Transcript Slide 1

John J. Sarno
Employers Association of New Jersey
What is the New Normal?
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Employers and their employees
are recession-weary
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The New Normal
(at least for now)
Costume Specialists, a costume manufacturer, cut 20% of
its workforce in 2008. Business has since picked up, but
there is no new hiring.
“The jobs aren’t going to come back just because business
is better… We just cut all the fat.”
-Wendy Goldstein Owner
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Unemployment is expected to
remain high-above 9 percent.
 “More with less” has become a permanent feature
for many firms
 Half of all companies surveyed say that employee
morale is low
Source: Braun Research, Princeton, NJ (2010)
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Value and Values
Value – what gets created when people invest in
organizations and the people within the organization
do their jobs well.
Values – guide how people work and how they relate
to others.
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What are your “values” ?
What motivates you to do your
best?
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What values are important
for supervisors to have?
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A recent survey of employees cited 28 attributes they felt
were important for their supervisor to have. The top five
characteristics were
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Honesty
Integrity/Morals/Ethics
Caring/Compassion
Fairness
Good relationships with employees, including
approachability and listening skills
In other words, supervisors are expected to be valuesbased.
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“Employee” means any employee, but not an
individual employed as a supervisor.
“Supervisor” means any individual having authority,
in the interest of the employer, to hire, transfer,
suspend, layoff, recall, promote, discharge, assign,
reward, or discipline other employees, or to
responsibly direct them, or to adjust their
grievances, or effectively to recommend such action,
if the exercise of such authority is not a merely
routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of
independent judgment.
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Supervisors are “agents” but…
Supervisors are not owners.
They have no property interest in the
company.
But they do have an interest in a paycheck.
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 U.S. firms are the best managed and most
productive in the world
Study conducted by
Stanford University
London School of Economics
McKinsey & Co.
(2008)
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
“U.S. firms scored highest on
‘managing people’. This reflects the
relative ease with which workers can be
hired and fired in the U.S., compared with
countries such as France and Italy.”
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The Reality of At Will
Employment
“Employee can be fired at any time, for any reason,
with or without cause.”
“the relative ease with which workers can be
hired or fired.”
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The Reality of Unemployment
For every job vacancy, five unemployed people are
applying.
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Workforce Education Level
52% of U.S. population ages 16 – 65 cannot
pass the GED test
ETS Report (2003)
Functional Illiteracy:
•
•
•
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12% White
25% Asian
33% African-Americans
49% Hispanic
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Simple Economics
What happens when workers lack skills?
• Employers are less likely to invest in new
equipment to increase productivity.
• It may be cheaper to relocate.
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Lack of Productivity
 Low pay
 Job insecurity
 Plant closures/relocations
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Sustaining Productivity
 Invest in labor – saving equipment
 Invest in increasing worker skills
 Get more with less
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Getting More with Less
Compulsory Cooperation
“I’ll do what I’m told”
Voluntary Cooperation
“I’ll take responsibility and go beyond
the call of duty”
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Top criteria for “job satisfaction” is
“good paycheck”
friends
easy commute
Only 15% will report being “very satisfied” in their jobs.
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For most workers – its about the
paycheck
Fear of losing a job is the best
motivator. (Or is it?)
What is the Purpose
of Discipline?
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Discipline
 Training intended to produce character
 Controlled behavior
 A state of order
 To train by instruction
 To punish
 To teach
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The Prince, Nicolo Machiavelli (1532)
Is it better to be feared or loved?
“It may be answered that one should wish for both,
but because it is difficult to unite them in one
person, it is much safer to be feared than
loved…Nevertheless, a prince ought to inspire fear
in such a way, if he does not win love, he avoids
hatred.”
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Discipline without fairness
is merely punishment
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Punishment breeds resentment,
resistance, union organizing,
and litigation
 Fairness supports discipline and discharge,
when necessary
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What do we mean by
“Fairness”?
