No consequences?

Many of the organizations I work with are afraid to enforce consequences, fearing they’ll lose employees.

This frustrates middle managers who still have to deal with employees coming in late, not doing their jobs well, or acting disrespectfully.

I tell these managers that even if there’s no organizational consequence when writing people up or sending them to HR, they still have options.

The first is to attempt to help the employee see the impact of their actions.

“When you arrive late to our meetings, it frustrates the rest of the team.”

“Please everyone turn your cameras on, as it helps me to read everyone’s body language to know if I’m communicating clearly.”

“When you come in late, the first shift is delayed getting home to their families.”

If this doesn’t work, you can set a personal boundary.

“If you can’t speak at the volume I’m speaking now, I’m going to leave the conversation until you can.”

A boundary isn’t about controlling the other person, it’s about what you will do if they continue their behavior.

That’s your personal power, and you don’t need a higher authority to give you permission to use it.