The Manager's Troubleshooter: Pinpointing the Causes and Cures of 125 Tough Day-to-Day Problems

by Mary Albright (With), Clay Carr, Mary Albright

Overview

Completely revised and updated to reflect today's changing office environment, this complete collection of proven-effective techniques and business-tested strategies shows you exactly how to resolve and eliminate the counterproductive work habits of your staff, your boss, and your fellow managers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780132403009
Publisher:	Wolters Kluwer Law & Business
Publication date:	08/15/1996
Pages:	462
Product dimensions:	6.05(w) x 8.99(h) x 1.29(d)

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction iv
Chapter 1, Troubleshooting Problems with Your Employees
1­1: Your employees frequently produce unacceptable work
(ELEPHANT) 2
1­2: Your workgroup won't stick with new methods long
enough to learn them (ELEPHANT) 5
1­3: Your workgroup doesn't like to deal with its internal
customers (ELEPHANT) 8
1­4: There's serious in-group fighting among your employees (WOLF)
12
1­5: Your workgroup is demoralized and produces only so-so
work (WOLF) 15
1­6: Your workgroup has a very low (self-imposed) production bogey (WOLF)
18
1­7: Your employees respond to suggested changes with "We've always done it this way" (WOLF)
20
1­8: Your workgroup has a poor reputation in the organization (WOLF)
23
1­9: Your employees are openly resentful of a newer employee you've just promoted to a senior position (WOLF)
26

Chapter 2, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by Today's Social Environment
2­1: An employee brags to others (falsely) that she's your lover (SHARK) 31
2­2: An employee tells you that another employee (one of your best) is using cocaine on the job (ELEPHANT) 34
2­3: An employee complains that her team leader is sleeping with another employee (ELEPHANT) 37
2­4: An employee accuses another employee of racism or sexism(ELEPHANT)
39
2­5: An employee brings his children to work whenever his babysitter can't take them (WOLF) 43
2­6: Two new employees speak very poor English (WOLF) 47
2­7: You've just hired a minority group member with very high ratings who turns out to be a poor performer (WOLF) 50
2­8: Youremployees seem to be dressing more sloppily every
day (WOLF) 53
2­9: Your employees complain that work isn't fun (WOLF) 56

Chapter 3, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by the Personal Life of an Employee
3­1: An employee has serious health problems (ELEPHANT) 62
3­2: An employee appears to be under the influence of alcohol
or drugs on the job (ELEPHANT) 64
3­3: An employee takes a lot of time off from work because of
serious problems in his personal life (WOLF) 67
3­4: An employee comes to work frequently with alcohol on her breath (WOLF) 69
3­5: One of your employees was involved with another employee and they've broken up, very messily (WOLF) 71

Chapter 4, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by the Current Performance of an Employee
4­1: An employee has angered a key supplier by his offensive manner (SHARK) 75
4­2: A worker is new to the workgroup and properly qualified, but is very poorly motivated (ELEPHANT) 78
4­3: An employee has been an average performer but is slipping to the point that he's now unacceptable (ELEPHANT) 81
4­4: An employee who usually does outstanding work has just fouled up an important job (ELEPHANT) 85
4­5: An employee is new and not doing well, but won't accept help at doing better (WOLF) 88
4­6: A worker is new and can't seem to learn the harder parts of the job (WOLF) 92
4­7: An employee meets a deadline by producing a substandard report (WOLF) 94
4­8: A new employee started out well, but his performance is deteriorating (WOLF) 99

Chapter 5, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by the Continuing, Intentional Performance of an Employee
5­1: An employee is a poor worker because she won't follow work procedures (ELEPHANT) 104
5­2: An employee on a flexible work schedule has falsified his work hours (ELEPHANT) 107
5­3: An employee gives priority to the work she likes, not to what needs to be done (WOLF) 110
5­4: A good worker consistently violates company rules to get his work done (WOLF) 113
5­5: An employee refuses to use new work procedures or technology (WOLF) 115
5­6: An employee continually gives other employees substandard work (WOLF) 119
5­7: An employee tries to win customers by bad-mouthing your competitors (WOLF) 122
5­8: An employee uses his work-at-home schedule as an opportunity to do no work (WOLF) 126

