Can your employees really leave their problems at the door?

[Joe Marconi]

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[xrac]

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[phynny]

I was a supervisor for Consol Energy and my company was HUGE on sending us to all kinds of "supervisor and leadership training". One thing they always taught was about how to deal with your employees problems and you were never allowed to just shrug it off and tell them to return to work. We literally had to semi, get involved and help the employee work through his problems. That being said, I don't think smaller employers like a repair shop could ever do something like that as it's way to performance based.

[alfredauto]

I give paid time off. Its better for everyone. Sometimes working is a problem solver though. Say I have a disagreement with my wife, if I just let it go and leave it until after work I usually can see I was wrong by the time I get home. That being said when I went through a divorce with custody issues and all that fun stuff about 15 years ago I was a terrible employee. I should have been fired.

[Joe Marconi]

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[CARMandP]

I went through a divorce last year and almost lost my business because what was happening to me wasn't something I wanted or saw coming. I am glad that even though he wasn't really good for my business I had a service writer who had been through the same thing about 5 years ago and kept the business going. Those type things you can't escape. Like was mentioned above, its impossible some times to leave those things at the door. Of course now I am getting to completely start over at 40 yrs old in almost every area of my life, except I starting 100k in the hole. lol

[stowintegrity]

Years back it was common to hear, "Leave your problems at the door." Essentially that meant that your home life and all its issues should not cross over to work.

 

The truth is, it's not possible to simply turn a switch and forget about what's happening at home. For example, what if a tech's child is sick? What do you think that tech is thinking about throughout the day?

 

Your employees have to know that you care about them as people, not just workers. Recognize that things will occur and there are times when your employees will need your understanding.

 

When the people around you know that you care about them, they will care about you. This builds employee loyalty and a healthy work place.

 

I firmly believe that just as the ideology of the past has changed, so should the attitudes and perceptions of shop owners. The old adage was that "Our employees are our greatest asset", and I believe that the wisdom behind that still applies.

 

Do we want our staff to be comprised of automotons? Although we can't indefinitely tolerate employees who's performance or punctuality is consistently poor due to drama in their private lives, I believe that when we choose to become business owners, we also inherently choose to become leaders. Great leaders never forget that the health & welfare of their staff is of primary importance, especially when it comes to guarding your bottom line.

 

It takes practice and experience to hone the skill of balancing your focused efforts of motivating and encouraging your staff to perform (sometimes through disciplinary measures) with careful enforcement of company policy. Otherwise put - sometimes it really does pay to slow down your process enough to support and encourage an employee who's having personal problems, and find a way to help them avoid adding yet another problem to their list...namely their own unemployment.

 

We can't forget about our own professional/company concerns, but try to imagine how productive your staff will be, on average & throughout the year, if they're reminded that the company they're keeping is as interested in his or her own personal success as their own? There's nothing wrong with being "human" and giving someone a break once in awhile, and it's nice to know you can honestly compel them to hear you when you admonish them with the words, "You owe me one".

 

Just one man's high-hearted, tree-hugging approach to keeping the peace

[lmcca]

I was a supervisor for Consol Energy and my company was HUGE on sending us to all kinds of "supervisor and leadership training". One thing they always taught was about how to deal with your employees problems and you were never allowed to just shrug it off and tell them to return to work. We literally had to semi, get involved and help the employee work through his problems. That being said, I don't think smaller employers like a repair shop could ever do something like that as it's way to performance based.

 

i do, to a degree. If you turn them into a business only thing then its asking for problems. Humans are naturally social, (look at the crap facebook) and they NEEED to talk it out sometimes. How many times have you heard in your life, "dont keep that stuff inside man, you gotta get it out...." Well, maybe these guys have no other avenue to get it out, maybe they need you to listen, give insight, a pat on the back, share a similar life experience (that worked out) with them. Sounds kinda funny but its a needed thing to do. Employees have to be maintained just like a car, never change the oil in your car and see how long it lasts, never be social with your employees and see how long they last....

 

Anyway, my two cents..