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Issue 7: September 25, 2001
To our readers:
Few people enjoy reprimanding others. It takes time away from deadline-related projects, it can be very uncomfortable, and it often leads to wounded feelings. You might dread the process, but you know it is necessary if you have anyone in your organization whose behavior is harmful to performance and you cherish the hope of improving their performance. But it is not all negative. If you handle reprimands well, they become recommendations for change that can transform an employee and the job he or she is doing for you.
The first rule is to follow your organization's policies and procedures. Make sure you know what they are!
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Brief
Tips #7:
1. Make sure your information is accurate.
If you want to make a mess of your relationship with an employee, reprimand her or him without just cause. No matter how obvious an infraction appears to be, gather all the facts possible before you decide to issue a reprimand. Make sure you know how the infraction occurred, what lead up to it, and who participated in what way.
2. Conduct the reprimand as soon after the infraction as possible.
The sooner you can reasonably and responsibly conduct the reprimand the better. A reprimand loses its effectiveness over time. If you wait too long, the employee believes you are reprimanding him just to pick on him.
3. Make sure you are calm before conducting the reprimand.
To conduct an effective reprimand you must adopt a problem-solving, not an accusatory, tone. If you are seething, do what you must to calm yourself before talking with the employee. Some people find that walking, doing pushups, climbing stairs, and other physical activities help them work off steam. Others prefer to think quietly with a cup of coffee. Whatever you do, work off any desire to use harsh or inappropriate language before you meet with the employee. Name-calling builds resentment, not more productive future behavior. It is appropriate to express annoyance; it is not appropriate to lose your temper.
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4. Conduct the reprimand in private.
Choose a time and place that are most conducive to a successful discussion of the incident. Your goal is to change behavior, not to embarrass or anger the employee. Thus you want to indicate that you respect the employee and his or her time by not meeting during her lunch hour or after work hours. And you show respect for his ego and privacy by meeting away from prying eyes and ears.
5. Let the employee tell you what happened and why.
The employee can help you understand what happened and why from his or her perspective. Let the employee fully respond to the what and why questions. It might turn out that he or she was not at fault, or that there was an underlying cause that you must address. In any case, the person who is permitted to tell her side of the story generally feels better about what follows, as long as it is fair. For tips on listening, click here to see Brief Tips Issues 1 and 2.
Brief Tips
6. Focus on specific behavior, not on generalities.
Don't try to reprimand someone for his "bad attitude, " or for "always being late," or for "never meeting a deadline." Such reprimands usually just anger the employee because he or she thinks her "bad attitude" is justified or because she knows she's not "always" late and you are therefore picking on her. To change problem behavior, you must describe the specific behavior and when it took place. For example, you might say, "In the past month you have not sat down at your desk to work until 9:15 or later on five different occasions."
Next month: More Tips for Turning Reprimands into Recommendations for Change
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