Creating an "Excuse Free" Workplace

We have all heard it, watched it and done it - excuses, excuses, excuses. This appears on the surface to be a simple issue, but start digging a little and you will find why people make excuses a complex and intriguing subject. Excuses function as defense mechanisms against fear of being blamed, embarrassed, reprimanded, or even fired. When employees make mistakes, managers must learn to turn the mistake into a learning experience to diminish fear gradually and get workers to start accepting responsibility. If you want to make your work environment to be an “excuse free zone”, knowing why people make excuses is important.

  • Excuse making can be a defense mechanism for an employee to avoid blame, guilt and/or retribution.
     
  • Making excuses can come from lack of knowing what to do when a mistake is made, or as a result of fear of failure.
     
  • Groups can make excuses hoping that a change in how things are done or managed might be noticed.
     
  • Excuse making can become an undesirable part of a work culture.

    Look at these suggestions on how to build a structure within your workplace of communication skills that decrease unproductive excuses.

    1. Discuss your expectations with the employee, clarify their role and how their specific job and responsibilities fit into the big picture.

    2. Anticipate problems by discussing what the employee will do if the job doesn’t go as planned. Discuss with the employee where to turn if he or she needs help.

    3. Discuss with the employee what they are learning from their work and experiences. Create a learning environment by discussing what may have been more effective and encourage these discussions in the future.

    4. When an assignment is complete, discuss its success or failure. Were expectations met? Discuss what aspects of the task could have been done differently or more effectively--particularly if the employee failed.

    5. Watch how you as an employer react to excuse making. Do you stay curious and model a response that creates other ways of communicating?

    6. Check your organizational culture and value system around the issues of success and failure. How do you encourage or discourage workers to learn from mistakes?

    7. As a supervisor or manager, be available for your employees to clarify and ask for help and guidance.

    8. If you notice a pattern of defensiveness and excuse making in a valued employee, give them constructive feedback and listen to their concerns. Some people need assistance from a professional coach to build competencies in being proactive or limit setting.

    Making excuses is probably an expected part of being human, but armed with some skills and positive modeling, you can greatly decrease the amount of excuse making in your work environment by observing both positive and negative experiences are addressed. Are you ready for an excuse free workplace?

    To learn more about this topic or other management issues, contact Holly Seaton, Ph.D. at Outside the Lines Associates at 707.933.0687 or www.OTLAssociates.com

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