Excuses Excuses Excuses

Throughout the course of your career as a manager or supervisor, you’ll likely hear a number of excuses for why an employee was not able to complete an assignment, be on time or otherwise do what they were supposed to do.  Below are some of the more common excuses and ways to address them:

·  “It’s not my job.”  This is a common excuse used by employees to get out of doing work.  If the assigned task is related to their essential job functions, it is likely to fall under “other duties as assigned” in their job description.

·   “Everyone else comes in late.”  This excuse falls under the “if everyone jumps off a bridge, does that mean you should too?” explanation.”  The focus at this point should be addressing this particular employee’s attendance while letting the employee know that everyone is subject to the same attendance requirements.

·   “I didn’t know.  I’m new.”  This excuse only lasts so long before the newness of it wears off.  If you explained the process, policy or procedure during orientation or during the employee’s initial training, then being new to the organization is not an excuse.  Additionally, being new should not prevent the employee from asking questions and seeking assistance from others.

·   “I have too much work to do.”  When confronted with this excuse, ask the employee to provide you with a detailed outline of what tasks he/she is working on and the percentage of time he/she is working on each task.  It may be that the employee needs to better manage their time or focus their priorities on value-added tasks.  Also, if the employee is exempt from overtime, take note of when the employee arrives and leaves the office and how long he/she is taking for lunch.  You should make sure the employee is working the required number of hours per day or week and not taking extended lunches or breaks or coming in late or leaving early.

While some of these excuses may be legitimate, it’s important for a manager and supervisor to hold employees accountable when it comes to performing the essential functions of their job at a meets expectation level.

This article should not be construed as legal advice.

Be Social... But Be Cautious

Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are great ways for employees to socialize and even for employers to promote their business.  While many employers monitor communications and employee behavior on these technologies, policies should be very clear.  More importantly, management should understand how to properly implement these policies.

You should have a policy that is specific and comprehensive is scope.  All policies should be clearly communicated to employees and make sure to train management on the importance of following company policies.  FYI, current privacy laws allow businesses to monitor electronic communication but it is important to stay abreast of changes in such laws and relevant court decisions.

Make sure you are protecting your company's reputation.  Social media can be a great way to promote a business, but don't forget about those negative ninnies out there.  Social media certainly provides  an easy forum for employees or dissatisfied customers to vent their opinions or frustrations.  Still, companies may also impose sanctions on employees for criticizing or disparaging the employer outside of work, including on social media websites. (http://www.infolawgroup.com/2011/01/articles/enforcement/employee-privacy-gains-in-the-united-states/)

There is also the issue of harassment versus free speech.  It is interesting to note that issues of harassment are not protected by free speech.  Harassment is defined as unwelcome verbal or physical conduct based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability (mental or physical), sexual orientation, or retaliation.  Whether harassment occurs in person or via any technology, such behavior is not protected by law.

Make sure you have a clearly defined policy that is understood by all and lead by a well trained management team.  Employees should be made aware of their responsibility to follow this, as well as all workplace policies.  Leaders must manage all policies consistently and fairly throughout their workforce. 

This article should not be construed as legal advice.