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Clear rules, not spying or trapping, best way to handle employee's lies
Q: One of my employees constantly tells little lies. If I ask when she got to work, she says 9 a.m., when it was really 9:20. If I call and ask what she's doing, she tells me she's filing, but I know from the security camera that she's been on a personal phone call for 15 minutes. When I mentioned this, she began to cry and said I was totally unreasonable. Now I don't trust her. She also cleans my house once a week. What should I do?
A: First of all, why is your employee cleaning your house? Mixing business and personal relationships often leads to trouble, so I strongly suggest that you find a different housekeeper. But your question wasn't about cleaning, so let's talk about lying.
Why are you asking questions when you already know the answers? Do you enjoy trapping people into confessing their sins? And your habit of surreptitiously watching employees on security cameras is a little creepy.
This approach almost invites your employee to lie, because people automatically try to avoid punishment. Although that doesn't excuse her dishonesty, a wiser management strategy would be to focus on prevention rather than detection.
To encourage proper behavior, you must establish clear guidelines for office conduct. How many times can employees be late? What happens if they exceed the limit? Are personal calls allowed? If so, what are the restrictions? Communicate your expectations to all concerned. Then, if some people fail to comply, take appropriate corrective action.
Q: Although I have a master's degree, I recently accepted a clerical position because I needed the pay and benefits. However, I have been offered a job in human resources, which is my professional field.
Is it ethical for me to resign after being with this organization such a short time? I don't want to burn any bridges.
A: I'm not a big fan of breaking commitments. But in this case, because your job is such a poor match for your qualifications, I think you should take the opportunity to return to your profession.
Staying with your current employer could cause you to become unhappy and resentful, which would not benefit anyone.
To make a graceful exit, start by having a sincere and straightforward conversation with your boss. Explain that this opportunity is directly related to your educational background and career goals. Tell him how bad you feel about leaving so quickly.
Then give as much notice as possible and do top-notch work for as long as you're there.
-- Marie G. McIntyre is an Atlanta-based workplace coach. Her weekly column is syndicated by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Send questions at www.yourofficecoach.com.
