Phrases to Avoid with Employees and Customers

As a manager, it’s important to have great communication skills in every form—written, verbal, and body language. You know quite a bit about how to make both your employees and customers comfortable and how to gain their trust. However, there are a few common phrases you should be very careful about using and avoid when possible.

“We need to talk” is a phrase associated with bad news and will immediately evoke anxiety in an employee even if the conversation will be positive. Instead, try saying “Do you have a few minutes to meet with me?” This sounds more inviting and implies a neutral tone. Also, try to not to start a negative statement with the word “You.” Even if you need to address a specific person’s issue, try saying “It’s important that everyone follows this procedure” rather than “You failed to follow this procedure.”

“Always” and “never” are absolutes and rarely accurate in any case. In conversations with employees, avoid these words with both positive and negative conversations. With customers, don’t make statements about things you aren’t sure you can do (always), but don’t disregard a request completely right away (never) if it may be possible.  “Unfortunately” immediately sounds disappointing, however, it is easy to say when something inevitable is preventing you from saying “Yes.” Instead, try using the phrase “as it turns out”. (We would love to attend the business conference, but as it turns out, we are already scheduled at another event).

There are many more phrases that could be listed here and you will discover more in your future communications. The main idea to take away is to try and avoid these connotations: negative, condescending, non-committed, and overly-authoritative. While you do need to be firm in some cases, make sure you are using the best tone and phrases possible. Make it happen!

© 2013 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Should I Hire My Intern on Full Time?

An internship is a mutually beneficial experience for both the company and the intern.  As a small business owner, you get an eager individual ready to help out and learn. They receive great experience for their resume. The terms of internships vary greatly—they may be seasonal (during the school year or summer), temporary (3 to 6 months), very part time or nearly full time, and paid or unpaid. The bigger question is after an intern completes the internship, should you hire them on as a regular, full time employee?

The first thing to consider is before you hire an intern, choose someone who you can envision one day being an employee. While interns don’t always continue their career at that company, the best case scenario is that their position lines up perfectly with their career goals and they turn out to be a rock star that you would love to have as an employee. The worst that could happen is they fulfill a need for a short period of time and you go your separate ways. But it is much easier to fill an open full time position by promoting an intern that by hiring a totally new candidate. Even if they have to finish school before they can start, it could be well worth the wait for the right person for the job.

Another thing to remember is offer paid internships if at all possible. There are plenty of talented young people out there who just can’t afford to spend time in an unpaid internship, so you don’t want to miss out on potential talent by only offering college credit—although that is a good benefit. The most important thing is to provide them with a value equal to the time and responsibilities you are giving them. You also don’t want to be too flexible with the time frame. Give a firm start date, end date, number of hours per week, and when they can expect to be offered a full time position or not. You can offer a small bonus for completing their commitment to the company.

The bottom line? If an intern doesn’t offer the level of skills and personality you were hoping for, kindly send them on their way at the completion of the internship. But if you think they have the potential to grow with the company, consider offering the next open position to them.

© 2013 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Tips for Training New Employees

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes there is a need to hire a new employee, and then that employee must be trained in their position and given the tools they need to learn their job. Of course, you can’t watch them every second or always be available to answer their questions. So how can you effectively train new employees and still have time to do what you need to do?

First, it is important to immerse them into the culture of your business. They should be involved with new ideas, collaboration, and problem solving in a setting where it’s ok to make mistakes and advance some new thoughts. The person training the new employee (s) should remain relaxed and clearly explain why they are learning each thing they are being taught. Negativity should stay out of the learning process and instead the focus should be on positive feedback and rewarding new achievements.

The learning should be personalized for each new employee. Companies are moving towards assigning mentors for each individual and help them build solid relationships while serving as an outlet for advice and information. Employee training should also be segmented, allowing them to master one skill at a time. This will help them to gain confidence. Finally, learning should be a continuous thing, not limited to new employees. There should be training refreshers and opportunities to learn new skills for all employees—the rate of change in the business world means there is always a need to learn new skills.

Other tips to keep in mind is to make sure employees know where everything is, including the coffee maker, lunch area, and restrooms and to offer to eat lunch with the new hire or set them up with someone who will to make them feel welcome. Following these tips will make the transition easier for the employee and yourself. Make it happen!

© 2013 eMarketing 4 Business LLC

Dealing With Strained Coworker Relationships

            We’ve had to (or will have to) deal with others in the workplace who we simply don’t like. Most of the time, these people bring it on themselves by not doing their job, being negative, or treating others with rudeness and disrespect. Other times, there is a person whose personality just doesn’t mesh with yours or you simply can’t relate to each other. Thankfully, these difficult people are usually not the norm, but every now and then, you are bound to come across them. You certainly can’t afford to quit your job because of one person, and you still want to enjoy your job despite this situation. So what can you do? There are ways to make this situation more bearable for you and the other person.

First and foremost, don’t use counterproductive coping methods: rolling your eyes, sighing, walking away when they talk to you, etc. These are passive actions that will only make things worse. Steer clear of negative comments and don’t join in other people’s conversations about this person. While you don’t have to like them, you do have to respect them and this is not the way to show respect. Monitor your end of the conflict and make sure you don’t take your frustrations with this person out on other coworkers Keep in mind that sometimes, you have to interact with this person because you did not choose to work at the same company, you just happen to do so. If the problem is over one incident, do your best to resolve the issue before the resentment grows. Let the working environment stay neutral and don’t let on to your opinion of this person. Remember, if the person truly isn’t doing their job, the consequences will occur without any action on your part.

There are things you should do that can have a positive effect on this relationship. If this strained relationship is with someone who works for you, it may be because they are better suited for a different role in the company. Identifying this and making adjustments may solve the problem altogether. If you decide to try to work things out, do so in a situation where you will feel comfortable and don’t have to compete with them, such as a lunch outing. If you see them struggling with something that you could definitely help them fix, you should do so. You should also think about how you contribute to the problem. When you do need to interact with the person, make conversations short and to-the-point. You could even write down your thoughts or questions for them before you speak to them. If possible, find a mediator to talk to that person for you. If the person really becomes a problem, be assertive and go to your supervisor because at this point, chances are, you’re not the only one who sees an issue here. Finally, if the person was in good standing with you in the past and you are wondering how to patch things up, decide if the relationship is worth the effort or if you should just let it go.

Sometimes, dealing with co-worker relationships is not easy—just be respectful and try to make the best out of the situation. You can’t control them, but you can control you. Make it happen!

© 2012 eMarketing 4 Business LLC