Employee Mistakes – Mistakes Happen in Every Workplace. How you Respond as a Manager Can Make the Difference Between an Effective and a Dysfunctional Workplace.
Dealing with employee mistakes is part of being a manager. We all make mistakes from time to time. In fact, mistakes are a normal part of the learning process and should be expected when employees are learning a new task or role.
But how should a manager respond when an experienced employee makes a mistake?
Mistakes can be costly – both financially and in other ways. Impacts can range from lost time to redo work, frustrated coworkers, lost customer accounts, risk to health and safety of others, potential lawsuits, damage to products, property or equipment, and negative impact on company reputation.
How a manager responds to employee mistakes says a lot about the manager’s character. But it also directly impacts employee accountability to their work, their team and the company.
Most of us can relate to an experience where their manager responded poorly to a mistake. Maybe the manager did nothing and ignored the problem or at the other extreme, the manager lost control by berating and humiliating the employee in front of peers or customers.
If we assume that the employee made an honest mistake, follow these Manager Tips:
- focus on damage control, managing and solving the problem
- avoid assigning blame
- give the employee a chance to explain the situation from their perspective
- clearly explain the error and your expectations
- make sure you explain the impact of the mistake on the company and customers
- tell the employee how they could have handled the situation differently
- involve the employee in the plan to solve the problem
- be encouraging and demonstrate confidence in the employee’s abilities
- identify your employee’s strengths and assign work that matches their skills
- provide training if needed and follow up
- improve your process – what can you do differently in the future to avoid this problem?
- praise accountability – encourage your employees to tell you when something goes wrong
- don’t manage using intimidation, fear or threats – this often results in problems being covered up and does not encourage accountability
Mistakes can be challenging. Managers are held accountable for their work and the work of their employees. When an employee mistake results in a significant loss it can reflect poorly on the manager, the team and the company. Mistakes are a part of any workplace. Encourage open communication and support employees who bring problems and issues to your attention.
