Criticism & Discipline Skills for Managers and Supervisors

Seminar: ID# 1281959

Agenda

Understanding Difficult Employees

• What a difficult employee "looks" like: nine symptoms to watch for
• Emotional and psychological roots of poor performance
• Should you wait until there is a clear pattern of problem behavior? Surprisingly, no, and you'll learn why
• A checklist to help you determine if you're unconsciously triggering the poor performance
• Communication breakdowns that lead to performance problems
• How to pinpoint the problems of difficult employees

Taking Positive Action

• Six factors to consider when choosing corrective measures
• Seven signs that your difficult employee needs more training
• Ways to prepare yourself to confront a difficult employee
• How to explain the problem to your employee without placing blame or causing defensiveness
• Techniques for setting realistic, clear performance standards (so you reward the behaviors you want and discourage those you don't)
• Progressive discipline: what to do when initial corrective actions don't work
• How to develop a performance improvement plan

Preparing For Dismissals

• Guidelines for documenting the disciplinary process:
  • When to start
  • What to include
  • How to be consistent with company policy and employee agreements
  • When and how to use a witness
  • The right questions to ask
• When all else fails: how to talk with employees who are not improving and help them feel better about moving on
• How to avoid grievances, and the best ways to handle them if they do arise