Time for a Heart to Heart to Address Employer Absences
Q. My concern pertains to an employer, who’s the polar opposite of a micromanager. It’s wonderful he trusts his staff to assign many responsibilities involved in running the business but my fear is it’s at the risk of not taking on enough himself. Everyone likes him and he has the business and his employees at heart. The problem is he’s out of the office quite a bit. While he’s available by cell, and staff knows what needs to be done, he sets a poor precedent by being gone so much. He’s had a lot of personal life crises about which staff is generally understanding, but the unspoken sense I get is a lack of confidence that he’s getting the bigger picture-type things done. I’m not sure he realizes what a negative effect his lack of leadership has on staff. Any advice would be appreciated.
A. As business owners ourselves, we can tell you that the fact that you care about your employer and his business makes you a valuable employee. What will make you even more valuable is a willingness to do something constructive with your concerns. Given the positive picture you’ve painted of your employer, we think it’s time for a heart-to-heart with him. Here are some steps for doing so:
1) Clarify your concerns. Is the problem that he’s not there or that his absence is giving the message that he doesn’t care? Is it failure to develop other leadership in the organization or not enough leadership from the guy at the top? Is there a lack of vision and planning for the future or a lack of communication about what is being done? Make a list of all of your concerns and then put them in priority order so you can present the two or three that you think are most important.
2) Identify the negative effects. Be specific, identifying the impact on you as well as naming the behaviors you observe in others that suggests there’s a problem for them. For example, what’s happening that indicates staff lacks confidence (i.e. people expressing concern about the future of the company)? Or that his absences set a poor example – (i.e. increased staff absenteeism)?
3) Start with the heart - and share that you care – about the company, your employer, other staff, etc. Highlight what’s working well – such as his faith in dedicated, knowledgeable employees; his good relationship with staff – before sharing your concerns and the negative effects.
