Home Health & Hospice Week

Get your ‘problem employee’ on a new behavioral track with clear, strong communication that keeps him from becoming defensive.

You may have a worker who is consistently late to work or misses her deadlines. How can you discuss the situation and suggest improvement in a manner that inspires cooperation?

Delivering the right feedback is more psychological than anything. “It’s a matter of making people want to improve,” says Thomas Connellan, former research associate and professor at the University of Michigan. “And the only way to do this is to address [the problem behavior] in a manner that inspires people. If you do not have a methodology for doing this effectively, the problem will fester. The worst thing that can happen is that you don’t address the issue and it continues or gets worse.”

Connellan says there are five keys to effective communication that will result in a positive resolution to an issue:

1. Define the issue. Before you ask the first question, state the performance issue matter-of-factly. Don’t be judgmental, don’t blame anybody, and don’t attempt to evaluate the problem. “Think of your statement as a mirror,” Connellan says. “If the facts are clear and indisputable, not loaded with opinion or blame, the person will see an exact image of his own behavior. Then he can begin to change that behavior.”

2. Ask for solutions. Incorporate her into the decision-making process. You simply want to facilitate solutions — not cause more problems, so avoid asking “why” or “how” questions, such as, “How did this happen?” Focus on future-oriented questions that empower the individual, like, “What needs to be done to correct this?”

3. Explore options. Think of your dialogue as a brainstorming session. Don’t evaluate each solution as it comes up; this is not the right time. Invite any suggestion she wants to make.

4. Reinforce positive responses. Once you’ve finished compiling suggestions, you should decide which ones will work the best and are the most practical.

5. Close the deal. “You should summarize your discussion and propose an agreement,” Con-nellan says. Also, arrange a time to meet again. Use that time to review progress.