Being a team leader or a business owner, having difficult conversations with your employees is something you can’t easily walk away from. Difficult conversations can be anything, from an employee’s bad attitude, poor performance, to being careless at the workplace. Informing them about their mistakes is a crucial obligation of a manager or team leader.
As a human being, it’s our common trait to always ignore difficult conversations, whether in your workplace or anywhere else. But avoiding this type of discussion might be harmful to you and your company in the long run. Maybe you will be able to devoid yourself of the chaos at the present moment, however the future will be highly disastrous with no transparency. Hence, it is essential to address the concerns at the earliest and break the ice right today!
How can HR help you?
HR or human resources are bound to help applicants and employees with all the processes, and also assist the team leaders and business owners with the same. They mainly suggest their four valuable principles to soothe the tension between the leader and the employee while being involved in a discussion. This is when it is important for you to follow a few laws such as- Empathy, Discreetness, Procedure, and Empiricism. To know about them briefly, keep reading till the end.
- Show empathy:
Empathy is the key to being an incredible human being. Always show some empathy towards your employees while having difficult conversations with them. Don’t get angry and try to collect intricate details about their life. It might be so that they are going through a difficult phase in their life, and their poor performance in the workplace is just a reflection of their disturbed mind.
So be a good listener and hear them out. Ask them about their problems and try to give them some suggestions which can help them out. Remember not to use harsh words as your anger can make their life more complicated. Your compassion will make them feel at home even when away from one. As a result, it will shoot off their productivity at work.
- Discreetness:
As an HR you should always suggest the manager to be sensible all the time. Sometimes when you confront an employee for some reason, they might feel emotionally attacked. You never know how your single statement can create a big issue.
So always be prudent and avoid discussing anything with your employees in your workplace. Choose a vacant room or a personal place to settle down the matter without any interference. This will help to keep the matter private between you and the employee.
- Empiricism:
Having a challenging conversation can make you feel impulsive. As a result, the employee can get hurt, and none of your sweet words can subdue their feelings. You may get agitated and forget your limits. This kind of circumstances leaves a wrong impression of you and affects the sentiments of the employee.
Hence, make sure that you always stay calm and don’t forget your humanity. Whenever you find yourself in this situation, do small talks and try to overcome the ominous atmosphere. Remember that your bad behavior with employees can hamper the efficiency of the workplace. Irrespective of the nature of the problem, communicate with your employee well. This will help both of you to share the common working space and avoid uncomfortable conversations.
- Clear cut plans and detailed procedure:
After coming to terms with the issue, it is essential to address it. Make sure you take immediate action to make your company more progressive. Try to make a detailed document of all the necessary points by yourself and discuss them among other employees.
Provide your employees with clear cut plans and data and prepare a schedule for them. This will help your employees to work at ease. Additionally, don’t get agitated to answer your employees' queries and always appreciate their hard work.
Conclusion:
If you are a new HR executive, a team leader, or a business owner, witnessing a number of challenging workplace situations might be a common stance. Instead of refraining from them, address them with the right sensibility and handle with ease. As a leader of Human Resource, it’s your responsibility to safeguard your company’s image and reputation.
Gaurav Punetha
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