Summer can be a tricky time for small business owners. Even though the sun is out and dispositions become sunnier as a result, businesses can feel the strain as a greater number of employees inevitably go away on holiday.
The summer season also creates some problematic, and sometimes awkward, employee issues. For example, how do you deal with an employee who wears inappropriately skimpy shorts to the office, or someone with bad body odour which is causing complaints from their colleagues? With the Olympics taking place, how do you speak to a colleague who keeps sneaking out of the office to watch events on their phone?
As a small business owner, chances are you have to deal with human resources issues solo, without a dedicated professional to help you out. This can be difficult and is often one of the hardest things an employer has to deal with.
Often a tricky issue with an employee can be solved with one, albeit awkward, conversation. However, playing one of these conversations wrong could be costly, with a disgruntled member of staff more likely to bring legal action against their employer if they feel they have been discriminated against. Alternatively, an employee could work less effectively if they feel upset as a result of a miscalculated conversation with their boss, or they could start to look for another job. Here’s my advice for handling these tricky conversations.
Make sure your policies are in place and up-to-date
It can be difficult to ask your employee to stop wearing a low cut dress if there’s no uniform policy. Having a formal document to refer to should make the conversation easier and more straightforward – the member of staff should find it hard to argue with an official policy that is applied consistently across the workforce.
Don’t pass the buck
Often, inappropriate behaviour will be brought to light through other employees’ complaints. It’s usually not appropriate nor necessary to share this information with your staff member. If they know it’s a problem for their colleagues they’re more likely to be upset or act in a hostile manner.
Be prepared before you start the conversation
Don’t go into these sorts of chats purely based on the observations of others – you never know, these could be based on a vendetta against the individual.
Think about body language
Be positive. Smiling encouragingly, and nodding your head can be really simple ways to reassure an employee you’re listening and to make the conversation easier for all concerned.
Don’t get emotional
In these awkward conversations, emotions can run high. It is important that, as the employer, you don’t get upset or angry, even if the employee starts hurling around insults or accusations. Control the conversation, discuss the issue and agree next steps.
Be mindful
Addressing personal issues, such as an employee’s body odour, is something HR personnel and business owners worry about the most. Rehearse what you want to say before you sit down with the employee. Bear in mind that although the issue of bad body odour may seem unpleasant in the office and a source of complaints from other employees, it may indicate a bigger problem, so it’s best not to joke about it. It could be linked to the employee’s wellbeing – they may not be looking after themselves because of problems at home, or even have a medical condition that is causing it. Take the problem seriously and deal with it sensitively.
Talking to an employee about a sensitive personal issue can be one of the hardest things about being an owner/manager of an SME. Not ignoring issues and ensuring problems are dealt with swiftly and sensitively can make sure a sweary colleague, or one with poor personal hygiene, doesn’t turn into a major business headache.
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