That is why employers that develop, implement and focus on a process to address bad attitudes are more successful at helping employees and improving the workplace culture.

• The first step is to have a positive attitude when discussing the issue with an employee; and then explain that the meeting is meant to be constructive, by providing examples of the employee’s negative behavior. Part of the employer’s positive attitude is to avoid judging the employee’s character.
• The second step is to develop an agreement with the employee that allows him or her to be part of that plan to improve his or her attitude.
• The third step is to explain that you won’t be disciplining the employee as a result of your first meeting.
• The fourth step, which you hope isn’t necessary, is to meet with the employee again, if, after a week, he or she doesn’t seem to make an effort to change. Review the specific behaviors that are still evident and ask if there is a specific reason or reasons they haven’t improved. This second meeting is where you may learn that personal issues are the cause. Revise your agreement with the employee if necessary and be encouraging.
• The fifth step is a third meeting with the employee to explain that he or she has only one more opportunity to change his or her attitude. Also, clearly explain the disciplinary actions you could take that should be documented in your employee handbook.
• The sixth step is to observe the employee closely during the next week, and then have a “final” meeting with the employee and apply the consequences of no improvement. In may cases, an employee that doesn’t want to improve won’t and termination is your only action.

Detailing this process in your employee handbook protects both employers and employees, and makes it more likely that bad attitudes disappear quickly.

In that pivotal role, the HR professional has a number of opportunities to develop excellent relationships among the workforce.

First, he or she contributes to a trusting corporate culture by proposing and implementing policies that are fair. The HR staff can also demonstrate the value of open communication by being a trusted source of important information, related to employment, benefits, etc.

Where the HR professional can have the most influence on the development of trust is in his or her role hiring, coaching and training managers.

• The HR professional should look to hire and promote managers who demonstrate the ability to establish trust with the workers they manage.
• The HR professional provides interpersonal skills training for all managers, so they can avoid failing, which often happens within their first 18 months as managers because of interpersonal situations.
• The HR professional also teaches managers the skills and mindset they need to address difficult employee issues, quickly and thoroughly.

Becoming—and being recognized as—a company’s “trust” manager gives the HR professional great leverage to affect employee retention and satisfaction. He or she will be able to develop a trusting workplace environment where employment issues can be addressed with much less employment liability.

The research also reveals that supervisors often shape employees’ perception of the company for which they work as well as influencing the company’s perception of its employees. Because of this dual role, supervisors are in the vital position to drive the company’s excellence.

Employers can support supervisors in a number of ways, as they inspire employees to achieve new goals.

First, be sure that all policies and rules, relating to wages, diversity, etc. are fair.

Second, ensure that management is applying those policies fairly and equally when addressing employee and work issues, problems, situations, etc.

Third, suggest a “watchdog” committee of managers/supervisors and employees to monitor the application of fairness in the workplace. It’s also essential that the committee determine to what degree employees (and supervisors) are striving to excel beyond the expectations of their positions.

That trust is important because it leads to effective communication, employee retention and employee motivation. In that environment, interpersonal relationships are much easier and managers and employees are able to achieve much more. Conversely, the lack of trust will result in an unstable workforce that is less productive.

Since trust is not a concept that is easily articulated, the human resource expert suggests thinking of trust as being a combination of credibility, reliability, intimacy and personal orientation.

Credibility can be defined as whether a person’s words, deeds, skills and relationships with others are believable. To gain credibility, human resource professionals can utilize two techniques: Be a constant source of information to support employees and managers and know the latest human resources trends and issues.

Reliability relates to one’s actions, and whether they make him or her dependable. Human resource professionals earn reliability when they treat employees equally, deliver on promises and confront problems with solutions.

Intimacy refers to how secure employees and managers feel when seeking help and/or information from the HR staff—and that staff’s effort to protect the privacy of employees and managers. To be successful at serving both, the HR staff must also have a clear, professional understanding of the employer/employee relationship, and treat each equally.

