Power Tool - People problems come down to two words.

 

Power Tool - People problems come down to two words. 

Unmet expectations. When you are unhappy, what is the expectation that is not met? Is it fair to have such an expectation? If not, then no need to be unhappy. If yes, who should have done what to fulfil that expectation? Do you need to communicate more clearly your expectation to them? Are they intentionally not fulfilling your expectation? What are their expectations and are those being met? What action is to be taken if the issue persists? Example: Your staff is always late in filling time sheets and that makes your accountant unhappy. Is it fair for him to expect timely submissions? Let's assume yes, because he needs to process salaries and allowances on time before month end. Has the cut off date been communicated to all staff? Has a rule been set on how to handle late submission? Allowance payments for employees with late submissions will be delayed by 2 weeks? Take the other angle. Are staff expecting the time sheets process to be simple and quick, and currently there is too much paperwork, or the system is not reliable? Are staff expecting a fully automated process so that they don't need to fill time sheets at all? Is it fair for them to expect that? It will save time and minimise manual error? Have they communicated and discussed this with the accountant? In the end people problems is about aligning expectations.