Chapter 6, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by the Continuing Unintentional Performance of an Employee
6­1: An employee is poorly organized and consistently misses deadlines (ELEPHANT) 130
6­2: An employee has a tremendous attitude, but isn't producing satisfactory work (ELEPHANT) 133
6­3: An employee doesn't deliver what he promised (WOLF) 136
6­4: A good performer goes to pieces under pressure (WOLF) 139
6­5: An employee produces a high volume of low-quality work (WOLF)142
6­6: An employee produces high-quality work, but too little of it (WOLF) 145
6­7: An employee is technically your best worker but has a tremendously negative attitude (WOLF) 148
6­8: An employee is a marginal performer, but an informal leader in the group (WOLF) 151
6­9: An employee clearly isn't suited to the job (WOLF) 155

Chapter 7, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by the Intentional Misbehavior of an Employee
7­1: An employee is one of your best workers but has lied under oath in an investigation (SHARK) 159
7­2: An employee embarrassed you in front of your boss(ELEPHANT)163
7­3: An employee may have lied about having completed an assignment (ELEPHANT) 166
7­4: An employee is trying to discredit a coworker(ELEPHANT)168
7­5: An employee uses company property at home for his personal use (WOLF) 171
7­6: An employee is habitually late for work (WOLF) 174

Chapter 8, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by an Employee Who Challenges Your Authority
8­1: An employee publicly refuses to follow an order(SHARK)179
8­2: An employee ignores your directions to cooperate with a manager he doesn't like (ELEPHANT) 182
8­3: An employee goes over your head when you give him an order he doesn't like (ELEPHANT) 185
8­4: An employee publicly criticizes you (ELEPHANT) 189
8­5: An employee brags that you can't do anything to him because of his friendship with your boss (ELEPHANT) 191
8­6: An employee tries to sabotage you with other employees (ELEPHANT) 194
8­7: An employee refuses to work emergency overtime WOLF) 197

Chapter 9, Troubleshooting Problems Caused by Downsizing
9­1: An employee is negotiating with your competitors to go to work for them with her customer list (SHARK) 203
9­2: A group of employees tells you they've heard that the company is going to continue to downsize (ELEPHANT) 206
9­3: An employee tells you that if your workgroup has to take on any more new work because of downsizing they will deluge you with grievances (ELEPHANT) 209
9­4: An employee who expects to be caught in the next downsizing stops producing (ELEPHANT) 213
9­5: Your workgroup has been given a new function that you don't understand (ELEPHANT) 217
9­6: You have to take a displaced worker from another area when you desperately need someone who's fully trained in your unit's work (ELEPHANT) 219
9­7: An employee is using company information with his own private clients (ELEPHANT) 223
9­8: An employee spends most of her work time looking for another job (WOLF) 226
9­9: You have a new manager who's been assigned your workgroup to manage but refuses to learn anything about its work (WOLF) 230

Chapter 10, Troubleshooting Problems Made Worse by Downsizing
10­1: Because of the high-pressure work environment, your employees are competing with one another when they need to cooperate (ELEPHANT) 236
10­2: An employee seems to be becoming unbalanced from work stresses (ELEPHANT) 239
10­3: Your manager makes unreasonable demands for quality or quantity of work (ELEPHANT) 243
10­4: Your boss tells you she's going to downsize your group, even though the workload is increasing (ELEPHANT) 247
10­5: Your manager refuses to let you fire nonperformers ELEPHANT) 250
10­6: Your best workers are leaving for other jobs (WOLF) 254
10­7: Your manager takes credit for what you do (WOLF) 258

Chapter 11, Troubleshooting Problems Involving Empowerment and Teamwork
11­1: Your employees think being empowered means they don't have to listen to you (ELEPHANT) 263
11­2: Another manager won't cooperate with you on a joint project (ELEPHANT) 268
11­3: Your manager keeps telling you to turn your workgroup into a self-managing team, with no guidance on how (WOLF) 271
11­4: Your manager overrules you every time you try to empower your workgroup (WOLF) 275
11­5: An employee is a "loner" who won't work with the group (WOLF) 280
11­6: An employee won't tell you when something's bothering her, then disrupts the group (WOLF) 284
11­7: Another manager refuses to deal with anyone in your work unit but you (WOLF) 288
11­8: Another manager accuses your unit of undermining her authority with her unit (WOLF) 292

