Navigating Employee Types: How Do You Manage Different Personalities in Your Team?

Good Morning Everyone.

I am trying to understand psychology or what other HR professionals think about this. We are an IT company based in Gujarat. There are different types of people in the company:

1. Most obedient and dedicated, honest.
2. Irresponsible employees.
3. Senior employees - having tons of attitude.
4. Never disciplined according to company policy.
5. Need spoon-feeding every time before the work gets done.

Please share your views on how you treat and how to deal with these types of employees.

Employee Diversity and Recruitment Challenges

You have provided a list of employees who have different psychological bearings. This diversity is bound to be a feature of every organization. However, the challenge lies in how to select individuals with an overall similar mindset.

From the list you provided, some challenges can be overcome through proper recruitment. If you have developed a sound recruitment procedure, it becomes possible to discern whether a job candidate is irresponsible or requires spoonfeeding.

Training and Organizational Culture

In addition to recruitment, it is essential to train employees on organizational values and the company's culture. Before conducting the training, the organization must define its values and culture and take steps to promote them. Often, this task is accomplished during the induction training itself.

Vision and Mission Alignment

Another crucial aspect is having a vision and mission statement. The top leadership must continuously question whether their actions or decisions align with the organization's vision and mission.

Importance of Upward Communication

Furthermore, the top leadership should promote upward communication in general. Many of the issues you mentioned could be due to a lack of feedback from junior employees. Establishing a proper mechanism for upward communication provides management with insights into the company's operations.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar

Addressing Different Types of Employees in the Workplace

Were the "different types of people in the company" as described by you the same as what they are? If not, then begin by teaching them new behaviors—workplace behavior worthy of employment. Include training sessions on workplace discipline, the minimum dos and don'ts as codified in your establishment's service rules, and a clear-cut, kindly-given advice/reminder that for any act unworthy of employment, disciplinary action steps shall be taken uniformly, properly, fairly, and faithfully. The sample acts narrated by you in your post amount to "injustice" to the employer.

Regards, Kritarth Team

Dear colleague,

I don't believe that employees can be typified in such a straightjacketed way as you have done. At best, they are behaviors displayed by some employees at some time or another. Obviously, these acts cannot be dealt with in a 'one size fits all' manner. In HR, there is a well-known adage that says, "different strokes for different folks."

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant

To ensure the responsible behavior of employees, I am planning to introduce a set of policies and actions that must be followed. If the list consists of 10-20 policies/disciplines and corresponding actions, do you believe this is a standard practice in any company? Additionally, will it have a positive or negative impact on the company?

Dear friend, yes, the introduction of policies is an important step in running the company's administration smoothly. However, what matters is whether the policies help in maintaining a certain type of culture. As written in my previous post, you may focus on building a specific organizational culture. Otherwise, your efforts in introducing the policies may go in vain.

Case Study: Mumbai Dabbawala

Take the case of "Mumbai Dabbawala." Do they have well-documented policies? The simple reply is no. Yet they have achieved world-class excellence in their operations, and even Six Sigma is inadequate to measure their performance. Why could they do this? They could do this because they inducted only those persons who were amenable to their culture. Secondly, they have been following certain values diligently.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

I will add my two cents to the interesting views expressed by my fellow professionals. Please remember, my friend, that each human being is molded differently during the formative years. Take the example of your own siblings! Are they not different, or do they all behave and interact in the same way as your father or mother, just listening and obeying without expressing their viewpoints, choices, or preferences? Your own siblings are different from one another. Still, they are all considered family members.

One more line of argument. Suppose in a particular team, you expect all staff members to be sweet and nice, obeying what the management directs without seeking clarifications or protesting against a particular policy. How long will this go on? You will then require only goats and cows instead of employees! Please remember, only through conflict do new ideas emerge from differing views. Only when people protest against a particular policy do new solutions arise. If all have to behave in a particular way, you can appoint robots using your technology! Employees need not use their brains if they simply have to listen to the bosses and obey their commands.

The solution lies in accepting such challenges. As my learned friend, Mr. Divekar, mentioned above, train people to resolve their differences, teach and train them on the company's vision, mission, and values. This way, while at work, they can focus more on the task at hand and have their individual mindsets when they check out for the day.

Best wishes

Strategic HR Approach for Different Employee Types

The answer to your question lies within your question itself. There are different types of employees in your organization, so you have to approach HR strategically. This means dealing with them according to their mindset, behavior, and age, as you cannot treat them all the same way.

Furthermore, it is crucial to establish a strong bond with the leadership team and raise awareness about such behaviors. This will ensure that if any strict actions need to be taken in the future, they will not be against you. (Follow Modi's approach - he first built strong relationships with most countries before addressing issues with Pakistan, preventing objections from other nations.)

Encourage adherence to policies and practices. If someone fails to comply or behaves inappropriately, take action against them. The rest of the team will likely follow suit.

Regards, Harry Mehta HR Manager