The policies are progressive, very much in tune with taking employee mental health and well being seriously, but they are not being made use of. At first HR thought managers were simply unaware of the policies so they ran an awareness campaign. The resulting enquiries revealed managers thought it was HR who decided if an individual fitted the criteria. Then there were managers ringing up HR to ask if they ,”had to “ agree to a request from a team member. It’s not unusual for managers to want HR to make the decision for them but in these cases the issue seemed to be a concern that the individual was abusing the organisation policies.
This attitude amongst some managers made me wonder whether their reluctance to use the powers the policies gave them was due to how they thought they would be viewed by team members and colleagues. In other words they were concerned not to be seen as a soft touch, a sucker.
Immediately on their return from long term absence due to ill health an employee submits an annual leave request. The manager is outraged to be informed by HR that this is a legitimate request.
An individual suddenly interrupts a meeting to discuss their poor attendance record by stating they are an alcoholic. Their manager thinks this is just a ploy to avoid being dismissed.
During a one to one to address persistent lateness the employee requests starting work half an hour latter in order to drop of their young children at school. They say they will take a shorter lunch break to make up the time. The manager thinks this is just an attempt to divert attention from their lack of punctuality.
A team member has their requested dates for annual leave turned down because another member of the team has already got those two weeks. The individual immediately puts in a request for term time working.
Requests to Job Share, reduce hours, work flexi hours and work from home are all covered by the organisations policies. Managers are expected to respond positively to such requests but HR get phone calls from managers asking if they , “ have to “ agree such requests. Which of course they don’t but they are expected to have a good reason for refusing the request. A good reason is not it will be a hassle sorting out the arrangements. The legal reasons for rejecting such a request are very specific and most HR departments would be of the opinion that the organisation could find aways of meeting the requests in most cases.
Managers need to look at the reasons behind these requests. Are they a result of domestic or caring arrangements or a reaction to work pressure or a problem with team dynamics and a bad atmosphere? Mangers also need to consider the implications of turning down a request. Will the employee seek work elsewhere, will there be a loss of good will, is there a risk of increased absenteeism and lateness ?
This is really about trust, the managers relationship with the employee and the style of management. I came across a manager who had to know where team members were at all times and what they were doing despite the nature of the work , the experience and seniority of individuals. According to a colleague this excessive monitoring was due to the managers fear of team members skiving off work , something he was apparently guilty of before becoming a manager. He was concerned people didn’t abuse the system the way he had!
The right policies and sound advice from HR are not enough managers need to be more trusting and less worried about being taken for a sucker.
Blair Mcpherson former director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
