To Eric, A few years ago, I hired Stacey. Although she has many excellent skills, she has trouble keeping focused and being on time. In spite of this, I offered her a promotion so she could assume greater responsibilities.
Although she was thrilled about it, she is still chronically late and unable to finish work on her own, even after a year of training, meetings, etc. Keeping her under control requires a lot of my efforts.
Because of her tardiness, my HR department wants me to begin a disciplinary procedure. My problem is that she frequently brings up her obvious executive function problems when I bring up work performance concerns. I need something to change, even if it’s just my viewpoint, but it’s difficult for me not to feel like I’m punishing her for something she truly has no control over.
Effective Time Management
To the Management: Take advantage of Stacey’s executive function concerns to discuss potential remedies. What steps can she take to improve her working environment? What aspects of her work do you find particularly difficult, and is there anything you two can do to come up with innovative solutions? Are there any possible accommodations?
You may have the authority to grant her specific requests, or you may present them to HR as part of a strategy for performance enhancement. Although different workplaces have different philosophies, discipline appears to be a less successful strategy than focusing on the problems and trying to bring about change. Additionally, this enables her to advocate for herself more effectively, which will improve her ability to contribute to the team.
Stories by
R. Eric Thomas
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Asking Eric: Impulsive newlywed finds a lot of money, time being spent on husband s gambling friend
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Asking Eric: We enjoy spending time with our friends, but we have to initiate all contact
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Asking Eric: My partner uses the last of something, won t replace it. I literally can NOT take this anymore
To Eric, In response to your response to a concerned relative who was upset that a gift of money to a nephew was used to buy guns, I agreed with everything you said but also considered the possibility that, instead of giving the money to their nephew, the concerned relative could use it to pay for memberships, tickets, and tuition at other organizations in order to help pay for summer activities without having it go directly toward something like this (guns).
The reader
To the Reader: Future presents might be as simple as paying for things like camp or offering experiences.
For inquiries, contact R. Eric Thomas at [email protected] or by mail at P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Subscribe to his weekly newsletter at rericthomas.com and follow him on Instagram.
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