I know. It looks as if every potential employee out there has been spoiled by the money they used to make in the dot com world; and it seems they certainly don’t want to work for a small business owner/manager like you for what you can afford to pay! On the other hand, not everyone in the job market worked in the dot com industry, and those that did can’t find a job anywhere near their old salary. So what’s the problem?

The problem is locating, hiring, and then managing the modern employee, and doing this such that the employee will do the job you require for the money you can pay, and do it cheerfully. One owner of a mid-sized firm told me: “My frustration is that just when we get employees trained they leave for another job or they feel we are picking on them, when all I'm asking them is to do the work they were hired to do. On top of that, they're always taking time off to solve personal problems. What can I do to get an honest day's work for an honest day's pay?”

THE GOOD/BAD NEWS
The problem has both a good news and bad news side. The bad news is that problems with employees have practically no correlation with the size of the firm, they are ever-present; and just when you think you have one problem solved, another will pop up in it's place. The good side is that solutions to your problems are available, and they are the same for all sized businesses from one to hundreds of employees. We offer several FREE suggestions on the www.tulenko.com site, but here are additional areas of employee/employer friction and what you can do to minimize the stresses involved.

YNTMT
“You Never Told Me That!” Sound familiar? The person who vented that phrase probably had the right to say it, because chances are, you didn’t tell them; at least using words they could clearly understand. That’s a major problem faced by both employees and employers, so let’s examine the situation.

If you don't tell your employees up-front what is expected of them, they may leave when they discover the real challenge. Employment is the willingness of an employee to give up something they want to do and behave in a manner specified by you in exchange for money. Unless surprise is one of your goals, this means complete job descriptions are a must. The idea is not to see how few words you can use to describe a job or task, but how completely and accurately you can describe it. This goes for work tasks as well. Spell out the goal in detail including time due, resources available, and other necessary information.

If your firm has the money, hire an expert to train and guide new employees, otherwise use present staff, including yourself. Make sure the employee knows how to do the assigned job by helping and guiding them through sample activities. The best way to do this is to use a checklist as a basis for discussion to review all the employee has learned and then have him or her sign-off.

WIIFM
“What’s In It For Me?” A paycheck, no matter how large, is only important when it stops. More money is not a prime motivator unless accompanied by other ‘things’. Frederick Hertzberg's 1960 theory of work force motivation (since modified by others) gave us the ‘things’. He stated that people work for achievement, power, recognition, and a sense of belonging. Translated, this means a pat on the back for completing a task is not only appreciated, but necessary.

I recommend you constantly let your employees know what’s going on in your company so they can feel a part of the successes (as well as the problems). Leeway in how to accomplish a task (in contrast to the required time-dependent results) can provide the power, and monthly employee appreciation meetings with lavish compliments and ‘attaboy’ or ‘attagirl’ rewards can provide the recognition and sense of belonging.

INSTO
“I Need Some Time Off!” This personnel problem is in the personal problems category. On pain of an expensive lawsuit (which you will lose if you are not a licensed counselor hired by your employee), do not EVER offer advice on solving the personal problems of your employees, but refer them to experts inside or outside your company. Better than that, don’t even ask what the problem is or was! If the employee fits the criteria of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), you are required to provide the time off, no matter what the inconvenience to you.

If the problem is not one that fits the FMLA legal definition, make it clear the time-off will be charged to their paid-time-off account (if they still have any left), or must be made up in some manner or paid for in reduced salary. The best idea would be to establish guidelines for the number of people in each workgroup who can schedule time off, and leave it up to the group leader to control this.

INMF
“It’s not my fault!” This typically is a work related problem. Sit with the employee; go over the job description including the duties, responsibilities, and results expected with them using the check-sheet you used at sign-up. Design a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) tailored to meet their required goals. Your employee handbook should have a statement indicating how many PIPs an employee can receive before termination.

SOFTWARE
There is software out there that will help you with all the tasks listed above. Use your search engine to survey the market. Much of the employee management software is industry specific, so I cannot recommend one over the other. Check them all out and select the best for your needs.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING.)
Paul Tulenko is a Small Business Success Consultant based in New Mexico. Additional tips and suggestions are available at www.tulenko.com or call (toll-free) 1-866-TULENKO.