Staff stressed? Office tweaks can work wonders

Hello Gladys, I am not an entrepreneur. I'm the manager of a health insurance company. But I believe I have some of the same problems that an entrepreneur encounters, especially when it comes to employees. I run into problems getting my staff to do the right thing and be honest. This problem shows up in several ways. I often walk past cubicles and see staff members playing games on their computers or making personal phone calls on company time. Recently an employee called in sick, saying she was in bed with the flu. She really sounded pretty sick. But several hours later one of our employees saw her shopping in the mall with her friends and having a good time. In addition the employees spread gossip about each other all the time, and almost always there is work that doesn't get done properly. This situation is driving me crazy. How can I bring things under control? -- W. K.

Start by looking at your employee handbook to see if any of these issues are addressed. And, if not, maybe it's time to rework the handbook.

Also, don't hesitate to take a page from the ancient physicians' pledge,

primum non-nocere

-- a Latin phrase meaning, "First, do no harm."

Yes, this is a pledge followed by medical professionals. But we can all benefit from the message, which can help us form a solid structure for business and professional ethics. Indeed, sometimes this very important principle is overlooked in the workplace.

Start giving your employees real-life examples of how the company or others can be harmed by their actions. We all have at least one story that can show how destructive both gossip and lack of focused attention can be.

You might want to look closer at people who call off sick when they aren't sick. I don't think that folks misbehave or act out for no reason. There has to be something behind it. Perhaps they need a more flexible work schedule. Perhaps the job is creating more stress than they can handle. Perhaps their actions could be tied to your management style.

Recently while having lunch with my friend Marta she told me a story about a relative who works for a local bank and often calls in sick but manages to recover quickly after she had made the call. Marta said that on several occasions during the workday the relative had been taken to the hospital emergency room due to panic attacks. According to the doctors the panic attacks were due to high stress.

The relative said her boss put a lot of pressure on them to push customers into taking out loans. And when she didn't get a lot of takers the manager would scream and threaten to fire anyone who didn't meet the goal.

Take a close look to see what the stress levels are like in your workplace. And keep in mind that some people are better able to handle stress than others.

You may also need to rework your ethics manual to address the employee who told you about seeing the employee at the shopping mall. People who carry information back and forth can be dangerous and big troublemakers. What people see, or think they see, may not reflect the true or total picture.

I will never forget the time that I ran into a woman that I had not seen in a long time. During our brief chat she asked me if I was seeing anyone special since my divorce. I told her that I was still married and there was no chance of separation.

I asked where she had gotten her information. She said that her husband had seen me at a jazz concert with some young guy and he thought it might have been my boyfriend.

Well, her husband had seen me at a concert; in fact he and I talked briefly about his new business venture. And, it wasn't jazz it was a hip-hop concert. I had taken several of my nieces and nephews to a Mary J. Blige concert. And what he saw was me dancing, clapping and having fun with one of my nephews who happened to be 27 years old.

Perhaps you should call in professional help to assist you in establishing a better work environment. Hold regular meetings with your staff. Employees need to understand the importance of ethics. Suggest that they stop and think and consider how their behavior will affect them and their coworkers. Develop a set of standards that supports the philosophy of "First do no harm."

Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. Her column appears Wednesdays. E-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com. An archive of her columns is here. Her website is gladysedmunds.com.