Chapter 12, Troubleshooting Ethical Problems Caused by Your Boss
12­1: He tells you to "fudge" the figures on a report you prepare (SHARK) 297
12­2: He tells you to destroy a report that identifies serious safety hazards in the work area (SHARK) 299
12­3: She asks you to lend her a large amount of money ELEPHANT) 302
12­4: He refuses to accept work from a senior worker because she's female (ELEPHANT) 305
12­5: He tells you to fire a good employee whom he doesn't like (ELEPHANT) 308
12­6: He asks you for a date, even though he's married (WOLF) 310
12­7: She tells you to give a high rating to an employee who isn't very good (WOLF) 314

Chapter 13, Troubleshooting Your Own Personal Problems
13­1: You let your boss get caught with a problem you should have warned him about (SHARK) 319
13­2: An employee accuses you of sexual harassment (SHARK) 321
13­3: You missed the deadline on a major project (SHARK) 325
13­4: You've taken over a supposedly well-run unit that's actually on the verge of disintegration (SHARK) 328
13­5: You lied to your boss about finishing a project and now she's found out about it (SHARK) 332
13­6: You often can't answer your boss' questions about work status (ELEPHANT) 336
13­7: You never find out how your workgroup is doing unless you get into trouble (ELEPHANT) 340

Chapter 14, Troubleshooting Problems with Another Manager
14­1: A manager is trying to take over one of your functions (SHARK)
346
14­2: A manager keeps criticizing you to your boss (ELEPHANT) 350
14­3: A manager lets his unit keep giving you substandard work (ELEPHANT) 353
14­4: A manager complains constantly about your workgroup's output (ELEPHANT) 356
14­5: A manager is trying to recruit your best employees WOLF) 359
14­6: A manager won't cooperate with you unless you give his projects special priority (WOLF) 363

Chapter 15, Troubleshooting Internal Management Problems
15­1: The new employees you're getting aren't doing well(ELEPHANT) 368
15­2: You can't promote a talented, ambitious employee who is already looking for jobs outside the company (ELEPHANT) 372
15­3: One of your best workers has asked to go part time so she can attend college just as an important project is starting (ELEPHANT) 375
15­4: One of your best employees has asked you to make an exception to a rule for her (WOLF) 378
15­5: Your unit's supplies are being pilfered, but you don't know who's doing it (WOLF) 382

Chapter 16, Troubleshooting Problems That Your Boss Causes
16­1: He assigns you a high-priority project that you have no one capable of working on (SHARK) 386
16­2: She gives you a poor performance rating (ELEPHANT) 388
16­3: He gives a major new project that should have been yours to another section (ELEPHANT) 392
16­4: He isn't clear about assignments (WOLF) 394
16­5: She keeps pitting you against another workgroup you need to work closely with (WOLF) 397
16­6: He chews you out in front of other managers (WOLF) 401

Chapter 17, Troubleshooting Problems With Your Boss
17­1: He wants one of his people in your job (SHARK) 406
17­2: He's talking about abolishing your job (SHARK) 409
17­3: He complains about you to your peers and his boss(ELEPHANT) 412
17­4: He thinks you're out for his job (ELEPHANT) 414
17­5: He "micro-manages" you and won't delegate ELEPHANT) 417
17­6: He refuses to support your decisions when they're unpopular (ELEPHANT) 420
17­7: She doesn't like you (ELEPHANT) 423
17­8: She's a good friend of one of your hard-to-manage employees (WOLF) 427
17­9: He bypasses you to your workgroup (WOLF) 430
Problem-Solving Checklists 435
The General Checklist 436
Checklist #1: Performance Problems 437
Checklist #2: Conduct/Behavior Problems 439
Checklist #3: Acceptance Problems 440
Checklist #4: Problems with Your Peers 441
Checklist #5: Problems with Your Boss 443
Checklist #6: Your Personal Problems 444
Checklist #7: Substance Abuse Problems 445
Index 449