An employee who shows issues with attitude, productivity,
attendance or other areas is sometimes easy to overlook. This is
particularly true if others cover and/or pitch in to ensure that the
work gets done. It is much easier to reward those hard workers than it
is to address the one who is causing difficulty.
But such an employee has an impact on a business in ways that may not
have been considered. An employee who is not pulling his or her weight
becomes fodder for conversation among the rest of the staff. There may
be an impact on productivity, morale and customer service. While
employees want to know that one mistake does not mean the end of their
career, they also want to know that the employer will address those who
are not contributing to the entire enterprise in a positive, consistent
and meaningful way.
When confronting the problematic performer, the goal should be to help
turn the employee’s performance around. In most cases, it will cost
less to invest the time and effort that may be needed to address and
correct such an employee’s performance than it will to recruit, hire
and train a replacement. On the other hand, if the employee is unable
or unwilling to bring performance to expectations, prior notice and
good documentation of the issues will be critical to a successful
termination.
Here are some guidelines that can help employers work through performance management issues:
Strike while the iron is hot. This does not mean having a
conversation with the employee when you may be hurried, emotional or
visibly frustrated.
Identify the problem: Be prepared with specific examples of the
issue or behavior, and the resulting impact on the department or
business.
Meet with the employee: Make sure you are prepared and have a
“script” that will keep you both on track. Give the employee an
opportunity to respond and to tell you his or her perceptions.
Reaffirm position/conduct expectations: These expectations should
be clear, attainable and specific and in the job description. Be able
to communicate and document how the issues impact the ability of the
employee to successfully meet these performance expectations.
Get employee feedback: Ask the employee what she or he will do to improve the situation. Offer to help where appropriate.
Establish goals and time frames: Determine specific actions that
must take place or goals that must be met, and the time frames to meet
them and to assess progress. Do not over commit what management will
do, keep the burden of timing, performance and meeting to review
progress on the employee.
Document the conversation: You can either bring a memo to the
meeting (which will serve as the script for you) outlining the issues,
your expectations going forward, what will happen if the expectations
are not met and a follow-up assessment date, if appropriate, or you can
document the conversation afterward.
Give the employee the memo and have her or him sign to confirm
receipt of it. Put a copy of the memo in the employee’s personnel file.
If the employee refuses to sign, indicate that on your copy.
Follow up as appropriate: In some cases, one meeting and memo in
the file may be all that is needed to correct problematic performance.
Others may require follow-up meetings and documentation.
