Coping with the loss of an employee

The hardest thing one can face in a workplace is the loss of an employee, whether it be by accident or if it is expected.  This can be an emotionally hard time for your coworkers and employees, and you have to take the right steps to allow everyone to grieve.

I have been in this situation a few times.  The hardest situation I have dealt with was the death of an associate by accident.  This is especially hard since no one saw it coming and it was especially tough to deal with since the person was very young.

As a leader, you don’t just manage everyone on a professional level, you manage them on a personal level.  As a human being yourself, it can be hard to maintain composure during such a difficult time, let alone provide support for others.

Most companies provide some sort of service to help cope with a tragic situation.  At the very least some provide counseling over the phone, and some companies even go so far as to have a team of trained folks come in the workplace to help.

As with every other situation at work, it’s important that you maintain your composure and let others come to you for support.  It can be a very confusing and challenging time, and you have to show compassion and be prepared to help everyone move on.

You will more than likely have a group of people who were especially close to the associate who may need some extra time away to deal with things.  You have to let them take the time necessary and allow them certain concessions under these circumstances.

I also make it a point to personally contact the family and offer any assistance that I can, whether it be with getting things done for them or even arranging a fundraiser if they may have difficulty paying the bills.

I also make sure to attend the viewing and the funeral if possible and allowed by the family, because it means a lot to them and your other associates to show that you are there for them, and so is your company.

Taking on additional responsibility

Want to get promoted and keep moving up the ladder of success?  Well I’ve got news for you.  You’re not going to do it by just doing a great job at your normal expected job responsibilities.  Your superiors are looking for someone to push upward, not maintain what they already do well.

The common misconception most people have is that if they do a great job, they will get a promotion (or a good evaluation).  The truth is, your boss expects you to do your job well.  That’s just basic elementary stuff, the simplest of expectations.

If you want to move on to the next level, you have to start showing that you can do your job well and take on additional tasks and responsibilities.  You have to make your basic job expectations look like they require no effort on your part at all.  You have to create an environment where you present a lot of value to the company, but that you really aren’t needed in your current position anymore.

What kind of sense does that make?  Well, if you are so good at what you do and you have the people that work for you to the point where they are so good they can basically do your job, it does nothing but make you look good.

When you reach this point, your boss has little reason not to promote you.  You have created a demand for your abilities, and shown that you can evolve and are ready to take on the next challenge in your career.  You have demonstrated that you are a key leader in your establishment.

Skills like public speaking and computer abilities are great to have, but there is one constant in the world of business.  Your ability to deal with people and develop them.  Without it you will never succeed in anything that you do.

Your people can make you or break you.  You don’t necessarily want them to like you or dislike you, you just want them to respect you as their leader.

So start performing the job that you WANT to have now.  And show your boss that you can do it with ease and minimal effort.  Then they have no choice but to give you what you want.

Getting along with your boss

If you’re lucky, your boss can be someone who you work seamlessly with. The two of you could form a formidable team and enjoy a lot of success together. Then again, you could also have the stereotypical nightmare of a boss that tests your sanity and disagrees with you at every turn.

I myself have experienced both sides of the spectrum, and a few in between. I have worked for a complete tyrant who took joy in punishing her management team and a desire to micromanage, and I have also worked for a few bosses who were a joy to work with.

Even if you are stuck in the worst case scenario, all is not lost. Many professionals quit their companies after such an experience. But I stuck through mine, mostly due to my stubbornness and refusal to lose at anything I do in life.

You may not have the type of patience and desire to prove someone wrong that I possess, however. And that’s perfectly ok. There are things you can do from day one or starting tomorrow that can affect how your working experience goes from here on out.

The first thing to remember is to always respect their opinion. Your boss got to their position for a reason. Whether it was a good reason or not (maybe they are just friends with someone up the ladder), you can’t change the fact that they are there. Well, unless you have something really good on them.

The second thing is to show an interest in what they do and say. Pay the ultimate respect. Everyone has a good idea sometimes, so give them credit for it. Not to say that you should brown nose, but just give credit where credit is due.

Next, show an interest in them as a human being. Don’t let your hatred for them make you ignore the fact that they have good times and bad times just like anyone else. At least show a little remorse when they have a problem, and even offer to help them.

Finally, just do your job and do it well. There is no secret remedy for anything in the business world, tough boss included. The best solution for any problem you have is to just be the best darn leader you can be. That way even if your boss doesn’t like you, they have to respect what you bring to the table. And maybe your lack of job performance is why they don’t like you to begin with!

