A Guide to Difficult Workplace Conversations

PRemployer on March 30, 2021

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Let's face it, having workplace conversations with your staff members is not easy. If you're a manager or a business owner, you've probably found this out the hard way. 

Business is not just about management and sales. There are many other factors at play, like firing your staff and handling raise requests. All may seem well until these conversations come up. 

These are difficult and painful workplace conversations, and most people would rather avoid them. However, the only way out of this is dealing with them head on, instead of avoiding them or letting them sit.

Handling these topics successfully requires putting in the effort and having the right skillset. You'll also need to prepare by avoiding common  employer/employee mistakes

Here are some tips to handle these issues when they come up. Using an understanding, graceful approach allows you to address these topics without sacrificing employee morale.

How to Reject an Employee's Raise Request

Employees are often ambitious, and while some are satisfied with their current pay, others might want more. Of the many reasons employees ask for raises, one of the more common is that they feel unappreciated. Maybe they’ve taken on more responsibility, or they’ve been at the position for a while and feel like that isn’t recognized. However, what the employee might not see is what costs and overheads the company is facing. They don’t have the bigger picture and may feel unappreciated as a result.

Consider the Request Before Turning It Down

If you're not ready to give a pay raise, you're not obligated to give in to your employees' requests. However, it's essential to know how to handle the situation without killing their morale. Listen to the employee’s request before turning it down.

Saying “no” without hearing sends a harsh signal to your employees that you don't care about them. Or that you're selfish and only putting the business above them. If their concerns are that they’re not appreciated, that only makes that worse. 

Manage Their Expectations While Making Them Feel Appreciated

More often than not, your employees will feel entitled to a pay raise after taking on new responsibilities or completing a specific task. For them, the pay raise is a special reward for the job well done, which in some instances is true. However, if a raise is out of the question for now, you can address their concerns without breaking the bank.

Taking other measures to make them feel appreciated will acknowledge their hard work while letting them know how valued they are. Doing things like offering them more amenities or benefits, or showing that you trust them shows your appreciation. Even just giving them more positive praise and feedback helps. If they’re someone who enjoys recognition, giving them an award or small prize goes a long way. Alternatively, acknowledging that they are a top performer while gently letting them know the company can’t increase its cost. You can then adjust their expectations and use this opportunity to explain how raises work, if they’re done on a yearly basis, or tell them about how company bonuses work. 

With high performing employees, you can commit to re-visiting the topic in 30, 60, or 90 days to not dismiss their request. If your financial situation improves, you can give them a raise then. However, if you believe the employee is adequately compensated, gently inform the employee they are paid competitively in the market for their current skill level. Explain what needs to change in order to make them eligible for a raise, like if they need more time in the role, performance improvements, or a higher skill set. If you don’t believe the employee deserves a raise, gently explain the improvement they need to make and put it in writing to make their commitment heard and shows your investment in them. Your goal is to manage their expectations while still positively addressing their concerns. 

Explaining how raises work lets them feel optimistic about future raises and helps them stay on track to achieve that in the future.

You may not have the budget to sustain the proposed wages, or you could feel the current pay is sufficient. The only problem is that they wouldn't see these unless you explain it to them. It may sound like a far-fetched idea being that they're your employees. However, when you trust them with the nitty-gritty details, you show that you trust them with this information.

How to Gracefully Let Employees Go 

Having to let an employee go for any reason is never easy, especially when you've been like one big family. However, like it or not, things are going to come to this more often than not. If you're worried, scared, and have no idea how to break the news, keep in mind that being direct and to the point is the best approach. Blindsiding employees with this kind of news never go well. If an employee being fired for poor performance leaves the meeting wondering where that came from, then their manager has not done their duty managing their performance all along. That is unkind to the employee, opens the company to legal risk, and damages your standing as a manager, leading to a loss of respect from your team overall.  Be proactive in addressing any issues, giving clear warnings through delineated reprimands to your employees to try to prevent needing to let them go in the first place.  Your objective is to improve their performance to acceptable levels so they won’t need to be let go. Explain to them how they can improve and make it clear what they need to do to keep their job. If it escalates to the point they need to be let go, they won’t be surprised by it, and you’ll be able to explain to your other employees what happened.

It's important to respect your employees and value them as humans. While letting them go, it's important to acknowledge their positive qualities and answer any of their questions. Give them the news kindly, but with conviction. It’s crucial also to have a witness in the room as you explain why you're letting your employee go. The witness can help out with validating why you have to let the staff go and can vouch for you if the employee makes any legal claims against the company. Keep in mind, termination discussions should occur within 5 to 7 minutes. Don’t go over every issue that led to your decision, and instead refer to the previous discussions you had with the employee. Then indicate you have not seen the necessary improvements, and that the decision has been made to end the employment relationship.

Dismissing an employee can affect the rest of your team. Explain to your remaining team members that this person is no longer with the company and acknowledge you can’t release all the details to preserve their privacy. However, explain your plans moving forward and discuss your intentions about how you plan to handle the position until finding a replacement. Address the situation calmly and ask that employees do not engage in gossip as they don’t understand the issues the led to the decision to terminate. 

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Final thoughts

Having workplace conversations can be a hurdle. However, with practice and rehearsals, this is a skill that can be honed. Employees are the most crucial assets to every business, and they have the most influence that determines the success or failure of your company. It’s vital to treat them fairly and respectfully. You must also recognize those performing at high levels and reward them accordingly. Failing to do so can result in employees seeking employment elsewhere, where they feel they can be better appreciated, both professionally and financially. Businesses that thrive have learned to  maintain a good reputation with everyone, and you too can be an “Employer of Choice” to both current and prospective employees.

The Top 12 Mistakes When Dealing With Difficult Workplace Conversations

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