 Letting people know what is expected
 Letting employees know when expectations are and
are not being met…and give chance to improve
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
Cross-cultural studies show that even if
people personally disagree with a result,
they will accept it if they perceive the
process as “fair”.
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The Purpose of Discipline is to Correct
NOT to Punish
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The Story of Easter Island
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What are some road blocks that
prevent people from changing?
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 Difficulty in setting goals
 Inability to prioritize
 Lack of motivation
 Fear of anxiety about change
 Lack of empowerment or feelings of
victimization
 Pessimism
 Irrationality
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“I believe that we never landed on the
moon, that it was staged by the US
government as propaganda.”
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You may not be able to change
someone’s mind
BUT, you may be able to correct
behavior
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Positive Discipline
 Describe inappropriate behavior
 Explain negative impact on the workplace
 Discuss changes needed
 Outline consequences if behavior not corrected
 Document / follow-up
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Discipline in Private
Do not abuse authority
Do not humiliate
Listen but be firm
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Discipline
Verbal Counseling
Written Warning
When all else fails:
Discharge/Termination
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Do employees receive training?
Most new hires are left to figure things out.
Are expectations clear?
There is often substantial disagreement between
supervisors and employees.
Are expectations realistic?
Boss often gets angry when employee is not
working at same level.
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The Hanwan Shipping Case
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Expectations should be
Realistic (attainable and consistent with
business/departmental goals)
Specific (tell exactly what actions and
results are to be achieved)
Measurable (timeliness, cost, quality,
quantity)
Clear and understandable
Dynamic (subject to change, when necessary)
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Communicating Expectations
Be Honest
 What is at stake
 What will happen if there is no change
Listen
 To both the emotion and the message
Be Supportive
 Don’t be afraid to help
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Back to Hanwan Shipping
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Correcting Unproductive Work
Habits
 Clearly state the desired behavior so that the person
understands the expectations
 Allow the problem person to present suggestions to
achieve goals desired so that there is an personal
sense of ownership
 Begin with reachable goals that provide immediate
success
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Motivational Techniques
Praise is the greatest motivator.
Compliments do more than boost our ego;
they make us want more compliments.
Acknowledge a job well done and the usual
consequence is another job well done.
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Praise Takes Effort
• Understand the value add
• How has the employee contributed
• What is the big picture-make the link
It’s Not Just Cheerleading
• Authenticity
• Controlled Emotion
• Passion
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Supervising with Care
Taking care
 Being careful
 Duty of care
 Caring for others

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 Most organizations seek to maintain and nurture a
working environment that meets high ethical
standards and where employees can thrive.
 It is up to each employee, particularly
supervisors, to ensure that productivity is
maintained and standards are met during
challenging times.
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Succeeding in today’s
workplace is not only about
productivity.
Succeeding today is also about developing
social awareness, communication skills
and cultural knowledge and sensitivity.
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Striking the Balance
 Challenges may arise when an employee reports
abuse of authority
 Of course, employees are obliged to report in
good faith such alleged practices
 At the same time, each employee must continue
to maximize their contributions to the team’s
overall success
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Integrity and Leading by Example
A young child stole a pencil from a local store. He
was caught and brought home by the police.
His mother handled the situation by paying for
the pencil and making the child apologize. Once
the parent and child were alone, the mother
said: “Son, why in the world did you steal that
pencil? I can’t believe you did that. If you
needed a pencil so badly, why didn’t you tell
me? I would have taken one from the office.”
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The lack of integrity can degrade the
working environment and create
confusion, lack of focus, poor
communication, lack of productivity
and inefficiencies.
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Common Problem Areas
 Blaming others
 Shifting responsibility
 Hoarding information & resources
 Letting others fail to look good
 Disrespecting customers
 Lowering expectations to look good
 Not trying/Not caring
 Yelling at employees
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Rudeness in the Workplace
Out of 1,100 professional and clerical workers
surveyed, 71% said that they had experienced putdowns or other rude behavior on the job.
