BUSINESS CORNER
THINGS AN
EMPLOYER
SHOULD
NEVER SAY
TO AN
EMPLOYEE
By Trudy O. Glasgow B.A., LL.B (Hons), BVC, LL.M, P.C.H.E*
Employer/employee relationships
diminish over time if there is a lack
of communication, commitment
and compensation. The following
is gleaned from both practical and
theoretical sources:
1. “Do as I say and not as I do…”
You cannot always spend your day
chatting with colleagues and/or on
social media then challenge your
employee’s work ethic, if yours as
the employer leaves a lot to be
desired. You are a leader, therefore,
lead by example! Note: a store
manager (who is not the owner
of the store) is also an employee,
so even though he or she is the
immediate “boss”, it means he or
she has to perform well at his or
her job or risk losing the job as well.
2. “Do you know what the
unemployment rate is right now?
“You should thank your lucky
stars you still have a job”: If your
employee’s job performance is
unsatisfactory, then you need
to have a discussion about this
WITHOUT the sarcasm. Let your
employee know what his or her
duties are, and explain clearly
what your expectations are. This
should invariably be in writing, as
compliance with the Labour Code
is essential.
3. “When I ask you do to
something, do it, otherwise I will
find someone else who will”:
This sounds uncharitable.
Avoid being insensitive to your
employee. If he or she is becoming
insubordinate, then you need to
relieve him or her from the duties
of the current position and quite
rightly find someone else to take
the job. No one is indispensable.
4. “I don’t have time for this”:
If your employee asks to speak
with you about a work-related
problem, make the time; even if it
is a few minutes to actively listen
to the problem and try to resolve
it with some immediacy. If you are
about to go into a meeting, politely
indicate that you will discuss their
concern later, and set a time which
is mutually convenient.
5. “Stress? Are you kidding me?
Let me tell you about stress…”:
6. “Has she gained weight again or
is she pregnant?”:
Never, ever disparage ANYONE
because of her weight, especially if,
in the case of a woman, she could
be pregnant. This is ill-advised and
tasteless. This could be deemed a
form of indirect discrimination and
grounds for legal action against the
individual making those colourless
remarks and/or the business at
large, especially if the owner is
aware that this type of harassing
behaviour is the order of the day
and does not do anything to stop it.
7. “Come here, sweet lips, I need
you to type this for me…” :
Sex discrimination is also a serious
infraction, according to the
discrimination laws. An employee
who feels uncomfortable because
his/her boss constantly calls him/
her something endearing when
they are merely work colleagues,
could have grounds for legal action
against such an employer, who is
trying to belittle the employee by
calling him/her “honeypot”, “sweet
cheeks” and the like.
It is generally considered insensitive
to compare your stress levels with
that of your employee, depending
on the nature of your relationship.
For example, a partner and an
associate in a law firm may discuss
stress because they can be seen to
be doing similar jobs; however, it
may not be appropriate to do so to
their personal assistants.
9 SL-YOU | It’s All About Business
www.slyoumag.com | February - April 2020