There are two types of referrals supervisors make to KEAP:
Informal Referral - this occurs when a supervisor is aware that an employee is experiencing personal difficulties but job performance, attendance and behavior remain at acceptable levels.
For example, as a supervisor, an employee may make you aware he or she is going through a divorce, or has had a death in the family, or any number of things people encounter in life. It is always appropriate to make employees aware of the benefits available to them as State Government employees. This is an opportunity to share with them the KEAP Fact Sheet that outlines KEAP services. The Fact Sheet is available by contacting any KEAP staff member or you may download a copy from the link below.
Formal Supervisory Referral - this referral occurs when a supervisor is addressing deterioration in an employee's work performance, attendance or behavior. Decline in these areas may take many forms. Some of the most frequently reported are:
- Missing deadlines
- Inconsistent productivity
- Failure to follow policy/procedure
- Increased tardiness and absenteeism
- Excessive time on personal phone calls/e-mails
- Inability to get along with customers or co-workers
This is by no means a complete list, and it is important for supervisors to look for patterns of deterioration, not isolated incidents. As soon as a pattern is detectable it is time for a supervisor to intervene. If a supervisor remains silent about such a decline in performance, they are implying that everything is okay, lower productivity is acceptable.
Confronting an employee whose work has deteriorated is never easy or comfortable. KEAP staff members are available to discuss this process with supervisors. KEAP's Supervisory Referral Form (DOC-42K) is a helpful tool that enables a supervisor to point out performance and/or behavior deficits and set the expectations for the employee while at the same time offering a resource. It provides both the employee and the supervisor a clear guide for what level of performance and behavior is acceptable.
Additional handouts and forms are available for supervisors:
Identifying the Troubled Employee (DOC-30K) provides a checklist of observable behaviors that may indicate the need for actionl.
The referral meeting may also be called a Corrective Action Interview. Steps of a Corrective Action Interview (DOC - 45 KB) guides supervisors through the preparation for and meeting with an employee whose performance has deteriorated.
Enabling Employees in the Workplace (PDF - 4 KB) points out ways that supervisors inadvertently make the performance problem worse.
KEAP Fact Sheet (DOC - 43 KB) provides program and contact information. This is a good handout to make available to employees when making a referral.
Some Do's and Don'ts for Supervisors:
DO
- Remember that early intervention beats crisis intervention every time!
- Understand that referring an employee to KEAP is completely separate and does not interfere with the disciplinary process.
- Provide feedback to an employee as soon as possible. This is much kinder than letting the employee's performance, reputation and career opportunities continue to deteriorate.
- Contact a KEAP staff member for further assistance and more supervisor tools.
DON'T
- Try to determine the nature of the employee's personal problem.
- Try to counsel the employee or "fix" the problem.
- Get caught off guard when the employee is defensive, angry or surprised by your actions.
- Tell the employee's peers what is going on.
SUPERVISOR TRAINING
KEAP offers a two hour workshop "KEAP as a Management Tool" that leads managers and supervisors through the process of identiying and referring a troubled employee. See KEAP workshops for more information. A shorter version in a narrated slide presentation format is available here. This version works well in manager staff meetings or for individual use.