Damage caused by employee

Tom Dunlap said:
Praise in public

Punish in private

Find employees doing think right and let them know that you know

It took me a while to learn not to flip out when a mistake was made. Mistakes do need to be addressed of course. So do successes
Click to expand...

Ya if I see something I always try to wait till nobody else is around and address them but in a conversation-type discussion. Obviously if it was a life or death situation and something serious happened it might call for a more aggressive approach. It doesn't help the situation to get ticked off and start yelling. I always try to acknowledge good things my employees do when I see them, and if needed address issues that need to be worked on. I don't like to think of it as scolding or "punishing," but teaching them so they can learn. If something happens that shouldn't, it can be a learning experience for the whole crew.
 
Tom ..so dubiously genteel. I thought all you said were gimmes in this world, some folks come off like back doorssorta like my og post. I'm left handed sorry monkey..thought this could been a fun thread..Everyone so quaint..Puppy training stinks.. your all great. Thanks for putting up with my shit..;)
 
Like Shigo said many times...I've just relearned what someone else already new. I haven't had many original ideas

Those guips came from the One Minute Manager books. Very easy reading and easy to incorporate.

Learning and knowing are different though.
 
There’s definitely two styles you can adopt when handling this. You can treat it objectively and have criteria to be met that corresponds with your repercussions. Or you can be subjective and go on a case by case basis. The objective approach can be the most consistent and make every sanction fair throughout. While the subjective approach can come from a more understanding philosophy which considers variables and conditions. Either way tough decisions have to be made and nobody wins
 
1. Fix the damage. 2. Let the employee know how much it cost. 3. Analyze together the source of the error or accident. 4. Use it as a learning opportunity for as many employees as need to hear it. 5. Most likely steps 1-4 are sufficient, but if necessary, sanction or fire.

BTW, the character of the employee is revealed during an event like this. An excellent guy will, if it is a result of his own error (rather than an unforeseeable accident), step forward almost ashamed of himself asking if he can make it right. The guy who wants to avoid blame or who lies or hides facts and details...well there is character revealed too.

When you are running an excellent business you have got to be accountable yourself to the customer and you rely upon the honesty of your people, even if they damage things now and again. A crew member who is constantly damaging things or is dishonest about damage should be corrected or eliminated.
 
Last edited:
Making a company culture of admitting to mistakes and fixing it, rather than hiding it and hoping it isn't seen is going to bite you in the butt one way or another.

I don't want stuff broken.

MUCH MORE, I don't want to find out about broken stuff when its needed at that moment, or upon word from a customer.
 
I’ve had a few....
Some adult men take correction better than others. Finding out why what happened happened. Sometimes that can be praiseworthy and other times not.
Sometimes you deal with it employee that is truly remorseful, other times it’s with some Jerk attitude who could care less. The poor attitude/jerk is the one that you escort out the door.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
With regard to southsoundtree's post above, I'd add that it's important to also have a company culture that gives employees a feeling of safety in admitting mistakes. If an employee feels like they're going to get read the riot act for an error, it can promote a "Well, I can't see it from my house" mentality. Analyze the incident and determine the root cause. Is it a training issue? Were there mitigating factors putting the employee into a conflict between production and safety?

These tend to be issues best dealt with off the job-site.
 
x2
As a business the focus needs to be on making it right with the customer or the individual who suffered the loss. I've been on both sides of it. Where the boss hasn't taken to brow beating me but worked to repair the damage, it sure makes it easier to report and to strive to avoid causing damage. I become aware of the cost to the company and understand what that means in business terms (reduced profits).

Recently I was on the receiving end of an incident. My truck was parked in the yard and one of the other drivers backed the trailer into it gashing open the passenger door ala the Titanic iceberg. The boss called me right away to let me know of the incident and what was going to happen. That mitigated the situation and left me feeling glad he approaches things like this the way he does.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom