2. Be on time
Work hard
Keep within permitted breaks
Keep personal phone calls etc. to a minimum
Be respectful to all your colleagues
3. Greet them at the start of their shifts
Take an interest in their lives (within limits)
Touch base with your employees often
Compliment them when they do good work
When you assign tasks always follow up
4. Staff news: welcomes and goodbyes
New and changing collections
Shelving errors
Training opportunities
Patrons of concern
Comments from other staff
Suggestions and comments
5. If a DVD has an orange spine label, where
should you shelve it?
a. Regular movie collection
b. Adult non-fiction
c. Adult foreign language
d. Youth foreign language
6. Monthly or weekly schedule
Daily work assignments
Collection changes
Book drop emptying schedule
List of the day’s events in the library
Upcoming staff social events
Compliments from staff and patrons
7. Keep a supply of candy for them to dip into
Celebrate birthdays with a card and treats
Thank your employees often
Buy them lunch now and again
8. Include at least one Friday, Saturday and
Sunday each month
No shift may be longer than four hours
No one may work all weekend hours
No more than four days between shifts
No more than five shelvers may work the
same shift
Four shelvers must be present at closing time
9. You are expected to organize your working
life to meet the needs of the library
If you need to change a shift organize a
switch with a co-worker
Let your supervisor know about all shift
changes as soon as you can
If you are sick call in as early as possible
Inform your supervisor of vacation dates as
soon as you know them
10. Failure to arrive for a scheduled shift
Habitual lateness and poor timekeeping
Inappropriate dress
Excessive talking and socializing
Underperformance
No longer fit enough
Lack of personal hygiene
11. Meet in a private setting
Speak calmly
Remember it’s about the work, it’s not
personal
Be very clear about your expectations
Follow up and follow through
12. A sudden illness or injury
A family crisis or emergency
Involvement in a traffic accident
Being the victim of a crime
13. Have the evidence to hand
Ask them if they know why you are meeting
Show them the list of late arrivals
Point out that this behavior is unfair to others
Find a solution
Fill out a conduct agreement
14. Supervisor name…………………………
Employee name………………………….
Date……………..
Cause of concern………………………..
Action employee will take……………...
How improvement will be monitored...
………………………………………………..
Date of next meeting…………………….
Outcome…………………………………....
Further action (if required)……………...
15. Clothing that shows cleavage of any kind
Anything that reveals a bare midsection
Garments with offensive wording
Shorts (If they are prohibited)
Dirty or torn clothing
Flimsy footwear
16. It distracts other workers
It will be noticed by other departments
Reflects poorly on your employee and on you
It can also make the whole library look bad
17. Leave them a long list of assignments
Insist that breaks are staggered
Drop in unexpectedly
Have another member of staff check on them
18. Show them, rather than tell them
Work alongside them for a while
Pair them with a more experienced shelver
Set goals for each shift
19. Tell them you are glad they are on your team
Say you have noticed a falling off and you are
concerned
Be sympathetic and direct them to any
services your library might offer
Ask if they feel able to get back to their usual
high standard
20. Speak to them in private
Say how much you value them
Express your concerns about their welfare
Ask what you can do to help
Say that everyone will understand if they want
to take things easier
Give them a nice send off
21. Move them to tasks that can be done sitting
down
Ask them to bring proof of fitness to work
from their doctor
Point out that they will make a great
volunteer
22. Speak to the person in a private setting
Explain that other staff members have
noticed their strong body odor
If you have noticed it as well, say so
Point out how uncomfortable the situation is
for co-workers and patrons
Ask them if they will have any trouble
eliminating the problem
Listen sympathetically but be firm
23. Hear them out
Give no details without your employee’s
permission
Tell them you have followed procedure and
have documentation to back up your actions
Assure them that you are treating their child
the same as any other employee
Say that you and their child have already dealt
with the matter and will continue to work
together
24. You must do it in a private setting
Have another member of staff with you
Have all your documentation to hand
Go over what has led to this clearly and
calmly
Tell them that because of their actions you
can no longer employ them
Escort them from the building
Don’t discuss it with your other employees
