Supervisor documentation issues
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Hello! It's time for you all to give me some input on a product I am working on. (I'm a bit bummed that Don D is indisposed, so you will all have to tyr extra hard!) I am interested in knowing what issues related to providing proper documentation your supervisors stuggle with the most. For instance, do they have the most problems following your procedures, or do they follow the black and white but mess up on the particulars. Any input would be appreciated.
Anne Williams
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC
Anne Williams
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC
Comments
A few now come in with written documentation and that gets them a pat on the back. But....you still have one or two who think having a secretary is great. #-o
Note that a verbal warning still requires written documentation in the form of a memo placed in the personnel file. Employee has the right to see, read and respond to any write-up. This type of discipline is known as progressive discipline and is used as a positive tool to help ee's who are either having performance or conduct problems. If offense is major, any and all steps can be skipped up to termination.
The only truth of the matter is that unless and until a manager or supervisor has his rewards system tied to providing you with the documentation you require, it will often not be done. Whether the reward that turns him on is his own internal recognition that he's doing what he was told to do, or your recognition of his doing it right, or tangible perks, good ratings or monetary, finding the reward that ignites his fuse and tying that to your needs will produce the result you want.
We have banged our collective heads against cinder-block conference room walls for decades, struggling to inact change in this area. Most of it has not worked. Throw out the studies, the change-loop charts and the 'how to motivate supervisors' pamphlets. Follow the rewards trail.
Yes, we are all facing problems with supervisor's little or no documentation. Perhaps it is time we start documenting the supervisor's performance on this area. If indeed documentation is part of his job description, issue oral and written warnings, leading to suspension and/or termination. Please do not consider this lightly. If s/he is not performing this part of his/her job function, then they should be disciplined accordingly. So, do you have a JD to include documentation as part of "Major responsibilities"?
I am beginning to wonder why we have lived with this non-performance? Then again, if indeed this is part of the JD and we have known the handicap of the person before promoting him/her to be the supervisor, who is to be blamed? Did we promote right or hire right?
On another note, we need to consider whether it is a training issue or s/he just cannot get it and will not ever be able to document, regardless of the amount of training we put them through. If the latter is true and the individual is excellent in his/her "Major Responsibilities" in the JD, I would propose that you hire an administrative person to help cover the administrative part of the job, this is to allow the supervisor concentrate on the main core functions of his/her job, be it sales, medical management, etc. Trust me, the department will be more productive with this arrangement.
If an individual is successful at his/her job as supervisor, they should be able to put words together on a piece of paper. It would be wonderful to be able to hire an Admin Asst who specializes in documentation. Not many budgets allow that luxury today.
Beckie
Dawn Weeks
Finch Services
We also experience the situation where all of the coachings and the disciplinary actions that have been taken were never written at all, not even notes in calendars. When the situation gets bad enough, they start scrambling to cover their rears and create the record.
This responsibility is not specifically spelled out in our job descriptions, nor is it addressed in our evaluation process for supervisors. I'm going to shoehorn both of these suggestions into the documents right away. Now if I can just figure out how to get the supervisors to implement.....