Supervisor Dilemma

Confronting an Employee that You Spend Time With Outside of Work

Author: Daniel A. Feerst

supervisor-socializes-with-employee-must-confront

Supervisor Dilemma: When You Socialize with the Employee You Must Confront

Nothing creates a bigger supervisor dilemma: when you socialize with the employee you must confront. There are so many questions and worries that surround the subject. How do you deal with the situation?

Is it possible to keep the friendship intact? What will all the other employees think? Can you cut your friend a break? Should you speak with them off hours about the situation? When a personal relationship enters the equation reasonable suspicion cases become almost impossibly complicated. How do you navigate these tricky waters?

The key to navigating the supervisor dilemma: when you socialize with the employee you must confront is to clearly separate your personal feelings from your work obligations. Outside of the office the two of you may be quite friendly, but in the office you need to keep it to business. The fact that you like the employee should have no bearing on the issues. This is about work performance, plain and simple. Focus on the ways the employee is failing at their job and plan to talk to them about those reasons and nothing else. Of course, while you are focused on remaining professional, your employee will have none of the same feelings.

Employees that are confronted with reasonable suspicion in the best circumstances are typically defensive and will attempt to play on your emotions. When there is a deeper personal relationship these attempts to manipulate the situation can become extremely pronounced. They will attempt to make you feel guilty, or to draw you into a sense of complicity. For example, if you are speaking to them on suspicion of a drinking problem they will remind you of any drinks you have shared and accuse you of double standards. The biggest supervisor dilemma: when you socialize with the employee you must confront is overcoming these diversions and staying focused on the issue at hand – the employee’s poor performance.

You may feel that the supervisor dilemma: when you socialize with the employee you must confront is nearly insurmountable but as long as you remain focused on the work related issues and ignore the attempts to bait you or make you complicitous you will be fine. If you are really concerned, speak to your line manager or your HR representative about it. No matter what, stay professional and keep the conversation focused on work and the observed unacceptable behaviors. By doing this you will sail through the situation successfully.

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Posted in Article | Tags: confronting, socializing


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