need help managing people at work

[s_gosney]

So, I'm relatively new to this whole thing of having people who I'm responsible for managing, and I'm not quite used to the feeling of being somewhere other than bottom of the totempole. So, one of the girls that works on our project as a grad asst has a habit of surfing the web and having extended personal telephone conversations during her "work" time. Now, obviously I surf the web some too (as in right now LOL) and I might have a brief phone conversation. I think that some of that is to be expected. But how do you know when it's enough? Do you keep detailed logs of each time you walk by their desk and they're working/not working? That kind of seems like overkill, but I really don't know. In my days of BEING the subordinate, I always wished that people would just be fair...appreciate my work, and try to keep everyone else working too. Obviously I'm a goody goody. ;)
So...anyway, I'm just wondering what sorts of rules there are out there for things like this. Any good books or websites? This will most likely continue to be part of my job description for years to come and I really want to do it well. Thanks for any insight!

[Moneypenny]

Do you have an HR department that could fill you in on the practices at your particular workplace? If so, that would be the place to start. If not, the way I always advise the supervisors who ask me these questions is that it is a problem when you, the manager, deem it to be a problem. (NOTE: I work at a state institution so our employees are represented by a Union and we have very strict guidelines to follow.) We start here with a counseling session, which is basically a converstaion between you and the employee about what your expectations are (i.e. a brief and occassional personal call on work time is allowed; if all your work is done you may browse some websites, etc). Let the employee know that you feel the current actions are not acceptable, why they are not acceptable, and what she can do to make them acceptable. Let her know what will happen if she continues with the unacceptable behavior(verbal or written reprimand, etc). You are essentially putting the employee on notice that they need to change something. Most of the time, this is enough to stop the problem behavior. You can't expect someone to know they are doing something wrong if you don't tell them, so I always view this as a friendly conversation with serious undertones. If the problem continues after the counseling session, then document, document, document and let the employee know you are doing it. Then we follow a progression of written reprimand, 1 day suspension, 3 day suspension, 5 day suspension, discharge.

Whatever you do, I think it's important to get a plan in place right from the start so you can follow it with everyone who comes along. You want to be fair and equitable and it's hard to decide what to do when you're in the midst of a problem.

I think it's totally possible to be fair and demanding at the same time. I expect a lot from my employees, but I expect a lot from myself, too in terms of the time I put into being a good supervisor.

Good luck!
Susan
mama to my cutie pie, Avery
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We made it to a year!

[squimp]

I am no expert on this, but my suggestion would be to focus on her work. Is she getting things done when you expect her to? Is she missing deadlines, etc. and the work is suffering? If so, I'd talk with her about that, and bring up the web surfing and personal phone calls as a possible factor. My main concern would be the timeliness and quality of her work. Maybe she works long hours, and gets everything done, who knows. I would never keep logs of what people are doing, especially in an academic environment. I'd hate for someone to do that to me.

There also might be some subtle ways for you to make her aware that you know she is wasting time as you see it. If my boss looked over my shoulder and saw me looking at playdresses on Hanna Andersson 10 times a day, I'd probably reconsider how I spend my time.

[jodi_b]

I think Susan and Jana gave you excellent advice. I used to work in HR for a university. It was my job to advise supervisors and this was a question I heard a lot!

As Susan said, I would check with your HR department to be sure you're in line with their specific policies.

One thing to be aware of as you talk with the employee and document... there's a difference between how you would address this situation with an hourly (non-exempt) employee and a salaried (exempt) employee. A grad assistant position is probably exempt, but there may be some situations where it would be non-exempt. Your HR department can advise you.

Exempt employees are paid for the work they produce, not how much time they spend on the job. Therefore your conversations and documentation need to clearly reflect that how she's spending her time is impacting her work performance. If there are concerns about her work performance, it would be a good idea to start providing regular written performance feedback. If her work performance is good, it may be time to give her some new challenges.

Non-exempt employees are paid according to the amount of time that they work. It's still a good idea to focus on the impact on work performance, but you can generally address the time-wasting habits more directly.

Someone from the HR department should be willing to meet with you and walk you through the documentation. Most HR folks recognize the value of supporting new supervisors. It's MUCH easier than mediating between disgruntled employees and a frustrated supervisor!

Good for you for caring enough to want to do it well!

Jodi

ETA:
A book recommendation... Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye

It's not specific to the situation you're dealing with now, but it has a lot of great, practical ideas for becoming the kind of manager that employees love to work for.