At times, a Manager may ask their staff to deliver more than their job description requires them, this may include working an extra hour or two on the weekend, or taking on a colleague’s work load while they are on annual leave, but whilst being asked to take on additional responsibilities is part of the norm for many employees, Managers should be aware of some things they should never ask their workers to do.

In our extensive discussions with Candidates as part of their desire to find a new role, we’ve listed some of the key things that as a Manager, you should never ask your subordinates or colleagues to do;

• Anything you wouldn’t do as a leader

If you wouldn’t be willing to work after hours or don’t want to resolve a messy situation, then you should never pass on the duty to one of your Employees. If someone does hold this duty as part of their job description then that will help immensely, but if they do not, then don’t assign this task to someone else.

• Cancel a holiday

There are times during the year when you may need as many hands as possible to meet a deadline, however, this all comes down to poor planning. As such, never ask an Employee to cancel their holiday as they will have likely booked this with family or friends and will have been looking forward to it for months. Asking this of an Employee will likely build resentment and cause friction among team members and should be avoided at all costs.

• Work with a bully

An Employee that chooses to bully their colleagues should not be put up with or allowed and as a Manager, it is your duty to ensure the wellbeing and welfare of staff is maintained. Professionally, as Managers, we should kick bullies to the curb even if they are hard workers, as no one should be subject to a toxic work environment.

• Coming in when sick

Forcing staff to come into work while sick will only cause worse issues for your workforce, as those who are unwell will spread germs and likely result in your entire workforce needing to recover at home. It is important to build a culture of understanding and open communication where staff do not feel guilty for needing a day at home to get over their sickness bug.

• Taking responsibility for your actions

When you ask your Employee to do something but it ends up being a failure, do you take full responsibility or do you blame your Employee for making the decision? Many are guilty of the latter, but this is almost always proves the wrong course of action and will build an untrusting relationship between yourself and your staff. If something doesn’t go to plan that was your idea, hold your hands up and admit that you were wrong.