Editor's note: As an employer, you are
ultimately responsible for your employees behavior. With each employee
and everything they do, you must be constantly aware and constantly evaluate
whether this is the attitude that you want as a representation of you and your
company to both the customers and your other employees.
Bad
employee behavior has sunk more than one business and it costs employers
millions of dollars every day. It can drive away customers, it can ruin
the morale of other employees or drive them away, and most of all, bad
employee behavior can cost you more than sales, it can cost you attorney fees
and legal judgments. Jan B. King isolates four employee behaviors that
can trash your business.
Four Employee Behaviors That Can Kill Your Business
by: Jan B. King
I found it important to clarify for employees what “deal-breaker”
behavior was at my company. These are the things I insisted would not be
tolerated and would lead to immediate or ultimate termination, depending on the
nature of the infraction of these hard and fast rules. Here are the behaviors I
would not tolerate:
1. Gossip. Rumors can be incredibly disruptive to a company. A lack of
information can get rumors started, and frank explanations can usually stop
them. However, some employees thrive on the admiration of others when they seem
to be “in the know.” Define gossip as clearly as you can and tell employees
what you expect them to do when they hear it. First and foremost, that you
don’t repeat it. Along the same lines of gossip, remind employees that all
e-mail sent or received on company computers is considered company business and
not private correspondence.
2. Violence or threatening or abusive behavior. Termination should be
immediate for any employee who engages in any form of violent or abusive
behavior. Workplace violence includes threatened or actual abuse and can be
verbal or physical. These behaviors only escalate with time and are never
excusable. Any employees involved in workplace violence should leave the
workplace immediately and be placed on a paid leave of absence for a few days
while you investigate the situation and consult with your attorney. Don’t
assume this couldn’t happen in your company—it’s estimated by the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that two million Americans
are victims of workplace violence annually.
3. Dishonesty and theft. The term theft can include the theft of time, office
supplies, and the use of office equipment for personal projects. Set standards
for what is acceptable use of company assets. Security experts say as many as 30
percent of workers steal, resulting in an estimated loss of $50 billion a year
from U.S. companies and contributing to as many as one-third of business
bankruptcies.
As for dishonesty, I have a zero-tolerance approach. I dismissed members of
my accounting staff for what may seem to be petty reasons: one for using $5 of
petty cash as personal lunch money, another for telling me he was home sick when
he was out of state on a long weekend vacation. If key staff members are not
honest with you about small things, how can you be sure they will tell the truth
“when it counts?”
4. Substance abuse. Substance abuse is more rampant than most employers know.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that from 6% to 11%
of adults are substance abusers. Substance abuse costs U.S. employers an
estimated $100 billion a year. Call your attorney to make certain you follow the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Illegal drugs are expensive
and have led financially desperate employees to commit fraud. They have also
been implicated in violent behavior in the workplace.
Commit to setting standards in your workplace and you will find a calmer
atmosphere, less turnover, and more attention to productivity, growth, and
profitability.
About The Author
Jan B. King is the former President & CEO
of Merritt Publishing, a top 50 woman-owned and run business in Los Angeles
and the author of Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning
Strategies into Action (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). She has helped hundreds
of businesses with her book and her ebooks, The Do-It-Yourself Business Plan
Workbook, and The Do-It-Yourself Game Plan Workbook. See www.janbking.com
for more information. jan@janbking.com
