Much Ado About Conflict

The following is my Week 3 Assignment, as required, posted on my blog: 

Confronting an Employee with Bad News

Doraliza Longoria

February 27, 2012

COM480: Communication studies Capstone

Instructor: Kathleen Serra

 It is never easy or comfortable having to confront someone about a lack of performance in any situation or setting. When there are requirements that haven’t been met, not only does the customer suffer for it, but also the company. It can lead to increased workloads on coworkers and further frustrations that could escalate the root cause of the issue rather than helping. I think a very important point is that there are requirements not being met and this employee has been there for two years. This tells me that it is more likely that the employee is running into a new issue or temporary problem that is causing them grief and affecting their performance. There are a few steps that would need to be taken to assure that this meeting, distasteful as it is to all involved, will be quiet and contained as well as reaching the goals set by the company.
Because of the sensitive nature and possible confrontation ahead, as the manager I would request that another member of management or a union steward, if available, accompany myself and the employee to the meeting. It should be held away from the rest of the group, even so far as removing to another floor of the building or using a room away from the main foot traffic areas or where other employees may be expecting to congregate. Care should be taken to close the door as well, so as to prevent not only eavesdroppers but to contain the conversation should it become confrontational. Once the employee is there, I would invite all to sit if not already seated and open the discussion by introducing the reason for the meeting. By focusing on the issue and not the employee, the meeting avoids the appearance of laying blame or of picking on them. The conflict needs s to be indentified apart from the individual (Gregory Smith, 1999). 
With the conflict identified, the next step would be to establish guidelines for all parties to follow. Obviously there needs to be some sort of give and take, as I would be looking for an explanation from the employee as to why their performance is suffering. I would let them know what the issue was and ask them to be open to discussing possible solutions and allowing the company to help them find a better path. I would let them know that the goal was to bring to light whatever was the root cause and work together to solve it. Hopefully this would bring the employee some comfort and ease and allow them to discuss things without getting all sorts of upset.
Once the issue is out in the open, it is the company’s turn to discuss the hostile working environment and go over what performance is being missed or failed. With this, it is a good idea to let the employee know what they are facing and go over the disciplinary steps as well as their current standing. To provide goodwill, the situation causing the issue should be taken into consideration as well, because sometimes life really does interfere and can cause people further hardship. With the employee sharing and talking, it would be of extreme importance to be accommodating to them (Walsh, 2011). Some corporations use a method to give the employee a little bit of breathing room. They can be given some time off, paid or unpaid and without punishment, to determine if they were going to choose to continue with the company and turn their poor performance around or decide to continue on the path they were on with the understanding of the possible consequences.
Concluding the meeting I would ask the employee if there were questions that they needed addressed and have everyone sign paperwork stating what was discussed and the path of action that the employee was going to take to show improvement. 


References
Flannery, Blake. (na). Conflict can be Good. Hubpages. Retrieved on February 27, 2012 from http://blakeflannery.hubpages.com/hub/Conflict-Management-Insight-and-Skills
N.A. (na). Conflict Resolution: Resolving conflict rationally and effectively. Mind Tools. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_81.htm
N.A. (October 2006). Methods for Resolving Conflicts and Disputes. Retrieved on February 23, 2012 from http://www.okbar.org/public/brochures/confbroc.htm
Smith, Gregory. (1999). Management and Human Resources: How to Resolve Workplace Conflict. Retrieved on February 27, 2012 from http://www.businessknowhow.com/manage/resolveconflict.htm
Walsh, Michael. (2011). Five Strategies for Resolving Conflict in the Workplace. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://business-growth.com/2008/07/07/five-strategies-for-resolving-conflict-in-the-workplace/