The story behind the story

Perhaps you recognize the following situation: you have an absent employee with back problems, there is good weekly telephone contact. The employee is normally motivated, sociable and always willing to go the extra mile if necessary. However, the absenteeism has been going on for several weeks now and there seems to be no prospect of recovery, so you invite your employee for a cup of coffee at the office. The employee indicates he prefers to stay in touch by phone and does not see the point of having a cup of coffee at the work location. When you do indicate to the employee that you would see him or her physically once and invite him or her to stop by again, the heels turn. The employee remains adamant that he sees no added value in the physical appointment and refuses to come by. Has your enthusiastic and motivated employee suddenly turned into an annoying unmotivated worker, or is there more behind this story?

When it sometimes seems that your employee does not have a good reason for doing or not doing something, or when your employee's behavior suddenly changes, there is probably more behind the story than what your employee is telling you. In the situation above, the employee didn't want to come to the work site, not because he didn't feel like it or because he was unmotivated, but because he was afraid of running into someone at the work site with whom he has an argument. Of course, this is still not a good reason to then just hide at home and call in sick. However, when you know the real reason why someone is doing what they are doing, you can also work constructively with the employee to find a solution. It is therefore important to look for the story behind the story.

As mentioned, getting this done is not always easy. If you would like help with this as a supervisor, contact your Labor and Health Advisor. They can help engage with you and your employee, peel the onion and bring out the underlying story. For more information, visit our website and contact us without obligation.