Motivating Employees To Change Bad Habits Carol A. Hacker Human Resource Consultant Speaker•Trainer•Author Copyright ©2016

Seminar Agenda 1. Personal business on company time 2. Manipulation 3. Arrogance 4. Passing the buck 5. Impatience 6. Whining 7. Disruptive behavior 8. Taking credit they don’t deserve 9. Gossip 10. Constant excuses 11. Disorganized 12. Hot temper 13. Poor hygiene

Personal Business On Company Time Observe the employee Bad Habit #1 Observe the employee Never base your actions on gossip Make sure you’re not part... Plan the timing Act quickly

Personal Business On Company Time What you permit... Actively listen Bad Habit #1 What you permit... Actively listen Find out the cause Get the employee to “own” it

Manipulation Manipulation is about control Be aware of... Bad Habit #2 Manipulation is about control Be aware of... Make sure they see that the result of what they are trying to get... Try a little humor

Manipulation Verify Get workplace policies in place Bad Habit #2 Verify Get workplace policies in place Abide by the policies How much leeway will you give? Stand your ground

Arrogance Avoid hiring them Support good performance Bad Habit #3 Avoid hiring them Support good performance At the same time, you need to rein-in that hurtful behavior Don’t lose your patience

Arrogance Determine their motivation Bad Habit #3 Determine their motivation Understand that they believe that there are exceptions Define the changes Hold them accountable

Passing The Buck When a problem occurs.... Be aware of the problem Bad Habit #4 When a problem occurs.... Be aware of the problem Work to develop an action plan Don’t take the problem and single- handedly develop a solution

Impatience Be quick to praise Look for opportunities to... Bad Habit #5 Be quick to praise Look for opportunities to... Help them understand... Share the organization’s goals They respond favorably to...

Whining You can’t cure them, but… Whiners want to commiserate Bad Habit #6 You can’t cure them, but… Whiners want to commiserate Reward them Don’t make an explosive situation worse Don’t fuel the fire by...

Disruptive Behavior Move them to a less public area Speak slowly Bad Habit #7 Move them to a less public area Speak slowly Encourage the employee to talk Listen closely Help them breakup big problems

Taking Undeserved Credit Bad Habit #8 Personally investigate Take action Help the employee recognize the problem Don’t put them on the defensive

Gossip If your organization is filled with gossip... Bad Habit #9 If your organization is filled with gossip... Help the offending employees develop their own solutions Could this be “behavior blindness”? Gossip is driven by a NEED to gossip

Gossip Stop gossip in your presence Bad Habit #9 Stop gossip in your presence Remind them that gossip ruins credibility Challenge employees to focus on solutions

Constant Excuses Bad Habit #10 Talk to the employee to determine whether there’s an issue this employee cannot over-come Find a way to work with them Institute a flex-time policy Re-define expectations

Constant Excuses Are your expectations reasonable? Follow up Bad Habit #10 Are your expectations reasonable? Follow up Don’t carry someone who is holding back the department.

Disorganized Eliminate distractions Invest in organizing gadgets Bad Habit #11 Eliminate distractions Invest in organizing gadgets Set definite time parameters Help them when they appear to get stuck Break projects up into specific tasks

Hot Temper Give them time to vent Don’t laugh Bad Habit #12 Give them time to vent Don’t laugh Resist the urge to lose your temper Confront Never take it personally

Poor Hygiene Don’t beat around the bush Bad Habit #13 Don’t beat around the bush Get agreement that a problem exists Expect shock Don’t put a bar of soap or tube of toothpaste on the employee’s desk Don’t discuss hygiene with all employees

Poor Hygiene Could it be a health-related problem? Bad Habit #13 Could it be a health-related problem? Decide on an action plan Verify understanding Follow up Don’t let this lead to a harassment charge

Carol A. Hacker 770-410-0517 www. carolahacker. com carol@carolahacker Carol A. Hacker 770-410-0517 www.carolahacker.com carol@carolahacker.com