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The decline of customer service

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Customer service, especially in the retail sector, is the key component of a successful business. Then why, with the poor current state of the economy, is good customer service on the decline?

Everywhere you go, it’s evident. It takes too long to get your food. Your bill is wrong. The person waiting on you is just plain rude and seems to care less if you spend your money at their establishment. Poor customer service is spreading like a bad disease.

And the causes of it are not at all surprising. Good help is hard to find, and those businesses that don’t pay much more than minimum wage are finding out the hard way. Take a good hard look at any fast food establishment, and you’ll see very few who work there that actually care.

And can we blame them? If you were forced to serve rude customers in a hot and uncomfortable environment for a few bucks an hour, how long would it take for you to stop caring?

Now that we’re done playing devil’s advocate, let’s examine the issue from the other side. If you want to make it in this world, you have to put in work. You have to prove to your employer that you are willing to do what it takes to get where you want to be.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the fast food business. A lot of very successful business owners and high level executives have worked in one. And everyone has had an entry level job of some sort in their lifetime.

The problem with American society today is that everyone thinks that they are owed something. Like it’s their American right to be handed a high paying job, a house, and a big TV. The harsh reality of it all is that you have to develop your skills and market yourself to get a good job. And you have to start somewhere.

I personally started at the bottom of the food chain, working in high school. I worked my way around and up to a good paying position. Then I lost it all when the company I worked for went out of business in the last recession. I quickly found out that amongst a shrinking job market, I would have to start over.

I had to put aside my pride and what I thought I was owed with my experience and job record and start over in an entry level position with another company. And I did it without complaining, and provided excellent customer service.

It didn’t take long for my selfless attitude to win over my superiors and several promotions later, I’m back up where I wanted to be.

The key takeaway from all of this is that I had to suck it up and live on a much lower wage than I was used to. I had to drastically alter my lifestyle and attitude towards life in general. And I did it while not taking it out on my customers.

Today, customer service is a huge factor for me in deciding whether to continue spending my money somewhere or whether I take it somewhere else. I won’t hesitate to leave a place and go somewhere else, even if it means spending more money, if I have a poor experience.

It makes you wonder how some businesses survive in the wake of the current economy with the terrible customer service they exhibit.

I leave you with a real life example (one of many I could provide, maybe enough to fill a book). Sears is a company long known for it’s poor customer service, so much so that it’s amazing that they remain in business today.

Recently my girlfriend took her company car to a Sears to get the oil changed. I normally recommend not spending any money at Sears, but her company has very few approved places that they are allowed to use for oil changes.

A basic oil change ended up turning into a two and a half hour experience. We got there right when they opened, and hers was the first car in. And to add insult to injury, there were oily handprints on the hood and door, and a grease stain on the driver’s side seat.

Not one to take this sort of thing lightly, my enraged girlfriend proceeded to call Sear’s 1-800 “customer service” number. She told the gentleman who answered the phone what had transpired, and basically told him that she would never go to Sears again and would attempt to get her company to stop using their services.

The guy on the phone proceeds to apologize, and then tells her that someone would contact her within 24 hours. Absolutely amazing. To top it all off, no one ever called her back.

My girlfriend is in the process of trying to do exactly what she said she would do, by getting her company to stop using Sear’s automotive services. And I’m rooting for them, because nothing would be better than causing this atrocity of a company to lose tens of thousands of dollars a year in business because of their poor excuse of a customer service representative.

Using evaluations for success

Evaluation time can be stressful or rewarding, depending on what you do throughout the course of the evaluation period and what type of person you are.  Some people are confident in their abilities and are obviously star performers in their workplace, while others either have no faith in themselves or their poor performance has them doomed for a bad evaluation.

No matter what category you or the subject of an evaluation you are giving falls into, it is important to remember that evaluations are a big key in self development.

I see far too often when managers rush through an evaluation and don’t put a whole lot of thought into it.  Normally there is a deadline in most workplaces, and oftentimes there are penalties for not getting them done in time.  And being as we live in a fast paced world and tend to let things run until the last minute, this is not surprising.

But when you write an evaluation, think of how you feel when you receive your own.  You scrutinize every detail, and there are going to be some eye opening things that come to light when it is covered with you.  After all, this is the review of your performance over a period of time, and oftentimes holds the key to your future success or failure.

It is for this reason that you must take the necessary time to make a thorough, detailed, and fair evaluation of all your employees.  If you rush through it and don’t take your time covering what you have written, you run the risk of telling that person inadvertently that you don’t care about them or value their work.

