and verbalizes win-win thinking, then go down the internal customer survey road. Right now, try to work on you.

Ann Heilman
Administrator
Idaho Division of Human Resources
Boise

MANAGE THE SITUATION FIRST

Key to this case is performance management. It is simple to say to HR, “This is your problem,” instead of trying to manage the situation first. Too frequently, managers forget that a labor contract works both ways. Explore the contract for solid grounds that can help to address Hughes’ behavior. However, be very careful, because if you enforce the contract for dealing with Hughes, you must enforce the contract for dealing with everyone, no exceptions.

The no-exceptions criterion is crucial to the success of changing behaviors. For example, sometimes your good employees will get caught in the enforcement net and get very upset. If this occurs, point out to them that, as a manager, you can not treat people differently and that it is necessary to be vigilant about enforcement because of the performance problems of one individual are impacting the entire department. If handled right, the peer pressure at this time begins to increase to a point that Hughes will trip himself up enough to trigger the progressive discipline process that is usually in the labor contract, change his behavior, transfer out at the first opportunity, attempt to go out on long-term disability of some sort, or leave of his own accord.

Treating people the same without exception also provides a solid base for a legal defense should Hughes try to claim any type of unfair labor practice.

Read the contract, know the contract, and use it to management’s advantage.

Dr. Marie Tiemann
Assistant Dean, Business Administrative Services for HR
Cumberland County College
Vineland, New Jersey

PUNCH A PILLOW

Tell the manager he can come work for us. In my organization, we in HR go crazy when we discover a problem employee’s duties and responsibilities have been changed simply because the incumbent cannot do the job. (It has happend here once or twice, although budget reductions over the years have made that much harder to do.)

We spend the majority of our time (myself and my staff of two comprise the Labor Relations Division of HR) coaching and advising department managers and supervisors — both in terms of complying with one of our five union contracts and in addressing employee performance and conduct problems. We see departments as our customers, are willing to do what we have to in order to successfully get rid of problem employees, and have negotiated rules with the unions which aid in this process. In other words, the entire culture supports the proposition that the public sector is not the employer of last resort. That is fairness: accountability and responsibility to the taxpayer.

If the culture of Zenith City is such that an employee’s discipline for a rule violation can no longer be considered in its progressive discipline system after nine months and the behavior and “decisions” of the HR person in the Department are acceptable to the HR Department, then the manager can forget any revolution. Unless he wants to run for mayor, he does not have a prayer of making his situation tenable or of effectively dealing with the problem employee. He might as well go punch a big feather pillow for all the effect he will have. This appears to be a case of “know when to hold ’em; know when to fold ’em”!

Julie L. Upman
Labor Relations Manager
City of St. Petersburg, Florida

Agree or disagree? If you think you have a better way to deal with this month's Manager's Choice dilemma or would like to expand on the approaches presented here, share your thoughts with other readers. Send your solution to mailbox@governing.com. Please include your name, location, government or business title or job description, and a daytime phone number (for verification purposes).

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