Personal orientation is the HR professional’s ability to view problems and issues from the point of view of managers and employees. The HR staff can achieve this when it asks for regular feedback from those it serves and not only listens to managers and employees, but also make sure that they know they’ve been heard and understood.

By cultivating these four components of trust throughout the organization, HR professionals have a positive influence on the work environment and the people working in it.

Some of the most important business leaders, such as Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, think that the best strategy is to cut the bottom 10% of the workforce every year. Of course, that may work at a giant global corporation, but it may not be practical for many small businesses. Ten-percent of five total employees is one-half of an employee, which means, in reality, you lose an entire worker or 20 percent of your workforce!

To develop a business-smart approach to cost cutting, first start with the help of a forensics accountant. He or she will be able to find the unnecessary expenditures and waste that you couldn’t.

That accountant will look for such expenditures as:

• Office supplies that employees take home.
• Entertainment, such as seats or boxes to professional sporting events.
• Paid food and beverages.
• Overtime and on-call pay.
• Cost of hardware and software: Wait another year before replacing hardware and upgrading software. Drop maintenance contracts that cost more than buying parts.
• Review your telecom costs, such as long distance, carrier providers and fees.

You can use this process for some positive, internal PR. Tell your employees that you are searching for ways to cut costs and save jobs; they may have suggestions that neither you nor the accountant discovered. Explain that cutting these costs could save their jobs, and that everyone won’t be receiving as many perks as in the past, such as free coffee or tickets to the local game.

Another part of this cost-cutting strategy is to look carefully at your customer relationships from a purely economic point of view. When times are tough, you may find it necessary to meet with a customer and explain that it’s costing you more to maintain their account than the revenue it generates.

You can propose to the customer that he or she consider ordering more products and services from your company or reduce the amount of service you are providing. Even if you must dismiss the customer, try to do it on the most amiable terms, so there is still an opportunity to do business together in the future.

If there is no other choice than to terminate some employees, then try to avoid dismissing those that are directly involved in revenue generation and customer service. If your company has division managers, then ask for their input as to who should be laid off.

Although layoffs may seem to be the easiest way to cut costs, they may not be the smartest when you take a moment to look elsewhere to save money first.

#5: Injuries? What Injuries?

Come on, injuries? Do they really even happen? Frankly, I’m starting to think this whole “injuries” racket is just that — a bunch of BS! Do you know anyone who’s ever been injured? Come on, I bet you all probably said “no” right there. Wait, what’s that? You do? Oh. Well, moving on….

#4: Can’t we just heal ourselves?

This seems to work in comics and various superhero films, and I’m really starting to think that it works in real life, too. I mean we see it all the time when we cut ourselves or something — the body just heals itself right up! Who needs all this first aid crap, anyway?

#3: All that junk…

So pricey, all those bandages and things, right? You’ve got all that complicated gauze and these weird chemicals for “infections” and a bunch of other stuff, and I mean really who ever gets those? I’m starting to think these magical “first aid kits” are just some kinda big conspiracy or something!

#2: You can find simple and “safe” replacements for anything in a first aid kit!

Let’s say you have a little “mishap” at the office — why reach for that dusty, boring old first aid kit when you can use a little creativity (with a capital C, of course) to bandage up that open fracture with a bit of duct tape and printer toner? Try it out, and then let me know how it goes! Well, actually, don’t let me know.

#1: You’ll save more money by solving accident problems after they happen.

I mean yeah, using a first aid kit might save your business a ridiculous amount of money by treating an injury quickly before it gets out of control, avoiding lengthy hospital stays and other such joys, but who can really say, either way? Why not just risk it?

If you are convinced that insuring your workplace safety is a must – shop online for first aid kits, fire safety products and other medical supplies. You will find wide range of products for a very reasonable price, fantastic customer service and fast delivery on ProntoSafety.com.au

Employees understand and accept that discipline is being applied fairly when employers explain that it is not a punishment (unless someone breaks a stated rule or policy). If employers create the right kind of workplace environment, then mistakes can be openly discussed and become important elements of any training program. Not only do employees learn how to improve their performance and eliminate the mistakes, but also those businesses can be more competitive and successful.

