There are times when we will feel disrespected by our staff. The rotten odor quickly rises to your nostrils and the stench of disrespectful behavior cannot be tolerated any longer. It’s a bit surprising when it happens because they are supposedly our “team.” We have hand-picked these employees to work with and mentor. That’s why we are shocked to realize that one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch. What do you do? There are few ways to chop this tree. Before you begin chopping, ask yourself if you have caused this by your own actions.
If you answer yes to one or all of these questions, you are not alone, but just know things will have to change. Many employees can handle interactions with their supervisor. However, some will not be able to handle these reinforcements. They will be the employees craving the most attention from you. The minute you try and keep it professional, they begin to get needy and upset because they feel that the relationship adds to their work environment. Despite the tension that will arise, it has to be done.
After they have said all that they feel needs to be said, go over their concerns, but reiterate your expectations so that the employee leaves the meeting understanding your concerns. Next, you will experience growing pains. The employee is not going to like the new you. Though, they talked about how casual you are with them and how you were not a “real supervisor,” they actually prefer the old you. It gave them something to gripe about. Now that you have taken away those issues that clouded the supervisor-employee line of demarcation, they have to make a decision to whether or not they will adjust, or leave. Sometimes a resignation is a necessary tool. If they stay, encourage the positive changes they are making. This won’t happen all at once, so be patient. Last is consistency. Stay committed to your new found professional posture with your staff. There are times you are going to want to go in and talk way too much about a lot of things, but refrain. Maintain the standard, and the standard will soon become the norm. Realize, you are the boss and you have a responsibility to yourself and your organization to develop and manage the talent assigned to you.
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