Most bosses deal with employee-driven pet peeves like bad manners or using company time for personal phone calls on a daily basis. The problem is that while most of these pet peeves start off as small frustrations, they can turn into bigger problems.

What can employers do to change these behaviours so they don’t negatively affect a business?

Here are seven guidelines to follow.

1. Complaints about being underappreciated or not recognized enough
Dial up the praise and appreciation in the office by making a daily effort to recognize the good efforts of team members. The more dialled up the praise and appreciation, the more productive and engaged employees will be.

2. No follow through when asked to do something
Asking an employee to do something over and over again will only lead to frustration. If an employee isn’t doing what needs to be done, bring it to their attention. Make certain the employee understands the task and ask the employee to write it down. Suggest that the employee carry a pad of paper to write down a “to do” list. Set a deadline for the employee to report back on the task. If an employee doesn’t do what needs to be done despite a manager’s efforts, the next step is to have a one-on-one sit down with the employee to resolve the issue.

3. Bad manners
In an office environment, especially in offices where clients visit, bad manners are unacceptable. Chewing gum and eating in common areas is unprofessional. Have private, employee-only areas in the office and a system in place for lunch breaks to avoid these issues. Be clear about expectations and hold employees accountable, fairly and consistently, for their actions. It is advised to have personnel policies in the office policy manual.

4. Irregular client updates
Managers don’t always have the opportunity to keep up with current and potential clients on a daily basis. This is where the importance of employees’ ability to build relationships and listen to customers comes into play. As staff are building these relationships, train them from the beginning to communicate this information. Have policies in place where employees must update managers either daily or weekly on the status of each client or potential client. It can be done even at weekly staff meetings.

5. Failure to listen to customers
An employee’s job involves understanding a customer’s needs and concerns. Listening will help the business offer better service to a customer. This connects the client to the business and makes the client feel heard. As employees build client relationships, they should relay the information to a manager. By communicating any client concerns to a manager, employees can prevent small concerns from becoming big problems.

6. Use of company time for personal matters
Cell phone use, texting and personal Internet use are a form of time embezzlement. Not only are these habits detrimental to a business but resentment will build among team members that are not doing these things. When resentment builds, morale drops and, consequently, production goes down.

It’s up to the employer to limit use of these items and hold all team members accountable to the same standards. Many offices password control the use of computers to identify misuse. In additional, an IT person can limit access. Some offices have also installed security cameras to monitor behaviour.

7. Crying
At times, employees, particularly younger members of staff, will shed tears out of frustration, anger or fear. Whether they are crying as a result of stress or a bad review, managers need to reason with these people and change the path by calmly suggesting other ways to cope. Belittling or criticizing employees, especially in front of their peers, will only make the situation worse.

Rhonda Savage is an internationally acclaimed speaker and CEO of Miles Global, a well-known practice management and consulting business. She can be reached at Rhonda@MilesandAssociates.net.