[Publib] Employee Problems

[Chris Albertson]

I am very sympathetic to Su's response regarding not having to like your
boss or co-workers to get the job done....but.....in my opinion it is
not unreasonable to consider "plays well with others" as a valid KSA job
value....while these sorts of things can get very subjective in their
application to workers' performance...there is still a "core" of
acceptable/unacceptable behavior that can be staked out regarding
interpersonal relations on the job.....consider it an extension of
customer relations to "internal customers"....we wouldn't necessarily
look the other way or be satisfied if staff checked out books while
scowling at the patrons or telling them to "hurry it along, folks are
waiting"....likewise....while not expecting everyone to be "Mary
Sunshine" or "Pollyanna" day in and day out....their interaction with
other staff members should not be harassing, aggressive, argumentative,
etc. even IF the work IS getting done...because most likely LESS is
getting done than COULD be gotten done if energy is being consumed by
bickering and backstabbing, overtly or covertly.....still.....handling
these sorts of difficulties is "not for wimps" and is no doubt one of
the major causes of stress for supervisors...

My advice....set standards for interpersonal relations (it can even be
an informal, jawboning sort of thing on the supervisor's part), follow
them yourself and painful as it may be...point out to staff when the
"atmosphere" starts to drift away from the "acceptable"...you may not be
able to fully describe "plays well with others" but most of us know it
when we see it...

Chris Albertson
 
Mr. Chris Albertson
City Librarian
Tyler Public Library
City of Tyler
Tyler, Texas
Voice            903-593-READ (7323)
After Hours 903-593-HELP (4357)
Fax                903-531-1FAX (1329)
E-Mail  calbertson at tylertexas.com
 
"The unexamined life is not worth living"