Watch your words

Whether you need to praise or criticize an employee, do it right

By Annie B. Kelleher
Contributing editor to CBIA News

Effective employee communication is a critical part of every well-run business. Yet employers often hesitate to give employees bad news about their job performance. And that’s a real mistake, says Mary Jo Leahy, of Leahy Resources in Tolland. Nipping problems in the bud, she says, is the best way to resolve potential conflicts and avoid unpleasant situations. 

Even good news — praise for a job well done or a simple “thank you” — doesn’t always get expressed because employers sometimes take good behavior for granted. But, says Allen Schiffer, president of The Pathways Group in Hartford, employees need the motivation and validation that positive feedback brings.

Delivering the bad news 

The key issue, according to both Leahy and Schiffer, is to focus on specific behavior, never the person or the personality of the employee. Let’s say, for example, that you think an employee has a “bad attitude” when dealing with customers. Rather than telling the person to be “more friendly” or to “lose the bad attitude,” Leahy says a better approach might be to tell the employee to smile when greeting a customer, and perhaps suggest what you’d like them to say when a customer calls or comes in. This way, both you and the employee will be clear as to what’s expected. 

It’s very important, says Schiffer, to set clear expectations before problems begin. For example, habitual tardiness might not ever become an issue if you make it clear from the beginning that showing up for work on time is important and that lateness can have consequences for everyone involved. Don’t assume employees know exactly what you expect of them. Something that may seem obvious to you — like coming to work on time — may not be quite so clear to your employee. 

Often, says Leahy, employers assume their employees’ work habits are the same as theirs. When it begins to be obvious that they aren’t, the employer may choose to say nothing, hoping the problem will go away. Then, when the issue creates an emergency or causes a major disruption in workflow or production, the employer lashes out. 

It’s much better, she counsels, to get off on the right foot by explicitly stating what the problem behavior is and telling the employee what behavior you’d prefer to see. Don’t just hope the problem will resolve itself. It’s more likely to balloon into a major issue if it’s ignored. 

Schiffer advises employers first of all to identify a specific action that relates directly to some aspect of the employee’s job performance. “Stay away from personal issues. You can get into all kinds of trouble if you don’t keep the conversation strictly around job-related matters. If the employee tells you that personal problems are interfering with his or her performance, refer them to a counselor or other qualified resource. Don’t attempt to deal with such problems yourself.” 

Then, tell the employee clearly what behavior you’d like to see. Make sure the employee understands how this behavior relates to improved performance. Emphasize how you want something done by describing the right way to do it. “Very often,” Leahy notes, “employees say they had no idea that they were either doing something wrong or that something was expected of them.”

Take time to praise

“And don’t forget to praise,” reminds Schiffer. Organizational psychologists have known for a long time that a paycheck isn’t what motivates most people. If you want your employees to be motivated to do the best job for you, make sure you give them positive reinforcement. Again, make it specific and tie it directly to a behavior you’d like to see continue. 

For example, if your receptionist always makes customers feel at home, make sure you tell him or her. Pass along any compliments you receive from outside sources. It may seem like a small thing to you or even something that you, as the employer, have a right to expect from your employees, but a few words of praise can go a long way toward making an employee feel validated and an important part of your company. 

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