Gurleen Baruah
Founder | Business Psychologist | Culture Designer | Human Skills Facilitator at That Culture Thing
Hey there, lovely people! I'm a big believer in making the world a better place by nurturing the growth and development of others. I'm a natural researcher and love soaking up knowledge...
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- Organizational Culture Design: Building effective and engaging workplace environments
- Business Psychology Fundamentals: Understanding human behavior in organizations
- Human Capital Development Strategies: Maximizing employee potential for performance
- Strengths-Based Leadership: Leveraging personal strengths for team success
- Effective Communication in Organizations: Enhancing interpersonal skills for better outcomes
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Tricky Workplace Situation Handled
- An exit interview is either a survey or a one-on-one interview or both that's carried out by employees who are leaving/exiting the organization. They are pivotal because it helps organizations look at their workplace culture, day to day processes, strengths, and areas of development. The data and insights from exit interviews help companies create human capital strategies.
- Can expect if the organization values transparency and really wants to know the true picture of where they stand. However, in most companies, this expectation may not be applicable. If we look at it from the exiting employee's perspective, they don't want to ruin the real;=tionship or bad mouth the company. Each person wants to move on on good terms.
- 1. Why are you leaving your current position? 2. How was your relationship with your manager? 3. What was the biggest factor that led you to accept this new job offer? 4. What did you like most about your job and our organization? Some strengths? 5. What did you dislike about your job and our organization? Some areas where we can improve?
- I'd like to teach the "why" behind the activity. Start with "why" is there a need to collect data from exiting employees? It's to know areas of development and fix them so that people choose to stick with you. It includes many things like 1. Organizing it face to face so that it's more friendly and candid. 2. Allow an effective 2-way conversation... listen and share and validate the employee's concerns and wish them best. 3. Encourage honestly by ensuring that conversation will remain confidential and would only be used for improvement. 4. Don't just collect the data, but find out actionable insights from it. Use the data. Remember, if data is the new oil, then finding insights is the new refinery. Analyze data and act quickly.
- 1. Let employees know where they stand, they shouldn’t be surprised that they are being fired. Be clear about problems as they occur. 2. Prepare documentation, if the employee fails to improve and will be terminated, have your documentation ready. You need to prepare a written notice of termination, and determine if a severance is necessary. 3. Hold a face-to-face meeting and never terminate an employee over the phone or by email. Instead, be brief and to the point in a face-to-face meeting. 4. Allow the employee to leave with dignity, make sure a fired employee is allowed to leave with dignity. For example, there is usually no reason to prevent a departing employee from personally packing up his or her belongings and saying goodbye to coworkers. 5. I'll use roleplay, simulations, improv theatre to teach this skill.
- 1. Why am I being terminated? 2. What have I done? 3. Why did you hire me in the first place? 4. My manager was not supportive 5. The culture of the organization is not good 6. Denial - I have been working hard. 7. How much severance pay will I get? (maybe) 8. Can you transfer me to another department? 9. What happens to my bonuses? 10. Am I eligible to apply again in the future?
- If the employee is not able to perform or show improvement even after been put on PIP, the company has the right to terminate them. If PIP is not followed, then it's unfair on both the employee and the company's part because they may have the potential of improvement and even success even given the right guidance. And also many times, it's the manager issue than the employee issue.
- Right non - verbal communication can make the process more civil, candid and less hurtful. Nodding, using "I understand your struggle" in conversations, offering tea/coffee/water when the environment gets tensed helps ease out the pain.
- At my last company OPPO, there was an employee who used to be very rude, mean, and aggressive when speaking to her team members. She was given a warning a couple of times during the probation period. Although she was a good performer, but her way of managing the team was not appreciated by her team members. She was given feedback by her manager and the HR as well but she couldn't really show any improvement. After the 6 - months of probation, during the confirmation phase, she was asked to leave. The situation was handled well in my opinion. If an employee's behavior is toxic beyond repair, it's worse to part ways. After all, it's not about one person but the whole team. One bad apple can spoil the whole basket.
- 1. Document the proofs that the employee has a problem - functional or behavioral and how it impacts. Collect data and use it when having conversations with the employee. 2. Use simulations like roleplays, case studies, improv theatre to practice these conversations. 3. Manage conflict through mindful conversations and showing empathy to the exiting employee. Let them move out with self-respect and pride.
- 1. Be alert. Carry out 360-degree surveys regularly and identify employees who cause trouble. 2. Talk to troubled employees, figure out "why" behind their "negative" behavior. Help them, coach them, train them if they have the potential to contribute to the business. 3. If things do not work out, have a civil candid, and friendly conversation with them and terminate the relationship.
- The main reason of garden leave is to safeguard against possible detrimental actions or behavior that the employee might indulge in during their notice period.
- 1. Identify displeased employees and start with a conversation first. Tr to understand their issues, why they are used or disgruntled. If the issue(s) seem fixable, help them with individual development plan. Help them achieve what they want. Assign a coach or finance training programs for them. 2. Talk to their team members, subordinates, and their bosses. Figure out how this person is perceived. If the feedback is too bad, take corrective action. 3. If these solutions do not seem to work out, then respectfully have a conversation with them and let them know the reasons HR or company is considering their termination and help them exit with respect.
- 1. Employees who probably take things a little too personally. Many employees are asked to leave because of performance issues or because they simply are not the right culture or job fit. Some of them may cause problems in the future if they are not respectfully handled while they exit. 2. Insecure managers/leaders: Some managers and even leaders who rise the success ladder by the years but feel insecure from the inside creating silos, hierarchy driven culture and act in a biased way.
