SBDC offers improving employee work habits seminar

It’s important for supervisors, managers and business owners to distinguish between job performance and work habits. Job performance concerns the tasks done by employees in the course of carrying out the work of the organization (i.e., welding, packing, inspecting, typing, filing, selling, and so on). It is important that employees perform these tasks well, and it is part of the supervisor’s or manager’s responsibility to assess their performance and work to improve it when necessary. Work habits are usually concerned with how employees relate to the organization, its people and its rules and regulations (i.e., attendance, punctuality, observance of safety rules, decorum, dress and so on). These matters are equally important to the organization and it is, again, the supervisor’s or manager’s responsibility to monitor employee work habits and take corrective action when necessary.

The best time to deal with an unsatisfactory work habit is early, before it becomes ingrained and the employee has a reasonable basis for assuming that the behavior is an acceptable practice. Many supervisors and managers are unwilling to do this—with unfortunate results. Unsatisfactory work habits are, more often than not, the primary reasons for disciplinary action. And this is often true because a supervisor or manager has permitted unacceptable behavior by an employee to become habitual.

That’s why skill in improving employee work habits is important to supervisors, managers and business owners. This workshop, titled “Improving Employee Work Habits,” will help you acquire such skill. You will learn techniques that will make it easier for you to deal with these problems. Mastering and applying these skills will enable you to take corrective action at an early stage and thus avoid the need for disciplinary action later on. It’s one way of taking a lot of the stress out of a supervisor’s or manager’s job.

The “Improving Employee Work Habits” workshop uses a training technique called behavior modeling that has been proven effective with all kinds of team leaders in all kinds of situations over and over again. What you will learn in the workshop will improve your performance as a supervisor, manager or business owner. By attending the workshop on “Improving Employee Work Habits,” you will be able to:

* Distinguish between job performance and work habits;

* Understand the importance of dealing with unsatisfactory work habits early, before they require disciplinary action;

* Explain clearly and specifically to an employee the nature of his/her unsatisfactory work habits, focusing on behavior rather than personality or attitude;

* Involve the employee in the process of correcting the unsatisfactory behavior through an interactive process which maintains the employee’s self esteem;

* Build controls into the process of improving employee work habits by getting employee commitment to a clear plan of action and reviewing progress regularly.

Dr. Ken Shankweiler, Principal of KIS Communications, will be the presenter for this workshop. His seminars have been presented across America at major universities and to major corporations. He holds degrees in Psychology & Engineering and has spent more than 30 years in management.

The “Improving Employee Work Habits” workshop will be held this Thursday, Sept. 22 from 6pm to 9pm at the NMC Small Business Development Center. Registration begins at 5:30pm and the cost to attend the workshop is only $10 per person. Attendees are encouraged to bring a pad of paper and pen. Pre-registration is essential because of limited seating so contact the NMC SBDC at 235-1551 to reserve your seat. (PR)