3 Savvy Ways to Tell An Employee to Be More Professional

Jul 14

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Introduction

Unprofessional employees can be detrimental to workplace culture and ruin customer service. You may be wondering how to address the employee about their behavior. Look no further, here are some key ways to tell an employee to be more professional.

What is An Unprofessional Employee?

Unprofessional employee behavior can range from comments and email etiquette to tardiness and being poorly dressed. Here are some key examples of unprofessional behavior to look out for in your workplace:

Speaking loudly about inappropriate topics
Frequently showing up late to work
Inviting friends to the workplace at other times than lunch
Using their cellphone during meetings
Wearing inappropriate clothing at work

Setting Professionalism Expectations Within Your Workplace

Clearly stating expectations can help prevent these events from occurring. This could be implemented into an onboarding assignment for new employees or a presentation could happen for all employees annually. Here are some key topics for your workplace professionalism review:

Discuss Uniform Expectations

Even if your workplace doesn’t have a direct uniform, it is essential to review and add examples of the dress standards for the office.

Provide Examples of Email Etiquette

You can encourage your employees to add a signature to their emails, and you can create sample templates for employees to see what the standard is within your office. Providing this upfront can help limit questions about the emails and encourage employees to form professional email habits right away.

Create Standards in the Workplace for Guests

Having a system in place with rules about employees bringing guests can help avoid those awkward moments when you notice an employee’s friend in the office during the work day. One example would be to allow visitors during the lunch break, but any other times the visits must be discussed with you.

Have A Clear System in Place for Tardiness

Discuss with your employees how they can best inform you if they will be late for work. Everyone experiences traffic and emergencies occasionally that need to be communicated. Then, legitimate reasons for tardiness can be made aware of. In addition, inform your employees of the consequences of frequent lateness upfront.

How to Respond to Unprofessional Workplace Behavior As A Manager: Example Interactions

Unprofessional behavior can cause other employees to feel uncomfortable and decrease productivity. Being direct to address the issue is crucial. Here are some tips and examples that can help you:

Give a Warning for the First Offense and Explain the Consequences of a Recurrence

Frequently, employees simply need clarification that the action is unprofessional. It is important to remain direct in an initial conversation with the employee to understand that they grasp the concept. Here is a sample conversation:

Manager: Hi Mary! I was wondering if I could speak to you regarding your tardiness over the past few days.

Mary: Sure.

Manager: I understand you are a new employee, so you may not be familiar with our policies in the office. I wanted to review them with you one-on-one to make sure you understand.

Mary: Okay. I wasn’t aware there were policies. I hadn’t been showing up on time because I don’t have much work to do and am unclear why I would have to be here earlier.

[You can notice Mary is becoming defensive. A lot of new employees become defensive if they think their job is on the line. Reassure them that you are just having a conversation about providing them with information. If the employee continues with the behavior and lies about it, review Three Legendary Tactics for Dealing With an Employee Who Lies for advice.]

Manager: I would like to review the policies with you now. There is no need to worry; this is the first time we are addressing the issue and I understand it was unclear to you before.

Mary: Ok, I understand.

Be Willing to Create Goals to Improve Employee Professionalism

Actions that become habitual may be difficult to end without providing clear feedback. Using the ManageBetter Action Plan you can set clear goals and track the employee’s progress toward them. Here is a sample conversation regarding goals:

Manager: Hi John! I was wondering if I could have a conversation with you about goal-setting within the workplace.

John: Sure, am I doing something wrong?

[Employees could see goal setting as a bad thing and think there is something wrong with their performance. Here, emphasize that there is nothing wrong with their work, but they can improve their professionalism.]

Manager: I want to assure you that there is nothing wrong with your performance. I want to set goals for your professionalism in the workplace. For instance, I think you could improve your email etiquette. I have some sample emails and suggestions for you. Then, I would like to set goals to track your improvement. How does that sound?

John: That sounds good. I appreciate your help and feedback.

Provide Clear Feedback in Both Conversation and Written Form

Some employees will respond better to written feedback; others will prefer a conversation about the issue. You can review the ManageBetter Review Builder to find key phrases about performance evaluations that you can write up or speak to employees about. Here is a good way to address this with an employee:

Manager: Hey Jack! I was wondering if I could discuss your performance review with you.

Jack: Sounds good.

Manager: I have some feedback for you about things you are doing well in the office and some things you need to work on. I am impressed with your hard working attitude, but I wanted to address your work attire. We want to remain a super professional workplace, and I would like to encourage you to dress more professionally and respond more professionally to clients. I wrote down a list of things that might be helpful to work on and we can practice sample client dialogues to help.

[It is important that you offer to help make the changes with the employee when possible. This will help motivate them and also allow you to see the progress up close. Review the How to Give Good Feedback at Work with Examples for tricks on delivering feedback.]

Conclusion

Unprofessional behavior can happen with employees of all ages. Making sure to actively involve yourself, as a manager, in the growth of your employees is helpful to both lead by example and encourage the employee to alter their behavior permanently.