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Complaints about the top execs
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Complaints about the top execs
Discuss workforce management, performance management, retention, communication, motivation, contributing to business results and other topics.
How do you handle/what do you tell employees who complain about the owners/CEO of the company? The complaints seem to be management style/personality based, nothing illegal.
I feel like it is not
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Forums » Topic Forums » General Forum » Complaints about the top execs
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 6:44 AM EDT
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Posts: 118
First: 2/28/2008 Last: 7/29/2011 |
How do you handle/what do you tell employees who complain about the owners/CEO of the company? The complaints seem to be management style/personality based, nothing illegal.
I feel like it is not something I can address with the execs. It is their company, they can manage how they would like, as long as they are not doing anything discriminatory. It has not caused any turnover, morale is usually pretty good, but once in a while, someone goes on a rant and I get complaints. How do I convey to employees that I am powerless to change their management style without it seeming like we just do not care? |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 7:05 AM EDT
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Posts: 3870
First: 2/12/2002 Last: 11/2/2009 |
You can try, but at the end of the day it comes down to what you said - it's their company.
I guess I'd try with the approach of "not everyone's personality meshes. We get along with most people, but not everyone" which sort of depersonalizes it a bit. but I'd also add the caveat of "if you dont' think you can get along with the owners, then perhaps you should be looking for a company with ownership that fits your needs a bit better". |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 7:10 AM EDT
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Posts: 155
First: 8/24/2009 Last: 2/9/2010 |
Be careful as you are heading down a slippery slope.
Management style, personalities and so forth are not your issue; yet. Engaging in conversation with employees that criticize these matters about senior executives in your organization is inappropriate at best. I would simply suggest that you extract yourself from these conversations and state simply it is not something you have been asked to engage in by Executive Leadership. I would also suggest that you let the employees know that these conversations are inappropriate and unprofessional. Now, does that mean you drop the issue? Of course not. It is not known to me who you report to or exactly what you do. I am guessing that because this is a site for HR practitioners that you are in fact an HR professional. You either report to another HR professional or to one of the top Executives in your company. If that guess is true then, when the opportunity presents itself; e.g. a conversation about employee engagement, employee satisfaction, turnover, etc., that you bring up the subject in general terms. "I have been privy to comments made by some employees regarding negative perceptions of the style and personality of Executive leadership. While their concerns have no basis in legal violation or failure to adhere to company policy they are perceptions that I think we should find a way to address." Then, based upon what you have heard you can offer suggestions about solutions. I would strongly encourage you to have an idea of solutions you would like to recommend BEFORE raising the issue. Nothing frustrates Executives more than having someone present a problem without a recommended solution(s). If I am incorrect in my guess about your role then I would suggest you disassociate yourself entirely from the issue. Don Herrmann |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 7:56 AM EDT
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Posts: 118
First: 2/28/2008 Last: 7/29/2011 |
I am an Hr Professional, reporting to the CEO.
I have no interest in listening to or becoming involved in any of this. My personal feeling is "if you don't like the owners, then look for another company." I'll try to use some of the suggestions. Thank you! |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 8:08 AM EDT
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Posts: 118
First: 2/28/2008 Last: 7/29/2011 |
I thought of how to state this more clearly.
What I am looking for is advice on how to state to the employees that I welcome them to talk to me about legitimate issues, however, I am not the complaint department. Perhaps my best response would be to simply tell them that it sounds like a management issue, not an HR issue and that they should take it up directly with their manager (or the person they are having an issue with.) This is a new role here at the company and I find that people want to bring issues to me and I usually do try to steer them in the right direction, letting them know when their manager is the person they should be speaking to. However, I also need them to understand that if it is something that directly involves their manager, like sexual harassment, etc...in those circumstances it is ok to go around their manager if the manager is the person who is doing the harassment. Am I making any sense or just rambling? |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 8:45 AM EDT
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Posts: 1771
First: 10/24/2002 Last: 9/14/2011 |
I encourage employees to bring their issues to me. If it's an HR issue, I handle it. If it's another department's issue, I send the employee to the other department.
If it's an I-can't-get-along-with-my-manager issue, I advise the employee that while I can't resolve the issue for him/her, I CAN coach the employee in how to discuss the issue with his/her manager. Most of the time the employee declines (because he/she was really hoping I'd go to his/her manager and say "Stop being such a meanie!!!"), however on the odd occasion where the employee wants to take some responsibility for his/her relationship with the boss, I will coach him/her on some safe, neutral, non-threatening and non-argumentative approaches. And I document absolutely everything, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time, just in case I-can't-get-along-with-my-manager later turns into I-can't-get-along-with-my-manager-because-he-keeps-hitting-on-me. |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/14/2009 8:52 AM EDT
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Posts: 1783
First: 11/11/2003 Last: 5/13/2010 |
It's hard to balance avoiding being the Complaint Department with avoiding ignorance of problems that could bite the company on the rear if left unaddressed.
Yes, you should redirect employees who complain, but you may also need to help them come up with different ways to approach the problem. That still leaves the responsibility for resolving the issue on the employee, but leaves you still seen as approachable and helpful. |
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Complaints about the top execs
posted at 10/16/2009 1:58 PM EDT
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Posts: 464
First: 6/30/2004 Last: 11/22/2010 |
I would add that there can be value in allowing employees to vent. If they think they have been heard, perhaps that is all that is needed for them to get something off his/her chest. Perhaps that will stop some of the more public venting that might occur at the local watering hole.
It also allows you to determine whether or not some sort of hostile work environment ir other such claim is being made. If this was the case, and the employee said they tried to talk to HR, but HR said it's not my job to listen to this sort of thing, then the Company may be incurring a liability by not addressing valid workplace claims. Finally, if I was engaged in listening, and I determined it was not some sort of claim and that the venting time was over, then I would disengage from the conversation and let the employee know that they can free up their future to find a better fit. If it goes to far, the company will do the freeing up of the future. |
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