Communication Challenges

Delivering Bad News

Delivering bad news is one of the most difficult tasks both personally and professionally. From telling a family member he or she has hurt you to disciplining a difficult employee, finding the right tactic is a challenge for most of us. There are many different styles people use from avoidance to aggression and each, believe it or not, can be effective depending on the situation such as avoiding a mentally unstable ex or using aggression when a person will not leave you alone any other way. Being in charge of other employees represents a number of challenges as there could be many different factors at play. The following situation is an example:

You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services. You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service. One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment. You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.

As a leader, conflict management is not only unavoidable; it is necessary. Adopting this attitude is an important first step to handling situations such as these. Realizing that unethical behavior affects everyone involved and that it must be confronted is imperative to maintaining a productive and amiable working environment. Employees must know that such behavior will not be tolerated and will be dealt with.

Listen: Whether you feel you should or not.

Although the employee in this example has received complaints by both customers and fellow co-workers, it is important to listen to his or her side of the story before heading into ultimatums and discipline. Shockley-Zalabak (2009) says that “Listening is as fundamental to effective communication as talking” (pg. 169). Things are not always as they seem and listening might uncover some part of the story that was not considered or that helps to clarify the situation; there could be way more going on than you anticipated. “Without a more thorough assessment, an organization can easily get into the habit of treating the symptom while ignoring the problem” (Giesen, 2008, pp. 3). If what we hear does not change the situation, we must begin using tactics to resolve the situation.

Tactics: Yes, we need them.

Shockley-Zalabak (2009) describes “Tactics for Conflict Maintenance” which include the following steps:

- “Describing what all parties have to gain AND lose.” This entails describing how the employee’s behavior affects the company, customers and co-workers. This interaction should consist of problem description rather than name-calling or attaching labels; for example, “avoiding strong, emotion-laden words” (pg. 322).

- “Agreeing to honor long-term relationship rules.” These rules may include expectations set forth in company policies. You must present clear evidence of company expectations and how the behavior falls short of those expectations.

- “Combining both escalation and reduction tactics.” Tiptoeing around specific information relating to the employee’s behavior such as what is being said in complaints would not be effective. It may escalate the situation but it is necessary to get to the root of as well as the resolution to the problem. Be direct and get the problem out without attacking.

- “Proposing areas of agreement and areas for compromise.” It is important to get a verbal agreement from the employee to work on the behavior and if there are areas of legitimate concern presented by the employee, finding possible areas of compromise. (pg. 311)

Escalation and Reduction: Expect an emotional response.

Many people, especially those with problem behavior, do not take well to hearing negative things about themselves. The employee will likely escalate; be prepared. “Limiting the choices of others,” which, in most cases involving employer/employee problems, is necessary, is likely to cause escalation and at this point, you may want to use reduction tactics which include “exhibiting concern for both facts and feelings” ((Shockley-Zalabak, 2009, pg. 310). It is important to balance the two. The way the employee perceives the situation may be entirely different or entirely wrong, but it is still his or her perception and should be taken into consideration. Allow him or her to express their feelings but do not allow escalation to cause you to back down; stay focused on the problem and its resolution.

Consequences: A fact of life.

Consequences are a fact of life; everyone faces them. Consequences and ultimatums should be assertive and non-negotiable, i.e. “this behavior must change or we will be forced to demote or terminate you as an employee.” Again, give examples of how the behavior affects the environment and reiterate the concern. If your company offers training that can benefit the employee, mandate it as a first step to improving the situation. If he or she is not good with customers, send him or her to Customer Service training. Set out a clear plan for improvement and communicate your expectations. Give a time frame for re-evaluation. These steps leave little room for misinterpretation of your expectations. Offer an open environment in which the employee can feel comfortable coming to you when they feel something is causing them to escalate which can eradicate a problem before it begins. Last but not least, clearly set out the consequences and stick to them. Those who find that you do not stick to what you say are likely to repeat the behavior.

References:

Geisen, G. (2008, July 9). Managing Organizational Conflict. Accessed June 12, 2010 from: http://www.selfgrowth.com/print/569195.

Shockley-Zalabak, P.S. (2009). Fundamentals of Organizational Communication: Knowledge, Sensitivity, Skills Values (7th Ed.) Boston: Pearson Education.