The earlier a supervisor addresses problematic workplace behaviors with an employee, the sooner the employee can get appropriate help, and the better chance there is that the employee's performance will improve. Issues that are ignored are likely to get worse. Supervisors with concerns about employee behaviors are advised to speak with their manager and a representative of Staff and Labor Relations at Duke Human Resources to ensure they address these issues in a manner consistent with Duke Policy. Supervisors are also encouraged to consult with a PAS counselor.
Absenteeism
- Multiple unauthorized absences
- Monday and/or Friday absences
- Cyclical patterns of attendance
- Excessive tardiness, especially on Mondays
- Frequent use of unscheduled vacation days to cover absences
- Leaving work early
- Increasingly improbable excuses for absences
"On The Job" Absenteeism
- Frequently gone from work station/office
- Excessive tardiness in returning from breaks
- Long lunches
- Frequently on the telephone dealing with non-work issues
Poor Job Performance
- Missed deadlines
- Unexplained periods of high and low productivity
- Decreased ability to handle complex assignments
- Improbable and frequent excuses for poor job performance
Other
- Crying inappropriately or excessively
- Extreme restlessness
- Talking too fast or non-stop
- Expressing grand ideas
- Expressing paranoid ideas
- Appears to be hallucinating
Poor Interpersonal Relationships on the Job
- Overreaction to real or imagined criticism
- Wide swings in mood
- Complaints from co-workers
- Not otherwise explained isolation or withdrawal
- Increasingly argumentative with coworkers
- Inappropriate borrowing of money
- Excessively/overly friendly
Personal Habits
- Declining attention to personal hygiene
- Deteriorating personal appearance
- Reporting to work in other than "normal" condition
Accidents
- Higher than expected frequency on and off the job
- Unusual accidents
- Reporting to work with physical signs of accidents (often unexplained)