Managing Leave—Annoying for Sure, But Doable

Managing Leave—Annoying for Sure, But Doable

"Never let manager deal with leave requests," says one expert, but that's easier said than done. For every HR manager who doesn't have a leave specialist on staff, here are Bob Gilson's tips for dealing with leave requests.

Gilson, an expert on employee relations, offers his tips on FedSmith.com, where he is a frequent blogger. Here's what he recommends:

1. Learn the Basic Rules

This means your organization's policies for vacation, sick leave or paid time off (PTO) system, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), worker's compensation, and other types of leave. If your employees operate under a union contract, be familiar with leave-related provisions of the contract.

2. Get a Grip on the FMLA

With the new changes to the FMLA, this is especially important. Many of the changes will ultimately be beneficial to employers, but most organizations are in the process of changing their policies and procedures, especially dealing with notice from and to employees.

3. Assemble a Paper or E-File for Reference

Create a folder (paper or online) of leave rules, forms, and so on, and keep it all in one place where you can get to it quickly when employees request leave, recommends Gilson.

4. Set Clear Expectations

Make sure the people you supervise also have copies of your organization's leave rules, says Gilson. Send them a memo emphasizing the important provisions such as the procedures for requesting various types of leave, what forms to use, and what the rules are for calling in during leave or to request time off.

5. Remind Your Staff of Expectations Regularly

It's not enough to tell employees once on the day they are hired about your requirements. Remind people of the rules at staff meetings. Don't discuss any specific employee's situation but do, in a general way, encourage employees to follow the rules, Gilson says.

6. Enforce the Rules

Make sure employees who exhibit any kind of attendance problem get a response from you, says Gilson. Of course, take circumstances into account, but at the same time, let the employee know that you noticed the infraction and that you are prepared to enforce the rules.

7. Require a Written Request

Get your people used to using a form, says Gilson. It's habit-forming and it keeps everybody straight.

8. Track Leave Usage

You need to track usage just for management purposes, but there's also another good reason, Gilson suggests. Only careful tracking will reveal potential abusers. For example, you might find someone with no chronic, documented condition who often requests sick leave on Mondays, Fridays, and days before holidays.

If you suspect abuse, says Gilson, talk to your HR manager. But remember, documentation is the key to resolving attendance and leave problems.

9. Question Inconsistent or Improper Requests

Call employees on it when their leave requests appear inconsistent with their documented conditions, or if vacation leave is requested at the last minute when heavy workloads or deadlines are imminent, says Gilson. It's important to let people know that you are paying attention.

Villain-In-Chief-People-Management

Are you the Villain-In-Chief-People-Management?

Nothing frustrates a worker more than a bad boss!

Bad bosses are difficult and can make work treacherous for others. They are not a rarity, but are quite common in organisations. Their presence is hard to ignore and even harder to dodge. As one works hard to climb the corporate ladder, bad bosses can prove to be stumbling blocks to an otherwise smooth rise. 

What can one do to establish a cordial working equation with a bad boss? While the victims of a bad boss know that they are working under one, they still fail to understand his/her behavioural nuances. They do not analyse the psychological make up of their boss and end up being victimised. If the subordinates of a bad boss want to stay in the job, they have to be smart enough to understand the mental makeup of their boss, since without a clear understanding of the reasons behind the boss's tantrums the victimised subordinates could get unduly stressed. 

Bad vs. bully To begin with, it is important that victims understand that a 'bad boss' is different from a 'bully boss'. Bad bosses are not bullies. They are simply bad and gravely annoying. They tend to attack a person's self-esteem and pride in subtle ways, thereby alienating him from the team. They also tend to play favorites and always create unhealthy competition between team members. They do not aim to build cohesive and productive teams, but focus on preserving their command and control over teams, irrespective of the means. They also tend to get vindictive and personal with their subordinates, and take criticism as an assault on their credibility as a person. There are more such attributes of a bad boss. An understanding of these will help workers stay wary of them. It also enables bosses to introspect and assess for themselves their credibility as a boss. 

There is no consensus on the attributes that define a bad boss. Every person will have different definitions of good and bad, and therefore it is difficult to pin point the characteristics of a bad boss. However, there has been extensive study on the subject which shows that while there may be differences in the fine print the larger picture looks the same. The common attributes of a bad boss brought out by these studies are:

1. Bad bosses typically love ego massaging. They like people who are always in agreement with them and can get extremely cranky if subjected to criticism even if it is constructive.
2. Bad bosses use ineffective means of communication. They tend to give deadlines in a 
3. very casual way and at times fail to follow up themselves. This may prove to be detrimental to the subordinates' work output.
4. Bad bosses tend to go overboard with their criticism and punishment for people they do not like. They do not consider the option of soft and positive talking, and instead become unnecessarily aggressive to prove their point. Use of disproportionate disciplinary measures is common among bad bosses.
5. Bad bosses do not give subordinates an opportunity to explain their point, and issue verdicts based solely on their perception.
6. Bad bosses do not miss an opportunity to blame subordinates, while recognizing contribution only after a lot of effort by the staff.