This actually happened to Lorie Baker, a director at PricewaterouseCoopers, according to the article “You’re Cut Off” by Inara Verzemnieks in the October issue of Working Mother magazine. Hoping to reduce work stress, PWC sends the reminder note to curb weekend work-related emailing, according to the article.

It sounds counterintuitive, but some companies are starting to see that stressed out, burned out employees aren’t very good for the bottom line.

Research shows job stress is linked to depression. And a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows stress at work is linked to a second heart attack. Those who returned to work in a stressful job had two times the risk of a new heart attack, compared to those who returned to a low-stress job, according to the Canadian researchers.

The study authors recommend that heart attack patients, who return to work, ask for help in reducing work stress.

But a few companies, are proactively stepping up to help. Here are some innovative strategies they’re using, according to Verzemnieks’ article in Working Mother magazine:

• To reduce email overload, The University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison has a policy that encourages employees to have a conversation rather than send an email.
• Boston Consulting Group monitors employees’ hours. Those who average more than 55 hours a week over five consecutive weeks are reported to management.
• At the outdoor clothing, equipment and acessories company Patagonia, the day’s surf report is posted above the front reception desk, the “boardroom” stores surfboards and particularly good surf conditions might be announced over the company’s loudspeaker.
• At tax and accounting firm Ernst & Young, employees receive an annual voicemail message from global chairman and CEO James Turley, stressing the importance of a vacation. If you don’t take one, someone from human resources will come and talk to you.

PricewaterhouseCoopers recently distributed an employee handbook entitled “Rest and Relaxation: The Value of Time Off.”

“Among the instructions: Try not to call the office to discuss business matters or check voicemail or email. You are either on vacation or you’re at work you shouldn’t try to be in two places at one time. And perhaps most important: “Enjoy your family, friends or solitude.”

Source: Jule Deardorff, Chicago Tribune.

However, many small business owners don’t stop and think about how their day to day lives are going to be changed once they add the responsibility of supervising employees to their already full schedules of marketing, networking, and providing the products and services that their customers need. Entrepreneurs who find themselves supervising one or more employees for the first time often go through a period of adjustment that requires them to change their mindset about the best way to run their companies.

Building a winning team of employees can make the difference between having a business that is mildly successful and one that really takes off. Supervising employees doesn’t have to be difficult. In fact, it can be very rewarding. The key to making the successful transition from being in business completely on your own to having a staff is to recognize that you have to be both an entrepreneur and a manager at the same time.

You can’t lose your focus on building your business, but you have to broaden your horizons to incorporate the principles of effective leadership and supervision into your work persona. When you start adding workers to your team, you have to learn how to interview people so that you have a chance of making smart hiring decisions. You’ll also have to come up with a way to train your employees regarding what is expected of them. After all, they won’t know how to fulfill their roles in your organization if you don’t tell them what their responsibilities are, show them how to perform the necessary tasks, and monitor their progress.

It’s also important for entrepreneurs who are adjusting to adding new members to their team to keep in mind how important open communication is. When you’re in business on your own, you don’t have the luxury of bouncing ideas off other people. When you get used to working independently, and then find yourself sharing your work space with others, you have to get back in the habit of talking with others about what is going on in the organization.

As the boss, it’s your responsibility to set the tone for the type of workplace you want to operate. If you don’t communicate regularly with your employees, they are not likely to become committed to the long term success of your organization. You have to let your team members know that they are important, and make sure they understand the nature of your organization.

If you want your employees to become a successful part of your small business operation, you have to provide an environment where open communication is encouraged.  Keep this in mind, and you’ll be able to transition from being a small business owner going it alone to the leader of a team that can help your company achieve it’s long term objectives and reach its full potential.