“I was waiting for you to make a decision.”
Sound familiar?
If statements like this are popping up on a regular basis, you could be dealing with an indecisive employee.
It’s frustrating when important work gets delayed. You need to be able to rely on staff to make decisions, especially when your focus is elsewhere.
Otherwise, progress is slow, time gets wasted, and you end up back where you started – tied up making all the decisions.
Before reprimanding a hesitant employee though, take a moment to consider what might be causing their indecision, and what you can do to break the cycle.
Is indecision the only factor at play?
Jumping to the conclusion that the employee is simply not doing their job would be a mistake. It can fuel further problems, and you may miss an opportunity to resolve issues that need your attention.
When dealing with this situation, it can be helpful to ask the following questions:
- Is the employee new to the business or new to their role?
- Are they covering a colleague due to short staffing?
- Did they have all the information needed at the time?
- Is a personal problem impacting their ability to work well?
If the answer is yes to any of these, there are things you can do to help.
Helping employees to make better decisions
1. Don’t skimp on training
When an employee is new to the business, or has been newly promoted, it should be expected that they will need some hand holding as they adjust to their responsibilities and the way things are done.
With the right training and mentorship, you can begin to allow them some autonomy so that they can get used to making decisions on their own.
They won’t always get it right, but this is how they will learn.
2. Eliminate barriers
If the employee is not new, but is struggling to make decisions, you should speak to them to find out if they need support.
Is there a communication issue that needs improving? Are they under a lot of pressure due to a heavy workload or reduced staffing? Procrastination, which leads to indecision, can be a sign of stress.
3. Create a supportive culture
Working environment impacts decision making. For example, in a culture where people are afraid to make mistakes, they may also be afraid to make decisions.
Rather than shaming an employee in front of the wider team, regular 121s can be used to identify if further training is needed.
An educational approach can help to build confidence and empower staff to make less mistakes and better decisions.
4. Use deadlines
Whether it’s the same day or in a week’s time, deadlines help us all to make and stick to decisions. If you find an employee is struggling to be decisive, applying some pressure with achievable deadlines is a good idea.
Book in some time shortly afterwards to review their work and provide feedback.
Helping you to make the right decision
If you have tried all of the above and still need help with an indecisive employee, we are here for you.
Call our Advice Line today for reassurance that your next steps are the right ones.
