Problems at Work Questionnaire (PAW)

Scenario A (Jim is listless but does good work): Impress upon Jim that it is really important to keep up with his work for his own good.

Scenario A (Jim is listless but does good work): Talk to Jim and try to help him work out the cause of his listlessness.

Scenario A (Jim is listless but does good work): Warn him that if he continues to work at a slower rate, some negative action might be taken.

Scenario A (Jim is listless but does good work): Let him see how his productivity compares with that of his coworkers and encourage him to catch up.

Scenario B (Nancy is hard to work with when school pressure is high): Ask her to talk out how she plans to handle the situation.

Scenario B (Nancy is hard to work with when school pressure is high): Tell her that she ought to watch the balance between work and school and suggest she put more of her energies into her job.

Scenario B (Nancy is hard to work with when school pressure is high): Point out how other working 'students' have handled the problem and see if that helps her handle the situation better.

Scenario B (Nancy is hard to work with when school pressure is high): Insist that she cut down on the studying or take fewer courses; you can't allow it to interfere with work.

Scenario C (A work team is performing poorly): Tell them that performance has to improve and offer them tangible incentives to improve.

Scenario C (A work team is performing poorly): Let them know how the other teams are performing so they will be motivated to do as well.

Scenario C (A work team is performing poorly): Have some discussions with the team as a whole and facilitate their devising some solutions for improving output.

Scenario C (A work team is performing poorly): Keep a record of each individual's productivity and emphasize that it is an important performance index.

Scenario D (Jack is performing at an average level but could do better): Encourage Jack to talk about his performance and whether there are ways to improve.

Scenario D (Jack is performing at an average level but could do better): Stress to Jack that he should do better, and that he won't get ahead if he continues at his current level.

Scenario D (Jack is performing at an average level but could do better): Go over your evaluation with him and point out his relative standing with others.

Scenario D (Jack is performing at an average level but could do better): Watch him more closely; praise him for increased output, and point out whenever he falls behind.

Scenario E (A heavier workload is now permanent due to reduced staff): Point out that her employees will keep their own jobs only if they can remain productive at the current rate; and then watch their output carefully.

Scenario E (A heavier workload is now permanent due to reduced staff): Explain the situation and see if they have suggestions about how they could meet the current demands.

Scenario E (A heavier workload is now permanent due to reduced staff): Tell all of her employees that they should keep trying because it is to their advantage to do so.

Scenario E (A heavier workload is now permanent due to reduced staff): Encourage her employees to keep up with the work load by pointing out that people are doing it adequately in other branches.

Scenario F (Dave is resentful about being assigned the worst job): Let him know that the other people at his level also have to put up with unpleasant aspects of their jobs, and give him a few examples of these.

Scenario F (Dave is resentful about being assigned the worst job): Be clear with him that it is his responsibility and be sure he continues to do it.

Scenario F (Dave is resentful about being assigned the worst job): Talk to him about the job, see if he can work through some of his feelings about it and the jokes that get directed at him.

Scenario F (Dave is resentful about being assigned the worst job): Point out that the job is fairly assigned based upon seniority, and that such a system works for Dave's own good as well as others'.

Scenario G (Harry is creating a bottleneck in the parts department): Emphasize how important it is for him to keep up with orders and emphasize that he should meet ongoing demands.

Scenario G (Harry is creating a bottleneck in the parts department): Let him know how other people in comparable positions are managing to keep up, so he can think about it. This might help him figure out how to better keep up.

Scenario G (Harry is creating a bottleneck in the parts department): Insist that the orders be done within a specified time limit, and check to be sure he is meeting the deadlines.

Scenario G (Harry is creating a bottleneck in the parts department): Find out from Harry what he thinks is wrong and see if you can help him figure out how to better organize his operation.

Scenario H (A customer is dissatisfied with a service representative's attitude): Raise the matter with your subordinate to see what has been going on for him in dealing with that customer.

Scenario H (A customer is dissatisfied with a service representative's attitude): Point out that customer satisfaction is important and that he should work on relating better to the customer.

Scenario H (A customer is dissatisfied with a service representative's attitude): Show him some ways that others relate to their customers so he can compare his own style to others.

Scenario H (A customer is dissatisfied with a service representative's attitude): Tell him to see to it that the customer is more satisfied and let him know you will be checking up on him.