Constructive Confrontations
One remodeler who has confronted the issue constructively is Craig Deimler of Deimler & Sons Construction, in Harrisburg, Pa. “We recognize that people will face issues,” he says. “But we also recognize that if they abandon the responsibilities that provide their livelihood, we cannot be expected to be a welfare system.”
Deimler reached this conclusion the hard way, when an employee’s personal struggles dragged on so long that the company was badly affected. His policy now is this: “When we are made aware of the situation, we offer our support by helping [employees] get the counseling that they and/or their family needs. We offer a willing ear when they want it.” He then works with the employee to review the goals that were established in his or her annual review, identifying what can be reassigned or delayed and what must get done, by when.
They then set clear objectives, with cut-off dates, of what the employee must accomplish in order to remain employed.
“As much as I feel bad for the individual, I’ve got 28 families that depend on me,” Deimler says. More to the point, they depend on every employee carrying his or her share of the weight.
Here are some tips for balancing supportiveness and profitability:
Start at the top. Clearly spell out the company’s performance expectations and policies, and discuss company culture and values often with staff. Get buy-in on the notion that every act affects the reputation and profitability of the company as a whole, regardless of extenuating circumstances,
“Be as meticulous as humanly possible,” Braun says; ideally, many performance issues will “go straight to a rule.” At D/R Services Unlimited, in Chicago, for instance, employees who lose their driver’s license are effectively laid off until they regain driving privileges, president Ron Cowgill says.
At Newday Development, of Encino, Calif., president Louis Krokover got so tired of no-shows/no-calls on Mondays (rationalized on Tuesdays as the aftermaths of “a really bad weekend”) that he tells job candidates they’ll be fired after three unexcused absences.
Another persistent problem: deadbeat dads fleeing child-care obligations in another state. Krokover inquires about child support during interviews, explaining that he’ll have to garnish an employee’s wages if he is contacted by enforcement authorities.
Identify policies that encourage good behavior and discourage bad behavior.
Krokover does not loan money to staff. “It’s bad business,” he says. He also cuts paychecks midweek instead of on Fridays, to encourage employees to manage their money rather than blowing it on the weekend.
Live a positive culture. Being hard and fast about rules isn’t always possible, of course. “Life isn’t black and white,” says Liz Wilder, co-owner of Anthony Wilder Design/Build, in Cabin John, Md. “Our policy is to help people out when we can, and to build a culture to be responsible to one another.”
So even though Wilder’s team has some flexibility in work hours, those who arrive later in the morning understand that they’ll stick around later to cover evening hours. This group accountability ethic even extends beyond the workday. When a carpenter’s wife became sick, colleagues cooked meals and purchased a restaurant gift card for him and his children. When another one was moving, Wilder paid a few guys — out of her own pocket, not the company’s — to help out.
Touch base and monitor. “Managers and supervisors will always be the first line of support or intervention,” and they must lead consistently and by example, Braun says.
Use annual or semi-annual performance reviews to catch up on life and family issues, and to coach the employee through needed improvements. Some problems, such as alcoholism, can exist for years before the employer is aware. “Often employers just can’t figure it out until the employee is too far along” or disaster strikes, Swan says. Hence, be alert to red flags such as production slowdowns, frequent tardiness, or a dramatic change for the worse in the employee’s dress or appearance.