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Tag Archives: investigations

The Micromanager

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Employee Relations, General Management, Talent Management

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

employee relations, hr, human resources, investigations

Image Credit: <www.forbes.com

Image Credit: <www.forbes.com>

…Just a few errant thoughts this morning:

During my time in Human Resources I’ve seen all sorts of management styles: One sort that has always fascinated me, however, is the authoritarian micromanager. This person lords over every action his or her direct reports take with little tolerance for deviation from direction.

For much of my career I’ve been flatly opposed to this style of supervision. Personally, I’ve always believed that the best way to manage direct reports is to assume competence, give them your confidence, and make them prove you right or wrong on both counts via work performance over time.

…Still, lately I can’t help but notice that sometimes micromanagement is extremely effective. Not every employee (or workforce) can self-direct; in these instances sometimes the best results come not from letting people utilize independent discretion and judgement, but by taking it away in lieu of getting the job done the best way.

I’m not saying micromanagement is by any means the best way to lead a team – the lack of autonomy can kill employee engagement (which has long-term retention implications).

It can (at times) produce some seriously great results, though.

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

If you have questions about something you’ve read here (or simply want to connect) you can reach me at any of the following addresses: 

SomethingDifferentHR@gmail.com OR rorytrotter86@gmail.com

@RoryCTrotterJr

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There’s Often One More Side to Every Story

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Employee Relations, General HR

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

employee relations, hr, human resources, investigations

Image Credit: <www.123rf.com

Image Credit: <www.123rf.com>

I was recently part of an investigation into a workplace misconduct incident. Like any good HR person, I didn’t come into the investigation predisposed to one particular side; but after hearing from a few parties I became convinced we had all of the facts needed to take corrective action.

Fortunately, the senior member of the HR team was *not* yet convinced. At his behest, we continued interviewing everyone involved (or that could have possibly been involved) in the incident. As we continued to interview people the full situation took on a new dimension – a markedly different one than the prior interviews alone depicted.

…I consider myself to be a fairly objective person. I seldom take sides, and I typically err on the side of caution. During that investigation, however, I made the mistake of assuming I had all of the facts because everything seemed to fit after speaking with several of the parties involved.

Relatively small things can dramatically change the shape of the bigger picture though, so get every side. See things from every perspective.

The last side of the story is often what brings everything into place.

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

If you have questions about something you’ve read here (or simply want to connect) you can reach me at any of the following addresses: 

SomethingDifferentHR@gmail.com OR rorytrotter86@gmail.com

@RoryCTrotterJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roryctrotterjr

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Dotting Your I’s And Crossing Your T’s

19 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by Rory C. Trotter Jr in Employee Relations, General HR

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

employee relations, hr, human resources, investigations

Image Credit: <chrisglass.com

Image Credit: <chrisglass.com>

Before I began my career in Human Resources, I would have described myself as “selectively” detail oriented. I paid attention to that which was directly of interest to me, and ignored more or less everything else.

…Conversely, after working first in the labor and employee relations space, then compensation (where you’re dealing with people’s pay) and later as an HR rep at a union site (where everything that isn’t exactly by the book will be grieved), details became something I no longer had the luxury of ignoring.

Case in point: In an investigation, I follow up on seemingly inconsequential/off the cuff statements – not because I assume they’re consequential, but rather because I don’t assume. I talk to everyone about what happened. I notice subtle shifts in body language. “Think before you act” is a way of life for me; if you act first who knows what you may have missed in your haste?

With that said, in dotting my I’s and crossing my T’s I’ve learned another lesson that is just as important:

Sometimes (*sometimes*) it’s a good idea to let the small things go. Sure, slippery slopes can be pretty steep, but I’m of the view that HR is not meant to play the role of police. We enforce the rules… but we should do that with a mind towards why the rules are there.

If one enforces rules with the “why” of the rule’s existence in mind, what you sacrifice in consistency you gain in credibility with the workforce.

Much of this is common sense, but it was on my mind this morning and so I wanted to share.

As always, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Best,

Rory

If you have questions about something you’ve read here (or simply want to connect) you can reach me at any of the following addresses: 

SomethingDifferentHR@gmail.com OR rorytrotter86@gmail.com

@RoryCTrotterJr

http://www.linkedin.com/in/roryctrotterjr

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