Bad behavior of the boss can be very demoralizing for subordinates and can take its toll on both their professional and emotional stability. Apart from changing jobs, the only other way to handle bad bosses is to understand the reasons behind such behavior and work towards making adjustments to accommodate the negative elements.

1. Communicate: Subordinates should talk to the boss about the way they feel when subjected to bad behavior. They also should communicate their intentions in order to clear the bad air between them.
2. Choose a mentor: Subordinates should choose a mentor for themselves who can help them with their problems and show the 'right way' of doing things. The mentor should be neutral and in the good books of the boss.
3. Apprise the HR team: Subordinates should apprise the HR team about their relations with the boss if the problems get serious.
4. In case there is a credibility problem and the HR team and the boss's boss do not trust the subordinate, then the victimized subordinate must gather support from other victimized colleagues and present a united front.
5. Seek transfer: In the worst case scenario, internal transfer must be sought by the subordinate.

The aforementioned approaches can help workers tackle their difficult bosses better. However, the onus of establishing a working professional relationship, irrespective of the differences, lies both with the boss and the subordinate. Unless both show tolerance and settle contentious issues between them the relationship only stands to lose, sabotaging individual as well as departmental performance. 

  Ref: TheManageMentor

10 Steps to Use Workplace Conflict to Your Advantage

Is there such a thing as a good fight? The willingness to embrace conflict and turn a bad fight into a good one is a hallmark of a great leader. And if you want to learn, there are steps you can take to help turn negative conflicts into creative opportunities.

1) Don’t Despair, Prepare!

First, and most importantly, know that sometimes it’s best to walk away from conflict. Know your ‘exit point’ -– the point at which it makes more sense to walk away from a conflict than it does to work to manage the issue. There are times that it will be your best option.

Everyone has their own style of dealing with conflict. Understand the different styles, identify yours and the styles of your team. Learn to appreciate the diverse styles of others, assume leadership when conflicts arise, and value the creative spark that conflicts can kindle.

2) Follow the Yellow Brick Road

What is your goal? If you can agree on a common goal – to creatively solve a problem, to generate a new idea or to sell more products -– you’ll have a better chance of harnessing the conflict. Sometimes the root of a conflict is that you don’t even agree on what the problem is -– or that you’re struggling to address different issues.

3) Reveal, Don’t Conceal

You must agree -– at least some extent -– to be vulnerable, to reveal why you want something, and to declare what’s really important to you about an issue. When we’re in conflict, we always have a story – usually one that justifies our proposed solution. Listen and try to understand the other person’s story. If the other person won’t reveal their needs or interests, ask open-ended questions and look for clues.

4) Tackle the Problem , Not the Person

Focus on the problem and persuade the other person to join you in solving the problem. Make the problem your common enemy rather than blaming the other person for causing the problem. Try and discourage conflicts from becoming personal.

5) Play Within Bounds

Sometimes conflicts are caused by process problems rather than substantive issues. If the other person remains difficult, start talking more about standards and procedures than about the problem. This can help you creatively manage a conflict that seems like an unmovable object.

6) Stir Up a Storm

Brainstorm -- welcoming all suggestions -- then sort through them all and determine which ones merit further study. Many of us fall in love with our solutions and decide that our idea is the only possibility. The best resolution for all concerned may not be the one we had previously discussed.

7) Take a Time Out

Classic advocates of creative conflict management have used this move throughout history. Martin Luther King Jr. suggested we “go to the mountain” during conflict to gain the higher ground and a better perspective on the problem. Gandhi retreated to meditation and fasting during the most intense periods of his struggle to free the Indian people. When things get heated or stalled consider taking a time out to regroup.

8) Talk Until You Drop

People don’t allow enough time for creative conflict management. In our modern, instantaneous world we have lost our patience. If you have decided the conflict is worth your time and energy, make sure you allow sufficient time for management. It usually takes longer than we think to produce good fights instead of bad ones.

9) Circle the Wagons

When you reach an agreement or a creative solution, you need to go through some sort of closure process. Arrange a time in the future to review how the solution is working. Agree upon an action plan to accomplish the goals of an agreement and decide who does what, when and where.

10) Write to Avoid New Fights

Write down what you think you’ve agreed upon at various stages. The process helps clarify your own thinking as well as the agreement. We all tend to assume the meaning we ascribe to a certain word or discussion is the same for everyone. This one act will save you a world of hurt down the road.

These ten steps can provide a roadmap to lead you skillfully through using conflict to generate creativity. While you may not need to use all ten for every situation, it’s good to review them before you try to resolve an issue. Then, you’ll be able to see where you’re stuck and what you need to do to move forward. For complex disputes, you may very well need to work your way through all the steps with all the parties.