What is the best immediate step when a staff member suspects you are not pleased with her work, but you have been very busy?

What is the best immediate step when a staff member suspects you are not pleased with her work, but you have been very busy?

• A. Discuss the matter with her now to identify and address the cause.
• B. Ignore the concern.
• C. Publicly praise others.
• D. Reassign her.

Answer: (A)

Prompt, private communication is key when you sense a staff member thinks you're unhappy with her work, especially when you're busy. A brief, direct conversation now lets you acknowledge the concern, share your perspective, and invite her to explain what’s affecting her performance. This immediate check-in helps uncover underlying causes—whether it’s workload, unclear instructions, a training gap, or another obstacle—and you can agree on concrete steps and a realistic timeline to address them. Handling it this way preserves trust, reduces miscommunication, and sets a collaborative path forward. Ignoring the concern lets tension grow; publicly praising others shifts attention away from the issue and can seem dismissive; reassigning before you’ve understood the cause may unfairly move the problem rather than solve it.

Prompt, private communication is key when you sense a staff member thinks you're unhappy with her work, especially when you're busy. A brief, direct conversation now lets you acknowledge the concern, share your perspective, and invite her to explain what’s affecting her performance. This immediate check-in helps uncover underlying causes—whether it’s workload, unclear instructions, a training gap, or another obstacle—and you can agree on concrete steps and a realistic timeline to address them. Handling it this way preserves trust, reduces miscommunication, and sets a collaborative path forward. Ignoring the concern lets tension grow; publicly praising others shifts attention away from the issue and can seem dismissive; reassigning before you’ve understood the cause may unfairly move the problem rather than solve it.