Five Simple Questions to Ask in order to Identify Your Underlying HR Problem.

"It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem." -Gilbert K. Chesterton

At some time in every manager's life they will be faced with an employee or employees who are having difficulty. A staff member who is regularly absent due to illness, an employee constantly making mistakes in their work or a staff member who is constantly in conflict with other employees are significant issues for any business or organization because it takes energy, resources and focus away from the core business. 

Whether it is human nature, whether time pressures require immediate solutions or whether a manager, investor or client is applying pressure to have a solution resolved, it happens all too often that we jump to a solution without understanding the key issues. 

Management capacity to identify the real causes of HR problems within their organization will save time, stabilize staff turnover/absences, reduce risk and will increase overall productivity. Entire consultancy services are built upon the mantra of finding solutions to business problems but to this should be added the mantra of problem identification or "What is really going on here?"

When trying to identify the key issues there are five basic questions that can lead to identifying the actual problem. Sometimes the most simple of questions bring the most profound results.

1. Skills. 

Does the staff member have the right skill match to do the job? 
On paper, an employee may have what appears to be an ideal set of skills for the job. However, there are a number of reasons why 'paper' skills may not be a direct match for your needs. An example may be that they have worked at a similar job for a large company but they cannot adjust their skill set to a smaller company that needs to be flexible and able to handle a greater variety of tasks. Or vice versa. The skill set may have changed with new developments in the industry, leaving an employee behind. In order to be able to determine whether someone has the right match of skills, you as the employer need to have a very clear understanding of what skills are required and it is best if this is in writing. 

2. Training.

Are staff properly trained? 

There are two components to this question. Firstly, have you provided sufficient training that is well defined and detailed. Is the training material or approach sufficiently flexible to take into account changes within your organization or business? Equally important, have you built a process into your training that enables you to determine whether your employee(s) "got it"? How do you know that they have grasped all the important aspects of the training? 

3. Expectations.

Are employees crystal clear about what is expected of them? 

Expectations should include description of tasks, time frames, accountability measures and a process to use should something go wrong. There needs to be a transparent means for them to be able to articulate when they get stuck or need some additional guidance on a task. If they are expected to troubleshoot their own problems then this also needs to be spelt out so that levels of frustration are minimized. As with the training question, do you have the means to determine if the employee has understood the expectations and that they are on the same page as you are? Do your employees actually agree to your expectations or are they engaging in some passive aggressive behavior as a form of avoidance?

4. Physical conditions.

Are there any physical barriers that are impeding the ability of the staff member from doing their work? 
For example, if you want them to travel to meet clients regularly, is there an adequate budget for this to occur? Are all the right equipment and materials in place at the right time to enable the employee to follow through on their task? There are many possible variations on how to approach this question but it is about looking all around the task and the employee to ensure that there are no obvious physical difficulties that would obstruct progress. Physical difficulties may also be present within the employee themselves. For example, an employee has presented with all the necessary skills that match the work to be done but does not have the physical and/or mental capacity to work at great speed or under pressure of time limits. 

5. Motivation

Is the employee sufficiently stimulated or motivated to be able to be productive and happy in their work? 
This is not a static question. A highly motivated employee at the time of starting work may experience a change in their levels of motivation for more reasons than can be treated in a simple blog. However, some examples may include difficulties they are experiencing in their personal lives, changes in relationships at work, ongoing frustration at not being able to succeed in a particular task, burnout and so on. Testing levels of motivation on a regular basis are important roles of a good manager.

These questions may appear simple and yet they are multi-layered in each instance and need careful analysis and often additional questions will follow. Answers to these five questions will clearly determine the solution that will be applied. Asking the right questions is a critical component of problem solving skills. 

If you don't feel capable of the critical identification of the problems, it is worthwhile to call in someone external to carry out an analysis. It will ensure that your energy and resources are truly targeted to finding effective solutions.