Getting a work colleague to STFU
Discussion
k that up. Sir Lord Poopie said:
Bit OTT a cleaner having a line manager.
You've never dealt with Local Government then I take it.
Everyone has/is a manager. In fact, the cleaner will probably be the "Yellow Duster Officer" or something like that and be required to attend a annual residential training course on the correct way of how to spray Mr Pledge - they will have a certificate and a badge though so you can sleep at night knowing that the desks in your local council offices are sparkly.
You have to deal with this head on for the sanity of all other staff. Failure to do so could lead to you being perceived as a weak manager.
Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
warp9 said:
You have to deal with this head on for the sanity of all other staff. Failure to do so could lead to you being perceived as a weak manager.
Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
No. This amounts to personality assassination. Categorical. Surgical. Uncalled-for.Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
Be nice. Be gentle. Act like a human, please.
castex said:
warp9 said:
You have to deal with this head on for the sanity of all other staff. Failure to do so could lead to you being perceived as a weak manager.
Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
No. This amounts to personality assassination. Categorical. Surgical. Uncalled-for.Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
Be nice. Be gentle. Act like a human, please.
warp9 said:
castex said:
warp9 said:
You have to deal with this head on for the sanity of all other staff. Failure to do so could lead to you being perceived as a weak manager.
Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
No. This amounts to personality assassination. Categorical. Surgical. Uncalled-for.Always deal in facts. Keep a note of 3 or 4 occasions when you have observed her chatting for extended periods to colleagues. Arrange a meeting with her to discuss these instances and the impact they have had on the individual/department. Ask open questions:
'What do you think the impact is?'
'How long do you think you are talking for?'
'Why do you talk for so long?'
'Do you feel you are getting your work done to an adequate standard?'
etc etc
Make it clear what you expect the correct behaviour and conduct is. Put it in writing and get her to sign and agree it. Make it very clear that if this continues you could be looking to reduce her hours or pursue further disciplinary action which you must follow up on if it does not improve. Put everything in writing, keep a diary of her behaviour and consult with HR at every step.
Be nice. Be gentle. Act like a human, please.
I take your point about having a framework, that sounds altogether sensible. However, I do think that a quiet word in the lady's ear would be the right first step.
You're the line manager right? So, take the opportunity to have 1:1 with with her and maybe some others as well so she doesn't feel singled out. Then, do the classic technique of "compliment sandwich" to facilitate constructive criticism without making her feel overly criticised which can make things defensive/awkward. Something along the lines of....
"Janice, (I'll assume she is a Janice, she sounds like one), we really value how you do ____, it is very helpful and makes a great contribution to the team.
One area where we might want to be a bit mindful to help support overall team success is where and when we have personal chats. I will be speaking to everyone about trying to keep talk about family, pets, etc... to lunch room or before/after work. We have to remember that colleagues may be interested, some coworkers can find office chatter distracting and make it hard for them to focus. And, no one wants to be rude by telling people to be quiet so it can make people feel uncomfortable if they are the type of person who is easily distracted. Even a stop/chat in hallway can distract people from work-thought and I want to be sure the environment is setting up everyone for success.
No one has said anything about any person specifically but I do know that more generally some folks have mentioned having a hard time keeping focused and I think if we, as a team, try to keep the shared workspaces as quiet as possible that will be a big help.
Iam sure you will be a big help in driving forward this new quiet work-environment ethos because you have always been such a big help with _."
Then, if there are incidents moving forward you give a smile and a whisper "remember that thing we talked about in 1:1"....and the next time a clearing of the throat and pointed look but with a smile after should do it. Make her feel like she is in on it with you and a big important part of securing a quiet shared workspace.
And, if she isn't getting it, bring it up in next quarterly 1:1 a bit more firmly as a "I thought this was something we are going to work on but we are not quite there yet so lets target this as an area for improvement"
"Janice, (I'll assume she is a Janice, she sounds like one), we really value how you do ____, it is very helpful and makes a great contribution to the team.
One area where we might want to be a bit mindful to help support overall team success is where and when we have personal chats. I will be speaking to everyone about trying to keep talk about family, pets, etc... to lunch room or before/after work. We have to remember that colleagues may be interested, some coworkers can find office chatter distracting and make it hard for them to focus. And, no one wants to be rude by telling people to be quiet so it can make people feel uncomfortable if they are the type of person who is easily distracted. Even a stop/chat in hallway can distract people from work-thought and I want to be sure the environment is setting up everyone for success.
No one has said anything about any person specifically but I do know that more generally some folks have mentioned having a hard time keeping focused and I think if we, as a team, try to keep the shared workspaces as quiet as possible that will be a big help.
Iam sure you will be a big help in driving forward this new quiet work-environment ethos because you have always been such a big help with _."
Then, if there are incidents moving forward you give a smile and a whisper "remember that thing we talked about in 1:1"....and the next time a clearing of the throat and pointed look but with a smile after should do it. Make her feel like she is in on it with you and a big important part of securing a quiet shared workspace.
And, if she isn't getting it, bring it up in next quarterly 1:1 a bit more firmly as a "I thought this was something we are going to work on but we are not quite there yet so lets target this as an area for improvement"
Edited by anomie on Tuesday 17th January 14:35
As my Dad used to say to my mate and I "talk and work lads - we need to get this done".
As a cleaner she probably has little interest in her job and prefers chatting instead, which is totally understandable. Explain to her that the work needs doing to stop your boss giving you a hard time and that she can chat whilst she works/at the end once she's finished.
As a cleaner she probably has little interest in her job and prefers chatting instead, which is totally understandable. Explain to her that the work needs doing to stop your boss giving you a hard time and that she can chat whilst she works/at the end once she's finished.
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