You’ve done it!  Through a careful screening and selection process, you’ve found the perfect candidate for your job opening, and she’s agreed to join the team.  She’s bright, cheerful, hardworking, and eager to make her mark in the company.  Her attitude and job performance garner nothing but positive feedback . . . until five years later.  Suddenly this model employee’s reviews plummet.  Word is, she’s slacking off on her work performance, increasing her absences, and sulking around the office with a poisonous attitude.  Is it possible the shining star you hired was a well-disguised dud from the start?Probably not.  Unless your employee has a history of crash-and-burn behavior (and you’d know that from checking her employment references, right?), something else is going on.  As an HR professional, the first place you’ll want to look is at her management team.  Did her management staff change recently or has it stayed the same?  Poor management skills, whether they cause a slow build or a sudden influx of negativity, can fast-track an eager new hire into a disgruntled grouch.

Be aware of these ways managers can turn good employees bad:

●       Micromanaging. Nobody likes a hovering micromanager.  These would-be helicopter pilots come in all shapes:  the one who asks ten times a day if that project is done yet; the one who demands to see every envelope to make sure it’s properly addressed; and perhaps the worst offender, the one who takes over a capable subordinate’s job duties, either directly or by telling that employee what, when, and how to do the job.

●       Not setting performance standards. How else can employees know what they’re doing well and what they could improve?  Performance standards guide desired work results.  Like a child with no rules, lack of performance standards can create an “anything goes” attitude.  After all, with no written standard, who are you to argue that they’re doing a bad job?

●       Placing blame instead of seeking solutions. Mistakes happen, especially when an employee is learning the job and the company.  What’s critical is how management handles these mistakes.  A poor manager will blame and ridicule or discipline the employee.  This response humiliates the employee, creates fear of admitting future mistakes, and does nothing to educate the employee or to work toward a solution.

●       Clinging to the status quo. Employees’ unique ideas, especially ideas from a new employee’s fresh perspective, can help a business grow and change.  Employees feel more productive and valued when their ideas are heard.  Ignoring their ideas and forcing them to fit the mold stifles their individuality and creativity, and will soon have them functioning like emotionless robots.

Managers who practice these negative behaviors create a recipe for employee unhappiness and turnover, which can frustrate HR staff and hurt the business’ bottom line.  They may not even realize what they’re doing!

If poor management skills have your good employees going bad, YES! Your Human Resources Solution can help.  Our experienced HR consultants will guide your existing HR team to resolve employee issues and foster employee-friendly management skills.  Our team will educate management through in-person and web-based training programs, including teambuilding, active listening, and HR for supervisors.  We will also work with staff to create and implement effective and interactive performance management systems.  As Orange County’s premier HR consulting firm, YES! is the only solution you need to build knowledgeable managers and satisfied employees.  Ready to see what the power of saying “YES!” can do for your business?  Visit our website or contact us today for a free consultation.  And be sure to stay with us next week, as we share tips to turn around a negative employee.