01/ 29/ 2007
by Jeffrey Moses
The close-knit family feeling of many small businesses often makes it hard to reprimand an employee. There are times, however, when it's in the best interest of the business as a whole to do so. By keeping the reprimand as positive as possible, and by focusing on improvement of work and the employee's potentially greater value to the company, reprimands can also be in the best interest of the employee.
Reprimands should never be general, vague or based on rumor. A manager should set up an appointment with the employee and gather factual, concrete information upon which the reprimand will be based. (Avoid reprimanding an employee when others can hear. Such encounters discourage dialogue between manager and employee and make attaining a positive result much more difficult.)
The manager doing the reprimand should first state the complaint against the employee, giving specific mistakes or omissions in work, excessive tardiness or absenteeism, etc. Give dates of specific infractions, if possible. This will establish the reprimand as a valid concern that the company needs to address.
Then allow the employee to respond to the allegations. There is always the chance that allegations may not be true, may be exaggerated or may have extenuating circumstances. In all cases, the employee should be given the chance to explain.
If the explanation satisfies the manager giving the reprimand, the issue should be closed for the time being--but it should be stated to the employee that such behavior in the future will not be tolerated and may be cause for termination. The manager should take this opportunity to also discuss anything positive in the employee's work. This should be done in context of how the employee's responsibilities fit with the overall goals of the company. By reinforcing positive actions, the employee can walk away from the reprimand knowing that his behavior or attitude must improve, but understanding that the company values him when he performs good work.
If the employee's explanation does not satisfy the manager, or if the employee acknowledges the truth of the allegations, the manager should be prepared to show how the employee's work can be more valuable to the company by correcting or eliminating the activities for which he or she is being reprimanded. This requires advance planning by the manager and may include review of previous reprimands and discussions with the employee's supervisors and/or co-workers. A successful, positive reprimand requires a full understanding of the responsibilities of the employee.
Action steps should always be given at the end of a reprimand meeting, especially if the manager feels that the employee did what was alleged. Action steps usually consist of establishing benchmarks to determine improvement, including timelines, specific work/quality improvement, reports of progress by direct supervisors, etc. Also, a follow-up meeting should be set up to discuss progress--perhaps in one or two months, depending on the severity of the reprimand.
The benchmarks established during the meeting should be presented in a positive, educational light. The employee should be shown that, by improving performance, attendance or attitude, there is a greater chance for success at the company and in the person's overall career. The ideal reprimand ends with the employee realizing that he did something wrong, but that by taking positive steps to correct the problem, a better future can result.
