Tackling Troubling Employee Behavior

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Tackling Troubling Employee Behavior

• Presented by
• Swan Khanna-Salehi, LISW, LICDC, SAP
• Clinical Manager for EASE_at_Work, the Department of
  Human Resources the Office of General Counsel

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EMOTION

• emotion
• A mental state that arises spontaneously rather
  than through conscious effort and is often
  accompanied by physiological changes a feeling
  the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and
  love.

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How might you rate your emotional stability?

• My emotions are stable
• My emotions tend to be stable
• Dont know
• I occasionally feel unstable and have mood swings
• I have frequent and significant emotion/mood
  swings
• Now think about those in your workplace who may
  answer this as a 4 or 5
• http//www.diagnose-me.com/questionnaire/Q2835.ht
  ml

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How does heightened emotion on the job affect the
workplace?

• Damages morale
• Lessens cooperation
• Increases worker conflict
• Increases absenteeism
• Decreases productivity
• Deflects focus from the job
• Increases employee turnover
• Impairs judgment and reaction times, therefore
  raising the risk of errors and accidents

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Emotion Principles

• Our emotional responses are learned, usually
  patterned.
• Involves mental conversations that deal with
  contradictions to our beliefs and expectations.
• Negative emotions, such as anger, are internally
  created and thus can be internally managed.
• Our feelings are most often expressed to those
  that are meaningful to us.

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Plutchiks Wheel of Emotions

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The Emotion Effect

• If left unresolved or unaddressed, a primary
  emotion can lead to a secondary emotion, and
  ultimately to a tertiary emotion.
• Example Anger gt Rage gt Hostility
• Sadness gt Neglect gt Alienation
• Fear gt Horror gt Panic

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Troubled

• troubled
• Disturbed, worried, distressed, agitated.

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Why might your employee betroubled

• Are they displeased with the outcome of a
  situation?
• Were expectations unmet?
• Was there a misunderstanding?
• Do they feel things are out of their control?
• Do they feel mistreated?
• Are they creating their own internal stress?

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• Can they control/stabilize their mood and
  actions?

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From Expectations to Responses

• EMOTION
• Primary Feeling
• Behavioral Response
• Mental Conversion
• Situation
• Expectation

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Warning Signs

• Obsessive involvement or emotional
• attachment to the job
• Prone to making direct or indirect threats
• Aggressive, anti-social behavior
• Overreaction to work policies or
  performance appraisals
• Inconsistent or apathetic work performance
• Stressed relationships with co-workers
• Frequently irritable, moody or sarcastic
  behavior

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Keep in mind

• Persistent or excessively irritable,
• angry behavior may be a symptom of a
• larger psychological problem
• such as
• Addiction
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Depression

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Common causes of supervisor/employee conflict

• Poor communication
• Disrespect/undermining authority
• Betrayal of trust
• Excessive negative feedback from manager
• Unreasonable demands made by managers
• General harassment sexual, bullying
• Failure of a manager to take disciplinary action
  when needed
• Micromanaged environment with little opportunity
  for decision making

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Employees can be expected to be threatened and
use various defenses to protect themselves.
Below we list and describe some of these defenses
and suggested counter moves while offering EAP.
Add to the list  
 
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When is an Employee Considered High Risk?

• It is advisable to seek consultation from
  Employee Relations immediately when you have
  knowledge of employees presenting with the
  following traits or behaviors, especially more
  than one
• Known history of violence
• Preoccupation with violence or weapons (or owns
  weapons)
• Threats with intent to harm self, others, and
  property
• Defiant/ demanding/intimidating behavior
• Frequent disruptive behavior in the workplace
• Mood swings

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How to Counsel Troubled Employee

• Step 1Take note of dramatic changes in the
  employee's performance and on-the-job behavior.
• Adequate documentation will assist you in
  evaluating job performance and confronting an
  employee when necessary.
• Documentation should be
• Specific
• Objective
• Factual
• Thorough
• Timely

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What to look for and document in job performance

• Absenteeism (Most Obvious)
• Frequent unscheduled short-term absences (with or
  without medical explanation)
• Frequent use of unscheduled vacation time.
• On the Job Absenteeism
• At work but productivity and efficiency lacking
• Continued absence from job location more than job
  requires
• Frequent trips to water fountain or restroom
• Long breaks.

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What to look for and document in job performance

• 3. Accidents
• Physical complaints on the job
• Accidents on and off the job
• 4. Observed Changes in Work Pattern
• General absentmindedness, forgetfulness
• Alternative periods of high and low productivity
• Coming to work intoxicated
• Missed deadlines
• Inability to perform tasks they were able to do
  in the past

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What to look for and document in job performance

• 4. Observed Changes in Work Pattern (Cont.)
• Mistakes due to poor judgment
• Outside complaints about the employees work
• Improbable excuses for these poor patterns
• Carelessness
• 5. Employee Relationships on The Job
• Overreaction to real or imagined criticism
• Borrowing money from co-workers
• Repeated and compulsive criticism of Department
  or University

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What to look for and document in job performance

• 6. Employee Relationships on The Job (cont.)
• Unrealistic expectations for promotion
• Abrasiveness with others (managers and
  co-workers)
• 7. Work Relationships in the University Community
• Inappropriate behaviors
• Complaints from other departments or customers

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What to look for and document in job performance

• 8. Changes In Employees Behavior
• Appearance
• Sloppy
• Inappropriate clothing
• Mood
• Withdrawn
• Sad
• Mood swings (high and low)
• Suspiciousness
• Extreme sensitivity
• Frequent irritability

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How to Counsel Troubled Employee Continued

• Step 2Meet with the employee and determine
  whether the problem is personal or job-related.
• Step 3Avoid becoming involved in an employee's
  personal problem. If the employee needs
  professional help (including anger management),
  put him or her in touch with Employee Relations
  or EASE.

