In an age when everyone seems to be attached at the hip with multiple different devices, you’d think responsiveness wouldn’t be as much of an issue, especially when it comes to your employer.
But for whatever reason, people still seem to have a tough time picking up the phone, responding to a text, or replying to an email.
Maybe doing most of our correspondence digitally has eroded our ability to communicate, or maybe the sheer volume of messages we receive each day has become totally overwhelming.
Whatever the case, dealing with an unresponsive employee is something my clients have complained about countless times.
And while I don’t understand why employees seem to have such difficulty communicating, I do know how to deal with these issues when they arise.
That being said, I figured I’d better share some of my knowledge on this topic, so employers can have a better idea of how to deal with this sort of thing.
So, if you’re struggling to deal with an unresponsive employee, and you’re desperate to find solutions, then you should definitely keep reading.
In this article, I’m going to offer four simple tips for how to deal with these situations, so you can move beyond this nonsense and get back to building your business.
How to Deal with an Unresponsive Employee
Most of this stuff comes down to common sense, but when you’re dealing with something that’s so ridiculously frustrating, it’s easy to let logic go straight out the window.
This stuff might not be mind-blowing, but it’s the same advice I give to clients, and it usually works pretty well.
Sometimes people are just impossible, and in those situations, disciplinary action does need to be taken, up to and including firing the person. This is true, even in a time when replacing employees is becoming increasingly difficult.
But in my experience, if you use the four tactics outlined below, that’s usually not necessary, and in most cases, you can mitigate these issues fairly quickly.
1) Set an Example
When it comes to responsiveness, first and foremost, you’ve got to practice what you preach.
As always, if you want employees to follow a certain set of standards, no matter what those might be, then the best thing you can do is set an example.
If you’re taking days to respond to employees’ emails or ignoring them when they call or text you, but then expecting them to get back to you within the hour, that’s your prerogative, but it’s not going to get your employees to be more responsive.
I recommend that at the very least, you respond with a “Got it.” or some other quick way of letting them know you’ve received their message.
In any case, the last thing employees want is for their boss to treat them like children and have a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of mentality. Working relationships are built on mutual respect and trust.
Remember, even if you are the one signing the paychecks, if you want to command respect, you’ve got to give respect, as well. That’s just how it works.
Moreover, setting a good example on these kinds of things is going to help you to build better rapport, trust, and mutual respect with your team, and that’s critical to achieving success.
2) Set the Standard
While I do feel that setting an example is the most important thing you can do in this situation, in order to do that, you’ve got to set a standard so you and everyone else knows what that example is.
If you want your business to run smoothly, employees need to be given a set of rules to follow, and if you don’t ensure these requirements are clearly outlined, you can’t really get angry at them for not being able to read your mind.
As you should do with all the other aspects of how you run your business, when it comes to employee responsiveness, you’ve got to tell your employees exactly what you expect of them.
So, make sure to talk to them about responsiveness and let them know what you expect and when you expect it.
If you want them to respond to an email within the hour, let them know that. If there are only certain forms of communication you want them to respond to right away, define what those are. If you have a particular expectation for each form of communication, let them know that, as well.
Whatever your expectations are, make sure they’re clearly defined and clearly communicated, and don’t forget to be as specific as possible.
3) Hold Them Accountable
Now that you’ve set the example and the standard, and hopefully encouraged your employees to follow suit, the next thing you need to do is ensure you’re holding them accountable when they aren’t responsive.
So, the next time you’re dealing with an unresponsive employee, don’t just ignore what they’re doing, and at the same time, make sure to not be too aggressive about it, either.
You’d be surprised how many times these things happen due to a simple misunderstanding, or an employee having a legitimate reason for not being responsive.
What you should do is simply have a one-on-one conversation with them, telling them exactly what the issue is, and asking them to explain why they haven’t been responding to your communications.
If they don’t have a good reason for their behavior, then make sure to get their agreement that this isn’t going to happen again. Whether that’s done verbally or in writing is up to you.
One of the things you can do is to explain the impact that their unresponsiveness can actually have on your business. Helping them to understand the repercussions of their actions can put things in perspective, and make them think twice about ignoring you again.
Whatever you do, try not to be too harsh about it, especially if this is the first time it’s happened. Unless they’re unbelievably immature, this should be enough to ensure everyone’s on the same page, and more than likely, it won’t happen again.
4) Be Reasonable
You might think being a hard-ass is going to ensure better behavior from your employees, but in my experience, nine times out of ten, it’s only going to create more problems.
For example, if you’re expecting employees to respond to you at all hours of the day, even outside of work hours, that’s just ridiculous, and it’s certainly not a reasonable expectation to have.
At the very least, if you do expect that of your employees, make sure they’re fully aware of that expectation and have agreed to it before you even hire them.
In any case, if you’re dealing with an unresponsive employee, don’t just berate them, or refuse to listen to what they have to say. For all you know, they could have a perfectly rational explanation.
Sit down with them, ask them to clarify what happened, and try to show some understanding, as well.
Start by asking them what the best way to communicate with them is, or if they felt like they were too busy to respond.
If that is the case, maybe you can suggest taking some work off of their plate, if possible, or ask them to shift their focus to whatever it is you were asking about.
Another thing you can do is to have a dedicated platform for vital communications.
For instance, you could require all your employees to be logged into a specific messaging service, such as Discord or Slack, during work hours, and let them know that any messages they get from you on that platform are to be treated as urgent and responded to right away.
Whatever you choose to do, be as reasonable as you can. And remember, if you want your employees to listen to you, and help to build an atmosphere of mutual respect, you have to show them respect, too.
Are you struggling to figure out how to deal with problems related to employee responsiveness? I can help you to mitigate these issues, or even do personality assessments with you and your team to get to the bottom of these kinds of conflicts once and for all. Schedule your free consultation today and let’s get started.
Personal Development, Team Management