50. How far should a supervisor1 go in criticizing the performance of a subordinate? Some highly successful managers have been known to rely on verbal abuse and intimidation2.
Do you think that this is an effective means of communicating expectations? If not, what alternative should a manager use in dealing3 with someone whose work is less than satisfactory? Explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
Unsatisfactory employee performance demands appropriate response from a manager or supervisor. The question is what is appropriate? Some managers might claim that verbal abuse and intimidation are useful in getting employees to improve. While this may be true in exceptional cases, my view is that the best managerial responses generally fulfill4 two criteria5: they are respectful; and they are likely to be the most effective in the long run.
Treating employees with respect is important in all contexts. Respect, in the most basic sense, involves treating a person as equal in importance to oneself. For a manager or supervisor, this means recognizing that occupying a subordinate position does not make a worker a lesser6 person. And it means treating subordinates as one would want to be treatedhonestly and fairly. Using threats or verbal abuse to elicit7 better employee performance amounts to treating a worker like the office copy machineas an object from which to get what one wants.
Moreover, while verbal abuse might produce the desired reaction at a particular time, it is likely to backfire later. Nobody likes to be abused or intimidated8. If such methods were the general practice in an office or pision, overall morale9 would probably be low. And it is unlikely that employees would give 100 percent to managers who so obviously disregarded them.
More beneficial in the long run would be careful but clear feedback to the worker about specific deficiencies, along with ideas and encouragement about improvement. In addition, supervisors10 should allow employees to explain the problem from their point of view and to suggest solutions. Of course, a supervisor should never mislead a subordinate into thinking that major problems with work performance are insignificant11 or tolerable. Still, an honest message can be sent without threats or assaults on self-esteem.
In conclusion, supervisors should avoid using verbal abuse and threats. These methods degrade subordinates, and they are unlikely to produce the best results in the long run. It is more respectful, and probably more effective overall, to handle cases of substandard work performance with clear, honest and supportive feedback.