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How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued

• Step 4Focus on performance issues if the
  trouble is job-related. In a calm, non-accusatory
  manner, point out the changes in the employee's
  performance.
• Step 5Ask what you can do to help.
• Step 6Work with the employee to develop
  concrete goals and a timeline for resolving the
  performance issues.
• Do establish the levels of work performance you
  expect. Set the limits that you will tolerate.
• Determine what is acceptable and unacceptable to
  you.
• Be consistent. Treat all employees equally.

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How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued

• Step 7
• If the person shows behavior that poses a direct
  threat to themselves or others (including
  physically being unable to perform at work
  safely), call Employee Relations and/or Security
  immediately. A condition of employment or
  mandatory referral can be made that requires the
  person to be evaluated by a mental health
  professional via EASE or outside EASE and
  recommendations made as to whether the individual
  can safely and effectively perform in the job.
  They would be on a suspension during this period
  to give them time to provide documentation from
  their physician. Once we receive documentation,
  they can be placed on a leave.
• Important If you feel threatened, you should
  suspend immediately and deactivate the employees
  accesses.

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How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued

• If you suspect an employee is under the influence
• Step 1
• Take note of dramatic changes in the employee's
  performance and on-the-job behavior.
• Adequate documentation will assist you in
  evaluating job performance and confronting an
  employee when necessary.
• Documentation should be
• Specific
• Objective
• Factual
• Thorough
• Timely

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How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued

• Observations may include
• Odors (smell of alcohol, body odor or urine)
• Movement (unsteady, fidgety, dizzy)
• Eyes (dilated, constricted, watery, involuntary
  eye movements)
• Face (flushed, sweating, confused)
• Speech (slurred, slow, distracted mid-thought)
• Emotions (argumentative, agitated, irritable)
• Change in performance (errors, failure to follow
  through, inability to multi-task)

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How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued

• Step 2
• Contact Employee Relations (ER) immediately for
  advice and guidance.
• In consultation with ER, prepare the Positive
  Corrective Action form placing the employee on an
  investigatory suspension.
• Schedule the suspension meeting with the employee
  and ER representative or another supervisor, if
  an ER representative is not available, as soon as
  possible.
• During meeting, recap previous meetings and refer
  to documentation of observed behaviors or
  performance issues.

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How to Counsel Troubled Employees Continued

• A mandatory management referral will be made to
  the Employee Assistance Program, EASE.
• EASE will determine if a treatment program is
  necessary.
• The employee will be placed on an investigatory
  suspension until documentation from a Health Care
  Provider is submitted. At that time, the
  employee will be on a personal medical leave.

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Summary of Supervisory Guidelines

• Focus on behavior
• Observe
• Document
• Confront and Support the Employee
• Dont diagnose
• Use documentation
• Follow Through
• Monitor and document
• Be consistent

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Employee Assistance Program (EASE)

• Assists troubled employees in handling personal
  and/or health related problems that adversely
  affect job performance and productivity.
• Supervisors are responsible for considering EASE
  as an option for an employee whose work
  performance or behavior/conduct is not meeting
  standards or could warrant corrective action.
• Supervisors must contact Employee Relations or
  Human Resources Administrator before taking
  action when work performance issues occur and/or
  corrective action is warranted.

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Case Studies

• Joe Employee (JE) seemed really angry when he
  came into work he slammed doors and was
  extremely gruff with several co-workers. Although
  what he was saying couldnt be clearly
  understood, JE was observed talking to himself in
  an aggravated manner. What should JEs manager
  do?
• For the past two weeks, Sydney Employee (SE) has
  refrained from joining her teams internal
  meetings as well as her extracurricular work
  softball team games. She avoids conversation and
  has been withdrawn. When approached, she
  doesnt feel like talking. Her work
  assignments have shown lack of effort. What
  should SEs manager do?
• Kathy Employee (KE) has been voicing concerns to
  her manager that she fears shes being followed
  at work and at home and that her phone line is
  tapped. What should KEs manager do?

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The EAP Can Help!

• Anything from anger management to EFT techniques
  to conflict coaching, to management
  skill-buildingthe EAP can improve productivity
  and profits, help build relationships and repair
  them, and enhance employee morale.

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USE YOUR RESOURCES

• You can benefit from the EAPs services
• Consultation
• Assessment and Referral
• Case Monitoring

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QUESTIONS?