People First - January 2006

To Change Workplace Attitudes

Focus on Behaviors

by Mark Keays

If you ask most managers and supervisors to describe what someone with a bad attitude looks like, they will typically give any number of the following as examples. As you read these descriptions, you may recognize one of your own employees as perfectly fitting this mental picture. Their inappropriate behaviors may be included in the following:

Arrives late to work – Some people just don’t seem to be able to get to work on time, and it isn’t a once- or twice-a-year occurrence, but a regular event.

Takes long or excessive breaks – The employee’s 15- or 30-minute breaks always seem to run long, or the individual seems to be taking "extra" breaks on a frequent basis.

Fails to meet dress code standards – These individuals never seem to get it right. The range can run from dirty clothing, inappropriate attire for the workplace or not adhering to wearing the organization’s proper uniforms.

Rude or abrupt with customers and co-workers – Some people either don’t want to take the time to communicate appropriately, don’t care how they come across or disregard the impact their behavior has on customer service.

Poor quality of work – Whether it is customer service, building or delivering a product or providing information, you never know what to expect day-to-day.

Uses loud or inappropriate language and doesn’t project the desired image – This is pretty obvious, as you see it every day in places all over town; you just hope it doesn’t happen in your workplace.

Disrespectful or sarcastic in response to customers or other employees – These people seem to be present in many organizations. They are more vocal about their feelings, and their actions can create friction in any group.

These descriptions may be reflective of an individual’s attitude about work, or life in general; all of the items mentioned are behaviors that can be addressed objectively, but this is unlikely to result in someone changing their attitude.

Since these problems have been identified as the more prevalent causes of someone being branded as having a bad attitude, what do you do to change them? First, identify the specific behavior you want to change in the individual and then change your own behavior. You have to clearly define the problem behavior as well as the cause. Describe appropriate behavior or what is a "good job," ensuring that the individual understands. It becomes a matter of holding people accountable. As the manager or supervisor, you must be consistent and timely in applying the right rewards or punishments for the individual’s ongoing behaviors.

In many organizations, leadership is the worst enemy; leaders will often tell someone to do something different without following-up, and then they wonder why nothing has changed. Most people aren’t hired with bad attitudes; they develop them over time. Inappropriate behaviors are tolerated or overlooked until they become problematic, and the individual is tagged with a "poor attitude" label.

In many situations, things continue to deteriorate until individuals quit or are fired, often taking with them a lot of company dollars spent in training and development. It is time-consuming and expensive to replace employees. Focusing on behaviors, as opposed to attitude, will positively improve an individual’s outlook and impact the manner in which employees interact. Workplace harmony is all about behavior, and the change begins with you.

Mark Keays
Mark Keays is president of Desert Management Services, a Las Vegas-based management consulting firm, and a faculty member of the University of Phoenix, where he teaches in the areas of organizational change, human resources and management.