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Rudeness at work includes:
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

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
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Put-downs
Yelling
Negative eye contact, (i.e.: glaring or elevator eyes)
Condescending behavior
Teasing
Arrogance
Obnoxious cell phone ringing
Loud, annoying cell phone conversations
Snide e-mails and voice messages
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Bullying
The repeated mistreatment of an individual
Acts of Commission: threats, hostility, unjustified
criticism
Acts of Omission: intentionally withholding
resources, supplies, information that guarantee
failure
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Bullying in the Workplace
 1 in 6 workers report being bullied in the past year
 Half of all bullies are women
 Women bullies’ target women 84% of the time men
target women 69% of the time
 Women represent the majority of targets
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Costs of Bullying
Impact on
Target:
Feelings of shame and humiliation
Stress
Loss of sleep
Anxiety
Depression
Stress-related ailments
Impact on
Employer:
Reduced productivity
Reduced morale
Higher turnover and absenteeism
Increase in insurance premiums
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Hanwan Shipping
(The Incident)
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Kathy believes that she was being picked
on, badgered and harassed.
“Ken publicly humiliated me. I believe he
is picking on me. Others leave their
desks and he says nothing whatsoever.
For some reason, he has targeted me.”
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Ken perceives Kathy as being a “warm
body” and as “lazy”. He has warned
her and told her to “clean up her act”.
“I don’t understand it. I have always been
good with the men” he says.
Is this rude?
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Ken raised his voice and shouted to
“stop that crap” and “to hurry up”!
Is this a form of bullying?
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The perception of harassment/discrimination is often
most acute during times of stress, conflict or shrinking
resources.
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Documentation to
Support Discipline and Discharges
If it isn’t written…
It didn’t happen
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Describe:
What happened
Who was there
What took place
When did it take place; date and time
If relevant:
Where it happened
Physical appearance of area
What witnesses were present
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What About Productivity?
Over the course of the next three months,
Ken has concluded that Kathy needs
improvement in the areas of Practical
Business knowledge and Logistics
Software training. During that period,
Ken recommends that Kathy be placed
on Hanwan’s Performance Improvement
Plan.
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What is Retaliation?
Adverse actions that are taken because an employee has
reported abusive behavior, refused to participate in
unethical or illegal conduct, or because they have
participated in an investigation. Adverse action includes:








Discharge
Demotion
Suspension
Threats
Harassment
Failure to hire or rehire
Blacklisting
Disciplinary Action
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Ken and Hanwan are entitled to expect
Kathy to improve her job performance.
Kathy too must take personal
responsibility to succeed.
Ken must be a solid supervisor at the
same time as Kathy has the right to
report conduct that she reasonably
believes is abusive.
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What if the employee becomes distracted
or unfocused in their work?
Can I apply performance standards?
Yes. You can apply performance standards
because you care about each employee’s
success but take care to ensure performance
standards are relevant, supportable and
measurable.
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In the workplace, there is no
substitute for common courtesy
and respect.
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Communication Skills
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Communication is a
Two-Way Street
 Speaking
 Listening
The best communicators engage
in “Active” Listening
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Why is Listening Difficult?
Humans speak on average between 110-200
words per minute.
But the brain can process 400–3,000 words per
minute.
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Active Listening Takes Effort
and Practice
 To be an Active Listener, You Should:
 Hear the Message
 Attend to the Message
 Interpret the Message
 Respond to the Message
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Hearing the Message
Why is the message
important?
Define a problem
Serve a guest
Communicate a risk
Asking for information
Seeking guidance
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Attending to the Message
Eye Contact
Body Posture
Verbal or Nonverbal Response
Clearing Your Mind
Avoiding Distracting Behavior
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Responding to the Message
Paraphrase
Ask Questions
Affirmation
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Paraphrasing is more than repeating.
Listener must incorporate attitudes and
emotion.
55% of a speakers attitudes and feelings is
communicated nonverbally.
Only 7% of feelings are articulated verbally.
