How do I correct my boss who keeps violating company policy even when it’s affecting the department’s image?
I've been working at this job for over a year now and an annual review is coming up, but there's a high probability that they violation of company policy by my boss may affect our department's image or even get us in some kind of trouble. I don't want to report him to HR to preserve our cordiality. How do I call his attention to this without getting fired?
Answers ( 1 )
Hi Brandi,
I am speaking from personal experience here and not an HR mindset. As both an employee and a manager I always look at the situation based on my relationship with the person. Do you have a good relationship where you feel you can be honest with them? Do you feel like being honest will possibly cause backlash as he feels you are challenging him?
Another thing I would evaluate is if your boss knows and doesn't care about the violation. I had a manager that liked to be known as the rogue and the one who challenges the status quo. He made it to a certain level in the company until he pissed enough people off and was let go.
In each situation I brought it up to the manager similarly. I first found out if they were aware of the policy and then asked about their personal feelings of the policy. In most situations they didn't realize what they were doing was an actual violation because no one brought it up to them. In the situations where they knew about it, most felt justified in doing what they wanted but found that by letting them say it out loud it helped them realize they are not acting in the right manner and they made small changes.
In all situations it created an open dialogue where we were able to talk as peers and it was a "learning experience" for me as I was coming to them as one of my mentors. The key is being curious and not accusational. You want to show that you want to grow in the company and that you are just trying to learn from them while building a relationship in which they can discuss things with you. It may not be in one conversation this all happens and all of the above sounds easier said than done. Remember though, they are the one breaking company policy and you are trying to help them and your department.
Good luck and hope my feedback helps!