Hi everybody, I would like to get some advice.
I am managing a team of 24/7 shift workers. I have a group of team leaders, and then a larger group of skips. We are a it service desk. Out of the whole team, I am the only one who works 8-5 m-f.
One of my skips is exhibiting a series of behaviours that are generally unacceptable.
- refusing to talk to me at work
- consistently being ill on any day shift
- consistently being ill on any shift where I have arranged to have a meeting with him
- always forwards/cc's any email communication to all of the team. This includes any private discussions or responses to questions.
- refuses to talk with another team member at all. Even about work
(almost behaviours/gut feels from me)
- seems to consider any corrective action as a personal attack
- seems to consider all emails querying anything as a personal attack
Now, up until recently this behaviour has been mitigated by his direct supervisors being able to manage him directly, however he has now begun to do the same behaviours to his direct supervisors.
His direct supervisor does conduct regular one-on-ones (and is a very competent manager). We are aware that the staff member has personal issues that are impacting his life. He has recently requested via another team member the contact details for an internal counseller
I have been looking into getting some mediation (by professional mediators) but due to some other issues they are not currently available.
Any advice would be appreciated.
HR?
The good news is he has requested information about a counsellor (assuming you mean a Employee Assistance Programme type of counsellor).
Most organizations have HR policies that employees must sign with respect to work performance. Is that the case here? Are there performance metrics this individual is not meeting, and therefore this is more of an HR issue? If you have an HR department, it might be best to, in conjunction with his direct supervisor, discuss the issues and determine an appropriate approach - especially since he has taken steps to obtain counselling. It sounds like you have done what you can from a Manager perspective and it seems to require escalation. It might be time this individual find a new home either inside or outside the organization.
Be considerate and demanding
HR is not the solution here.
I can't be sure that you know about feedback, but if you don't, please listen to all of our casts on the subject.
And, have some compassion for what appears to be a challenging problem elsewhere in his life.
And... it's possible to combine both. I know hundreds of situations where someone was struggling at home, and the rigor they were expected to bring to work made things at home more tolerable.
You don't need mediation to talk to him about his work performance. Every single bullet above is about work performance (lack thereof) and is best met by talking to him directly, briefly, and politely about it.
Refusing to talk to you? This is a serious breach of a fundamental principle of work. Frankly, this is worthy of you sitting him down and politely telling him that continued behavior in this vein will result in termination. Communication with others is a core responsibility of everyone in any work environment.
So: encourage and ASSIST HIM in talking to other professionals about his personal issues. [That said, can't believe his boss is THAT good if he is doing regular one on ones and doesn't know what this person is going through.]
And, start talking to him (through feedback) about his poor work performance behaviors.
These two topics are UNRELATED even if he says home is causing the work issues. You CAN hold him accountable AND be respectful of his challenges.
Mark