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Let’s Practice
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SPEAKERS
What did it feel like when the listener wasn’t paying
attention?
What did it feel like when the listener became
engaged?
LISTENERS
Was it hard to be an active listener?
OBSERVERS
What did you see and hear?
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Effective communication is the
foundation of all productive
relationships.
It is the basis of all good supervision.
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A Quick Word on Interacting
with Employees in an Agitated
State




Observe
Listen
Avoid Defensiveness
Speak slowly, softly, and clearly
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Summarizing What the
Speaker Says
• Summarizing helps to make sure what
was said. It also helps the speaker
because it gives them the opportunity to
hear what was said
• Feelings
• Facts
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Use Neutral Language
• Statement: “You are so stupid! I hate it
when you don’t listen to me!”
• Summary: “You are upset because you
believe I’m not listening to you.”
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Some Tips on Handling
Difficult Employees
Separate the behavior from the person. You
can care about someone even if you
disapprove of his or her conduct.
Remember that people usually rationalize
their behavior no matter how bad it is. (“I was
only following orders.”) Do not challenge,
provoke or threaten.
Stay calm. Don’t antagonize or make matters
worse.
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Tips, continued…
 Realize that a person may be yelling at
the situation rather than you
 Remember, you are the supervisor,
always model positive behavior
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Conflict Resolution
What this session is about
 Conflict Resolution Styles
 Conflict Resolution Strategies
 Practice, Practice, Practice…
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How do you define conflict?
What kind of conflicts
can you identify?
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A conflict can be described as a
disagreement between two people
Employee - Employee
Supervisor – Employee
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Conflict is part of life.
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There Are Several Approaches to
Resolving Conflict
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Accommodation – “I lose, you win”
Avoidance – “We both lose”
Competition – “I win, you lose”
Compromise – “We both win or we both lose
Collaboration – “I win, you win”
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Most people have a
dominate style
What is yours?
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Supervisors Must Be Able to
Resolve Conflicts
What Approach Should You
Take?
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How important is the
relationship?
How important is the
outcome?
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High
5
Importance of relationship
Medium
Low
2
1
3
4
Collaborate
I Win, You Win
Accommodat
e
I Lose, You
Win
Compromise
We Both Win,
We Both
Lose
Avoid
I Lose,
You Lose
1
5
Low
Compete
I Win, You
Lose
2
3
4
Medium
High
Importance of outcome
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Remember … Communication
is a
Two-Way Street
 Speaking
 Listening
The best communicators engage
in “Active” Listening
100
A Quick Word on Interacting
with Employees in an Agitated
State




Observe
Listen
Avoid Defensiveness
Speak slowly, softly, and clearly
101
Summarizing What the
Speaker Says
• Summarizing helps to make sure what
was said. It also helps the speaker
because it gives them the opportunity to
hear what was said
• Feelings
• Facts
102
Use Neutral Language
• Statement: “You are so stupid! I hate it
when you don’t listen to me!”
• Summary: “You are upset because you
believe I’m not listening to you.”
103
Some Tips on Handling
Difficult Employees
Separate the behavior from the person. You
can care about someone even if you
disapprove of his or her conduct.
Remember that people usually rationalize
their behavior no matter how bad it is. (“I was
only following orders.”) Do not challenge,
provoke or threaten.
Stay calm. Don’t antagonize or make matters
worse.
104
Rules of Engagement
 Stay focused on the subject of disagreement
 Don’t generalize (as in “You always do X”)
 Don’t bring up past events and old grudges
 Don’t interrupt
 Don’t use insults
 Don’t use inflammatory language, like “You’re the
worst employee ever”
 Don’t stonewall
 Try to say “I” (as in “I think”) rather than the more
inflammatory “You” (as in “You don’t”)
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Let’s Practice
Hanwan Shipping, One Last Time
 Choose an Approach
 Listen to the Message
 Defuse the Emotion
 Resolve the Conflict
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Questions?
Thank You
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