Here Is Where Mistakes Happen

A dedicated employee who has been with a company for over a decade walks in to their manager’s office and gives a two week notice.  Although it comes to a surprise to the manager, others on the outside looking in knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. The manager could not understand why the employee would leave.  She had always thought of the employee as a knowledgeable asset to the company, and believed the employee would stay forever. 

During their meeting, the employee presented the manager with a list of the jobs and responsibilities which had been assigned during her time at the company. The manager was in shock; had she really loaded so much work on one individual.  Faced with the daunting task of replacing this irreplaceable employee, the manager suddenly realized that no one else knew how to do this employee’s job. 

So what were this manager’s mistake?

Work Overload: Too much work can spell an employee burnout.  Generally, when companies lose employees, they split those duties among the remaining employees until a replacement comes.  Often times, the replacement is never hired and the work is just absorbed by the other employees who are now over worked. Although this may seem like a great temporary solution, it can wreak havoc on an employee’s productivity as they try to cover normal duties as well as added duties.

HR Solution: Partner with local staffing agencies to hire a temporary employee during this transition. This alleviates the added pressure on your current workforce and there may be a possibility you have just found the replacement you needed. Most staffing agencies allow employers to hire on a temporary or a temp-to hire basis.  

Recognition: Although some may never take the time to do it, this is one of the most important things that a manager can do to ensure that their employee is happy.  Recognizing a job well done goes a long way.  This does not just mean telling the employee that they are doing a good job, but also telling others how good the employee is and giving credit to the employee for achievements and improvements they have implemented. 

HR Solution: I once worked with a manager who would say thank you for the work you put in regardless of how big or small it was.  He would not only send reassuring emails, but would also stop by occasionally just to say how great a job I was doing.  In contrast, I worked with a manager who would never say thank you and would rarely if ever, acknowledge to others how good a job I was doing.  Either way I would do my job, however when needed, I would never mind putting in extra time and would go out of my way for the first manager. A gesture of appreciation can go a long way.  Sometimes recognition of a good job can’t be monetary because of the financial limitations but saying, "Thank you," costs nothing.  Show an attitude of gratitude.

Promotion:  This goes hand in hand with mistake number 1. The employee had been with the company for an extended period of time but never received any promotions.  During their tenure with the company, the employee had three managers and two directors that had been promoted over them.  During that time, responsibilities increased however title and pay didn’t. This leaves the employee with the impression that they are not needed or valued. Being overlooked is never a good feeling.

HR Solution: Promoting the employee may not always be an option due to several factors including budgetary constraints or the employee lacking the skills that the employer deems necessary.

The employer should have a conversation with the employee to address the Why? How? When?   

The why: Let the employee know that at the current time they lack the skills to be promoted to a new position.  

The how:  Talk to the employee about how to fix the problem. Work with them to create a personal development plan that will help them gain the necessary skills to become successful.  

The when: Set a time frame to allow the employee to gain additional skills needed

Micromanagement: Let’s face it, most people don’t like to be told how to complete their jobs, especially if the instructions are a step by step. Yet, some managers do it all day and this one was no exception. Not only would she dictate how the email should read, but she would also require it to be proofread, with several rounds of changes. In all instances, if the manager didn’t trust her as employee to do the best possible job, why would she give her the task instead of doing it herself.

HR Solution: Build a team that you can trust. When life situations happen, you need to feel confident that if you had to be out of the office for an extended period of time that your department will not collapse. Add to your team, employees that have different strengths.  Adding a team of employees with all the same strengths will not work in today’s changing world.  Seek diversity in your team.

Empowerment: Despite the fact that the employee had worked in the field for nearly 20 years, the manager would never allow them the opportunity to make decisions on their own.  Instead, the employee and other co-workers would be required to get final approval from the manager.  Not only did this cause a work slowdown or stoppage when the manager was on vacation, but it also undermined the employee’s knowledge.  If an employee decided to go the employee for a solution and the decision wasn’t favorable, they then would go to the employee’s manager for a favorable decision.  

HR Solution: Provide employees autonomy in the workplace. Allowing employees to make decisions in critical situations may not be an option in your workplace but giving employees’ freedom to make some decision concerning their jobs may be an option.  Allow employees the opportunity to handle a project from start to finish and provide a nurturing environment where empowerment thrives.  You may not feel comfortable jumping in with both feet first, but there are opportunities to allow employees small victories. Support your employee by addressing any issues that occur and being open minded about their ideas. 

Understanding her role:  Everyone understands that you go to work to get a job done, however a manager has an additional role.  Not only are they responsible for getting their jobs done, but they are also responsible for ensuring that their team functions as a cohesive unit.  The manager should know how each employee fits into their operation, and understand if there is a gap in a part of the operation, how it will affect the whole operation. Will everything stop if this one employee is out?  Will nothing else get done because this employee owns the entire piece of the process?

HR Solution: Know your employees’ jobs. Invest time to become familiar with each employees’ job.  A manager that is able to step in at a moment’s notice is a jewel in the workplace.  A manager that doesn’t mind rolling up their sleeves and getting the job done is what makes operations successful.  No one likes being told, come back tomorrow because I don’t how to do what my employee does. Another solution is provide other employees the opportunity to cross train in other areas of the department.

Copyright 2019 yomobri & Tracey Bridges