In a number of our institutions we have quite many employees working as daily wage labourers or temporary or contract workers for years together, sometimes even for decades.????? Such an inhuman and unjust practice is not only against the normal human desire for an upward mobility in life, but also against God’s plan of self-actualization of each human person. There can be no indefinite period of probation or trial period in the life of an employee. If a person is found fit, he or she is employed on a permanent basis or at the most one more chance of extension of the probation can be given, before the end of which term, the employer has to decide one way or the other about the concerned employee. Hence, we can say that for a work of a permanent nature, we cannot have a temporary or contract employee. This is the view taken by the labour court too.
Human dignity: Employees, in several cases, are USED AS A COMMODITY by the employers for their personal benefit or for the benefit of their organization. This attitude is evident in the employer’s statement that the employees are paid for their work. This is nothing but ‘use and throw’ attitude. What matters to the employer is the work and nothing more. The employer is not concerned about the personhood of the employee.
There is something much more important than payment here. This is where the golden rule of Jesus comes. Do unto others what you want others do unto you (Mt 7:12). I am not sure if this golden rule is applicable anywhere else in a greater way than in our dealing with our employees. Employees have a human value and not a utility value. They too have been created in the image of God, like anyone else. They too are co-creators like others. Hence, they work with us as our collaborators, not as our servants/slaves, in the traditional sense. Every person has his/her human dignity and every labour gets dignified because of the human person who does it.
Indispensability of the employees: If success of an organization depends on the quality of its employees, then there is no need to mention their indispensability. We, priests and religious, may come and go, but the employees carry on and give the necessary link with the past. Every head of the institution would have realized by now that whether he/she is there or not, the usual work continues because of the dedication and experience of the old hands. Hence, the need to take them into confidence before making any change, rather than straightaway bulldozing through them with our own ideas, however great they may be.
Some guiding principles:
- Find God in your employees and treat them with respect.
- Treat all employees equally without any favouritism or partiality to anyone.
- Give a hearing to them and their ideas and be open to learn from them.
- Be available to them if they want to meet you.
- Treat them as you would like to be treated by others.
- Treat them as you would like you or your own family member treated (had you/he/she been in the place of the particular employee).
- Accompany them in their works and set an example to them instead of lording over them.
- Trust them; don’t go after them or spy on them.
- Ignore, at times, their mistakes (but let them know that you know them) and forgive them.
- Meet them as individuals and as a group.
- Include them in the planning of the works relevant to them.
- Listen to them and don’t hesitate to say “sorry” to them when you make a mistake
- Give them periodic appraisal/feedback on their performance against your expectations of them.
- Praise them in public and correct in private.
- Treat them as adults and train them to be responsible for their works.
- Be kind to them, yet firm, but not a terror, for by being a terror, you simply reveal your own insecurity and need to dominate over others.
- Love them, be concerned about them and their wellbeing by home visits, friendly queries about their children’s studies, spouse’s health, etc.
- Pray for them and their families, especially the poor, sick and suffering
Employees’ performance: Reflection of the administration
The quality of the employees and their work depends very much on the type of administrator you are. If you are good to them, they will repay you hundredfold. If you are bad to them or lose their goodwill, then they will show their reaction to you in their work. Many a time, the quality of their performance depends on how you, as in-charge, deal with them. We can simply say that if the employees are good then the administration is good, and if they are not good, then the administration too is not good. Thus, it can be said that the employees’ performance reflects the face of the administration.
How to deal with difficult employees:
Wherever we go, difficult people are bound to be there. Much depends on the employer’s ability to deal with them and get the work done from them. Some employers may not do anything to correct the employees for the fear of losing their popularity or of getting into problematic situations; some may be too lenient and some others too strict; some may be submissive and some others dominating; some may easily give in to pressure and some others may be uncompromising; some too kind and some others too cruel.
Difficult employees can be of various types: The unmotivated, the unproductive, the under-performing, the non-performing, the dishonest, the quarrelsome, the aggressive, the ‘kamchor’ (shirker/dodger/sponger), etc.
We need to adopt different strategies: Giving a time-bound job and asking them to report after completing that work; putting them under your nose so that they are supervised properly; breaking the company of fellow workers if one is a gossiper; trying to understand them and their problems from their point of view; meeting them for a personal chat; trusting them to win over their confidence; isolating them in their work place; warning them when it is called for; ignoring them so that they feel left out and join the main stream; avoiding them, which itself may become a punishment for them; exposing them at the appropriate time and in an appropriate manner; circumventing them, which will show that you are interested in them and their work; being kind to them; confronting and challenging them when needed; putting a peer pressure on them, offering them a specific responsibility that can bring out the best in them, rehabilitating them depending on their current status; encouraging them when they are downcast, etc. There is no uniform way of dealing with everyone. One mould will not suit all. We have to try different methods with different people. Identifying the kind of problem an employee has and choosing the appropriate means to tackle the issue is a skill the employer has to learn, just as a doctor does in diagnosing the illness and prescribing the right medicine.
The important factor is that we should not react emotionally to the difficult situations by getting unnecessarily angry or upset with the employees, but respond to them as mature, responsible and caring adults. The key lies in our ability not to get provoked by externals, but to deal with the difficult situations calmly, firmly and yet with a certain amount of flexibility as the situation may warrant. This calls for a balanced approach, which we have to learn as we learn many other things in life. Above all, we have to develop a positive attitude towards difficult people and situations. We have to be thankful for the difficult employees, for they teach us to grow as a real human being! Difficult situations such as these become an opportunity for us to prove our mettle!
In the next issue, we shall discuss the procedures to be followed in taking a disciplinary action.
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