In many of our previous articles, we talked about what a good leader means and what he has to do to gather around well-coagulated teams and to enhance the retention of talents and motivated people. It is now time to discuss another issue related to this topic, namely the things a leader or a manager should not ask to the people he is coordinating.
Asking Employees to Lie
As difficult as it may be, sometimes a manager, regardless of his seniority level, must tell the truth and be on the side of justice. That’s why a good leader will never ask people in his team to tell lies or mislead a vendor or business partner, falsify documents, or do things that are not according to the law. At the same time, it is equally unpredictable for a manager to make employees lie each other in order to justify unpopular decisions or hide unpleasant truths.
Not Taking Responsibility
A good leader must take responsibility for the results obtained at a team level, when something goes wrong. Never, under no circumstances, a manager should blame the people in the teams, because that would generate a tense atmosphere that could alienate employees. After all, the captain is the one who has to take responsibility for bringing the ship to safety, just as a good leader needs to know the failures and change the strategy when it turns out to be unprofitable.
Ask Employees to Cancel Their Holidays
An extremely unpleasant thing an employee can face is that when the manager asks him to cancel a vacation announced with weeks or even months in advance. As long as it is not an employee who occupies a position with such seniority that the survival of the company depends on him, the request to cancel a holiday is unjustified. However, if it is imperative for a particular employee to be at work during a planned holiday, the proposal of canceling it should be accompanied by a financial compensation package covering the cost of canceling flight tickets and hotel accommodation. Moreover, it should be launched as a proposal and not as a constraint, not to be imposed.
Denying the Right to Sick Leave
Health problems are a very common thing, something that can happen to anyone, especially in the winter season, when anyone can get a virosis or a cold, especially when traveling by public transport. Although it can be extremely difficult for business to run in such times when many employees become ill, it is unjustifiable for leaders to ask them to come to work when they are affected by a medical emergency. In addition, in the case of viruses, an employee who comes to work can contaminate also his colleagues, and in the absence of a recovery period it will take him more to heal.
To Force Employees to Do Charity
In the last decades, the concept of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has become increasingly popular, especially in large companies, because they have more resources. This involves encouraging employees to engage in volunteer actions that have a beneficial impact on the society they are part of. This is a very good thing, because we all need to realize that we can help with improving the world we live in, together, by working with a minimum of effort. So far so good, but only if it is done voluntarily by the employees and if they will not feel constrained by the employer to donate money, time or energy, without necessarily wanting it.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that there are some completely inappropriate attitudes such as leaders telling employees to listen to them because they are bosses without asking too many questions, that it does not matter what they think, that they have to do overtime, or ask for details about their personal life.
BIA HR TEAM