Turning "problem" staff into great staff: ten principles
Abstract
Michael Morrow, an after-school program director, consultant, and trainer in Portland, Oregon, offers advice on how to deal with behavioral and attitudinal problems among difficult staff. Excerpted, with permission, from the article "Turning 'Problem' Staff into Great Staff: Ten Principles for Working with Your Staff," published in the April 2005 edition of School-Age Notes, a national resource organization on school-age care. Although written with after-school staff in mind, the tenets can be adapted to any volunteer or nonprofit organization. Also included are additional resources recommended by Morrow and the editors of School-Age Notes.Issue
Seeking ways to work with "difficult" staff can help program directors and supervisors foster retention and develop harmony at service sites.Action
According to Michael Morrow, effective practices for working with "difficult" staff include:- Catch it early: If you let it slide the first time, the person will expect you to continue to let it slide.
- Do it privately: Embarrassing people in front of others is relationship suicide. Avoid it.
- Make sure the person understands what they did, or did not do, and is clear about their responsibility. To do that, you ask before you tell: "Do you understand what time you're supposed to arrive?" "Do you know why it is important to be here at that time?"
- Get them to commit: "Can you be on time in the future?"
- Ask how you can assist: "What can I do to help you be on time?"
- Make sure they know the consequences of not being able to keep their word.
- Document everything! You might even consider a written contract, which the employee signs, that goes into his or her file.
- Have a very clearly defined process, stated in your staff handbook, for dealing with issues like this.
- Don't take it personally: This one is tough for many supervisors because we're "people oriented" and don't like "disciplining" people. But it is your job.
- Most important: When the staffer does it right, notice it! Improving behavior — as we know from working with kids &mdash is a "baby steps" process. Notice and reward each step, no matter how small. This is vital, because whether it is kids or adults, we tend to spend far more time trying to change negative behavior than we do reinforcing positive behavior. Turn that around. It is much more effective to emphasize the positive in order to minimize the negative.
Additionally, celebrate with your staff. Thank them often — and in a variety of ways. Never forget a birthday. Surprise them with a card "just because." Throw a party. Bring a pizza to a staff meeting.
It is all about relationships. The more staff like, trust, and respect you, the easier it is to do the "tough stuff."
Context
Finding and keeping qualified staff in after-school programs is always challenging, which makes it all the more difficult when directors have to fire staff for performance or attitude problems.
In Bringing Yourself to Work: A Guide for Successful Staff Development in After-School Programs, Michelle Seligson and Patricia Stahl underline the importance of developing strong group dynamics among staff to head off behavioral or attitudinal problems.
Citation
Morrow, Michael. "Turning 'Problem' Staff into Great Staff: Ten Principles for Working with Your Staff." School-Age Notes, April 2005: 1-7.Outcome
Knowledge of how to deal with difficult staff increases the likelihood of a rewarding managerial or supervisory experience.
Circumventing problems early leads to greater staff retention among all members of the group.
Posted On
May 18, 2005Resources
Anderson, Roger. 100 Tips for Managers. Rotarian Press, October 1995.
Brinkman, Rick and Rick Kirchner. Dealing with People You Can't Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst. The McGraw-Hill Companies, August 1994.
Carson, Kerry D. and Paula Phillips Carson. Defective Bosses: Working for the "Dysfunctional Dozen. Haworth Press, October 1998.
Seligson, Michelle and Patricia Stahl. Bringing Yourself to Work: A Guide for Successful Staff Development in After-School Programs. Teachers College Press, November 2003.