It is imperative that you also take your time when covering the evaluation and allow the associate time to talk and ask questions.  Make sure that they understand the information you are presenting, and give them solutions and best practices so that they can make things better.

It is also imperative that you use proper grammar and spelling.  How insulting is it to someone if you don’t take the time to use spell check?  And really, how long does it take?

When used properly, an evaluation is a powerful tool.  Sometimes people don’t get the message you are trying to deliver to them in everyday situations.  Oftentimes they may not realize the counter productive habits they have formed.

But when you have it in writing, using something so powerful that it affects your monetary situation or your future in a particular job, the message is loud and clear.

Take full advantage of this great opportunity.

Dealing with a difficult employee

In a perfect world, everyone that works for you would be a model employee. They would come to work every day, on time, and be productive from the start of their shift to the end. Unfortunately, the world just doesn’t work like that.

Even in the current economic status of the country, there are still those who choose to be difficult for lack of a better term. Some are just consistently late and call out sick. Others ride the gossip train and cause dangerous internal issues by spreading rumors and generally lowering associate morale.

Your approach will make the difference in how these types of things are dealt with, and the ultimate outcome and course of your career as a leader. Dealing with tardiness and call outs is simple, just follow your companies policy regarding the matter. Most have pretty strict conditions that warrant disciplinary action in the event that an employee is consistently late or misses work.

Dealing with those who spread ire amongst their fellow workers can be a little more difficult to deal with. If they are merely social bees you can generally deal with the problem by monitoring their productivity (or lack thereof) and holding them accountable for it.

If the associate doesn’t have a productivity issue, most companies have policies regarding respect in the workplace. If you ask enough questions and make your presence known around your work area, you will typically stumble upon some sort of policy violation.

I have witnessed quite a few examples of this. Some have ranged from simple rumor spreading to outright disrespect and sometimes even harassment. The degree of the behavior will go a long way in determining the outcome and level of accountability.

The most important thing to take home from all of this is to get yourself out in the midst of your employees. Ask questions, and not just work related ones. If you go out of your way to show your employees that you care about how they feel, it will go a long way in determining your success as a leader.

The wonders of a spreadsheet

Chances are that if you are in the business of management, you have seen at least one spreadsheet in your life. But something that I’ve noticed in my years is that the majority of long time managers don’t possess good computer skills, let alone the ability to create spreadsheets.

Obviously this is due to a generation gap more than anything else. I was fortunate enough to still be fairly young when the computer age was dawning, and I have taught myself to use virtually any program you can think of.

But it pains me to see a lot of skilled and intelligent people in the business world stumble their way around a computer. Businesses are becoming more and more technical in today’s world, and having more than basic skills is vital to your growth.

Spreadsheets are a wonderful tool. I create them constantly. The great thing about them is that they can be used for virtually anything, but I prefer using them to track sales, expenses, and budgeting. The best thing about a spreadsheet is that it does the math and calculations for you, quickly and instantly.

If you are struggling with simple tasks such as checking your email, don’t continue to let it bring you down or worsen your productivity, do something about it. Most colleges offer classes on virtually anything, not to mention the myriad of choices available to you online.

For those who have basic computer skills already, taking a class in Excel or Powerpoint is a must. The ability to create and manipulate spreadsheets and presentations will pay in dividends in your current and future career.

Preparing yourself for the next level

No matter what position you may hold within your company, you always have to be preparing yourself for the next step. There are a couple of things that are important in doing this. First of all, you have to manage one level up. Secondly, you have to allow yourself the time necessary to gain the knowledge you need to climb the ladder.

Managing one level up is a relatively simple concept. If you are an assistant store manager, then act like a store manager. This also involves treating those who you directly supervise like they are assistant managers.

This is beneficial in several ways. For one, you entrust your associates to do your job. They get a feeling of empowerment which spawns loyalty and a stronger drive to succeed. It shows them that you trust them with important tasks, and may even inspire those that haven’t been performing up to par.

Secondly, it frees you up to learn what you need to learn to make that next step. You must use effective time management as well as delegation to have the time necessary to do this. If you want to be the boss, then act like him.

Taking the time to learn things that go past your current position shows your superiors that you are serious about helping yourself and the company to succeed. It also inspires those around you to put more effort into what they do every day.

Another benefit that comes from learning new things is that when you do get that promotion, you will already possess the knowledge that you need to do the job, making your transition go smoothly. It will then take less time to start learning what you need to know to make yet another step up the ladder.

These two concepts, when executed properly, will result in nothing but a positive outcome for you, your associates, and your employer.