Manager Mock Interview
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Question 4 of 32
Discuss a time you managed an employee with a behavioral problem. What was their behavior, and how did you correct it?
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Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.
The interviewer wants to learn about your management style concerning delinquent employees. Perhaps you have a system in place for handling recurring behavioral issues. Confirm with the interviewer that you can approach a situation like this head-on but professionally. Explain that you involve the human resources department when necessary and emphasize your documentation and reporting when tracking problematic behavior.
Ryan Brown created and launched MockQuestions in 2008.
"Just last month, I had an employee who was late four days in a row. This behavior was very unlike them, so I pulled them aside and asked if I could do anything to help them get to work on time. I documented the late days to support our conversation. The employee's behavior was corrected immediately. I did not need to come down hard on this employee - I needed to address that I noticed their tardiness."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"If I had an employee with a recurring behavioral problem, I would have a one-on-one meeting with them and ask them point-blank what was causing the issue. There is no sense beating around the bush in situations such as that. Employees need to be accountable for their behavior, and a good manager will address a situation like this immediately."
Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.
"I have addressed many behavioral issues in the workplace throughout my experience as a manager. The most severe was when I had an employee stealing from the company. I could not prove the infraction right away and had to involve the human resources department to ensure that my approach did not infringe on employee rights. I was able to put a stop to the theft and gather enough proof to terminate the employee. It was a challenge, but I believe following a process in these situations makes handling them easier."
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Anonymous Answer
When it comes to problematic behavior, it's important to address it head-on and begin documenting right away. Everything seemed fine until he made a mistake in documenting a sensitive report and as a result required re-training. He turned defiant and refused to accept responsibility. It was clear he was worried he would be terminated, and I set up a meeting for him to speak to the head of compliance on his own to address his concerns. I documented the issue with HR and followed up with the compliance department as well as set time aside to meet with my subordinate one to one. When someone is unsure about their job, they can behave in surprising ways.
Rachelle's Feedback
Very good point you make in the end! Your focus on documentation is incredibly important and should be appreciated by any potential employer.
Anonymous Answer
Late to work. Gossiping too much. Both were addressed by having one-on-one meetings.
Marcie's Feedback
Provide more specifics to make your answer more memorable to the interviewer. Talk about how often the employee was late to work and how you found out they were gossiping. Discuss what happened during the meetings and what the final outcome was. Avoid vagueness in your answer!
Anonymous Answer
I had an employee that would consistently not follow procedures for receiving materials. I would counsel them, work with them and give them the steps to make sure they understood. For a short period of time, they would improve. I would notate the Chronology log of every discussion we had, and the progress made, both good and bad. While working with our HR team, it was decided to put the employee on a Last and Final. Our intention was to help this employee overcome his errors. Unfortunately, it did not work out and I had to terminate the employee. As a lesson learned from this employee, the warehouse now has monthly training on processes within the warehouse to ensure that all employees know and are consistent in the way we do a procedure.
Stephanie's Feedback
Terminating an employee is always challenging, regardless of circumstance, but it sounds like you took every possible step to correct his performance before making this decision.
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