12.29.03
 Ask
Susan Dunn, EQ Expert
You
get through college with IQ, but you get through life with EQ—emotional
intelligence. 80% of the qualities that lead to success are “soft”skills,
EQ. People with high EQ experience less stress, enjoy better health,
demonstrate higher levels of morale and performance, and report
a better quality of life. It’s competencies like resilience,
optimism, intentionality, and empathy. It’s applicable to
team work, leadership, motivation, negotiation, ethics, and sales.
EQ isn’t new, but full recognition of its value is.
Do you have any questions about emotional intelligence in the workplace?
Send your questions to Susan: SDunn@SusanDunn.cc.
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By Susan Dunn
Dear Susan,
How do I motivate people/ co-employees to come to work on
time?
J.
Dear J,
Apparently their values and work ethics do not include “coming to
work on time" and you have an ingrained company culture of tardiness.
Since this is the case, and what you propose is not going to be popular,
you can't "motivate" with words alone.
This leaves you with the only two things we ever have – reward and
punishment (or the carrot and the stick). The bifurcation point will
be whether or not you have the authority to hire and fire.
If you have authority over these people:
Think of Peter the Great (tsar of Russia), determined to change the
culture of Russia and bring it in line with European powers, lest
it become one of their colonies as they proceeded to divvy up the
known world. Peter decreed the boars (nobles) should cut off their
beards. No small thing, because the length of one's beard determined
one's chances of entering Russian Orthodox heaven. Fearlessly, he
proceeded. He used land to "motivate" them. Those who complied received
large land grants (which means serfs, which meant wealth). Those who
did not, lost land (serfs, wealth and status). Follow that model!
Let's assume the "reward" route. State the act that you will be rewarding
-- coming in on time. You can publicly praise those who come in on
time (weak), or set up a program where X number of "on times" warrants
a day off or other perc (strong). Personally I'm not in favor of rewarding
people for what they should be doing in the first place. It becomes
a domino affect - next they'll expect to be rewarded for wearing long
pants.
The quickest way is to fire someone. As they say in the justice system,
it won't "motivate" them, but it will send a message. If it’s in your
Policies and Procedures Manual, it shouldn’t be a problem. Doing this
gets their attention and will save you a lot of "breath." (Check with
HR. Texas, where I live is an "employment-at-will" state.)
(If this isn't addressed in your P&P Manual, get it in there!)
If it’s not just one or two people, but nearly everyone, you should
precede this with an amnesty of sorts. Do a Clean Sweep. Call a meeting
to address this issue and what you plan to do about it. This is not
a discussion, nor a group decision, nor is it negotiable. Have your
NEW policy in writing. Address only this one issue. Have each person
sign the “contract” which now is the basis for their continued employment.
Acknowledge that, yes, this has been going on, and was “accepted,”
but that from now on, coming in late is not acceptable. Anyone who
comes in late, starting tomorrow, will (write out the repercussions).
Be prepared for the fact that you may have to fire someone, or start
them on whatever disciplinary procedure you've outlined in writing.
If you're afraid to do that, none of this will work. What you say
has to have "teeth".
You must:
1. State that regardless of what’s been going on in the past,
new policy starts tomorrow and is not negotiable. It is part of the
terms of continued employment.
2. Outline consequences clearly and with no apology.
3. Give each person their own contract to sign, saying that
they have read the policy, understand it, and agree to follow it as
terms of their continued employment.
4. Be prepared to act on this immediately if there is an infraction.
5. Be prepared for “excuse of the month club.” You must go
over in your head any “excuses” you will consider.
6. It is best to say something like “two tardies in one pay
period regardless of reason will result in termination.”
If you do not act on what you say, it will not be obeyed. You will
lose credibility on that issue, and on all others. You will have established
that you don't mean what you say, so it can be ignored.
Work out "acceptable excuses" in your head, ahead of time, because
under the emotional pressure of the situation ("But my car wouldn't
start ... but my partner didn't set the alarm ... But no one told
me... My dog died ... ) it is not easy to think clearly. (Review your
EQ competencies!)
If you do not have authority over these people (you say “co-employees”):
Find the right time and place to have a discussion with each, in private
and as congenially as possible, where you discuss the benefits to
all of coming in on time. Make sure you address what’s in it for them,
i.e., better projects, better work product, promotions, goodwill,
positive energy, raises, less contention. This may not be possible.
It relies on their having promptness as part of their work ethic,
and apparently they do not, and of their desire to please and get
along.
In either case:
Alternatively, or additionally, you could approach HR with the suggestion
of bringing an EQ program to your workplace, where this issue could
be addressed unemotionally in terms of overall respect, values and
integrity.
I hope this is helpful. Good luck!
Warm regards,
Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach™
About the Author:
(C) Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, brings emotional intelligence to the
workplace with individual and executive coaching, workshops, presentations,
Internet courses, the EQ Learning Lab and ebooks. Visit her on the
web at http://www.susandunn.cc
and sdunn@susandunn.cc for
FREE EQ ezine. Please put "EQ ezine" for the subject line. EQ Alive!
- http://www.eqcoach.net - the
tools and training you need to coach emotional intelligence, for coaches,
managers, therapists, counselors. Classes starting monthly.
Susan
Dunn Answers Professional Development Questions: Click Here For Free
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