Ochre @ work – a managers day with Ochre

Ochre helps managers do a better job of handling their everyday people management responsibilities and achieving results through their people. The scenarios below show just how Ochre will empower your managers.

Scenario # 1: Absenteeism:
David hasn’t turned up for work again. Answer-phone message says he’s taking his mother to the doctor. Sounds reasonable but with a pattern of absences (mainly Mondays and Fridays) it’s definitely time for a tough conversation about this behaviour but maybe too early for disciplinary action? What to do? Ochre provides advice, tips, a flowchart process and conversation plan for handling absenteeism including deciding when it’s time for disciplinary action.

Scenario # 2: Induction:
New hire, Chris, starts in three days time. His manager wants to make sure your 90 day induction process is comprehensive, efficient and tailored to Chris’s role. She won’t do the full induction herself but wants to ensure the ‘buddy’ she appoints and the admin people cover all the right things.  Ochre explains manager’s responsibilities and provides manager, Buddy and admin with checklists and materials for induction.

Scenario #3:Turning around poor performance:
Team Leader approaches her manager about Mike whose performance has, inexplicably, deteriorated recently. Mike has historically been committed and competent but lately people have complained about his attitude and performance. Manager and Team Leader need the right approach to working with Mike to get performance back on track. Ochre’s section on ‘getting performance back on track’ provides advice, tips, a flowchart process, tools to diagnose the cause of the problem and a conversation plan and coaching plan template. It advises managers how to maintain improvement and what to do if the problem persists or returns.

Scenario #4: Delegation:
A time poor manager struggles with delegation and needs to get better. They’re entering a busy period and need to unload some key tasks. Ochre provides advice and structure for effective delegation a conversation plan and templates for documenting the delegation.

Scenario #5. Serious misconduct:
Manager receives a call from a client, who saw sales rep Dan, drinking at lunchtime. Dan is now back visiting clients. This is serious misconduct under your code of conduct. What’s your process and first steps? How do you investigate? Should you suspend / send him home? Who should you involve? What might the outcome be? Ochre defines serious misconduct, outlines the legal issues, explains your process and how to handle every step in the process including when to get HR/senior managers involved.

Scenario #6: Employment offer:
Manager is rushing to get an employment offer letter to the chosen candidate by 5:00pm and to send an email to the unsuccessful candidates. Ochre enables the manager to draft an employment offer for HR review and provides the decline template.

Scenario # 7: Temporary employment:
You’re hiring Claire to cover a maternity leave. What are the rules/pitfalls? What contract do you use? Ochre explains the issues around maternity leave entitlements and temporary employment and enables the manager to draft an agreement.

Scenario # 8: Setting expectations, KPIs and standards:
The unit’s business plan for FY16 is set. Time to share the plan with the team, review individual performance and set expectations and /KPIs.  Ochre provides a framework and tools for setting expectations/standards, giving feedback etc including tips, conversation plans and help defining standards.

Scenario # 9: Training:
Maia is the best ‘up and coming’ manager you’ve got. She’s ambitious and you know you’ll have the opportunity to promote her in the next six months. You’re overdue to put a coaching plan in place to systematically grow her skills so she’s ready for the step up. Ochre provides tips on coaching and a coaching plan template.

Scenario # 10: Harassment:
Amy comes to you claiming she has been harassed by another employee. She wants you to discipline or fire him. What’s your policy and process for this? What do you tell her? Who do you involve? Should the person concerned be suspended? Ochre defines harassment and bullying, explains your policy and processes, clarifies the manager’s responsibilities and walks them through required action step by step. 

Scenario # 11: Long term work absence:
Emily just produced another doctor’s note after 5 weeks absence with carpal tunnel syndrome. She’s unfit to work and will be reassessed in 5 weeks. That’s three months off now.  Manager wonders if he can terminate her employment soon and how. Ochre explains medical incapacity. Its flowchart walks managers through their responsibilities and steps to make this decision. It provides the necessary letter templates requesting medical opinion and advising the employee of the process and outcomes.

Scenario # 12: Poor performance – disciplinary action:
Ken’s performance is well short of expectations despite plenty of feedback, training, and opportunity to improve. Manager wants to begin disciplinary action. Ken will fight this; he’s that kind of prickly customer! How do you go about it? Ochre explains your policy, processes and legal context. It walks a manager through every step of the process with guidelines, conversation plan templates, letters etc for each step.

Scenario # 13: Health & safety:
New manager wants to know what her H&S responsibilities are and how she goes about them including; Hazard ID, training, emergency procedures, incident handling, monthly checklists etc. Ochre’s H&S section provides managers with the explanations, process and tools they need.

Scenario # 14: Leave policy, legislation:
Office Manager tells her manager about an argument she is having with Sophie about taking annual leave during the coming school holidays (a very busy period for you). Sophie says her cousin in HR told her you can’t decline her request. Is that correct? Ochre’s ‘plain English’ legislative summaries explain all main pieces of employment legislation managers need some understanding of. 

Scenario # 15: Employee with a personal problem:
Joe shuts the door and tells you his wife’s left him, he’s in a messy custody battle and his son’s sick. His performance has been off for some time and workmates are over covering for him. You need to help but also get his work performance up. Conversations about personal problems are always tough. Ochre provides guidelines and conversation plans for working through personal issues that impact work performance. It explains the resources available to help but also how to make progress on getting work back to normal.

Scenario # 16: Recruitment:
Renee, a key employee, resigns to take another job and hints her job with you was ‘impossible’. It’s an opportunity to reshape the job and hire different skills and experience. Time to recruit.  Ochre comprehensively supports managers through every step of the recruitment process including; approval to hire, job descriptions, advertising, using agencies, short listing tools, interview questions, guides for reference checking, verbal offer, written offer etc.