What is considered a difficult employee? Some would say someone who comes to work late, has a low level of job performance, or just an all around bad attitude. These types of employees can bring the rest of the workforce down, especially when workers have to put in extra time to help do someone else’s job. So how do you make people work the way you want them to?
One of the mistakes managers make when they see a behavior that is not wanted is that they treat it too lightly. They speak to the employee, issue a warning, and then move on without looking deeper into the problem. Sometimes with a little further digging there are reasons for poor performance and ways it can be fixed.
When I worked for a trucking company back in 1997 I received a call from one of my supervisors. There was an employee who had a habit of coming in late, not doing his post trip reports, and just performing below his usual standards. The manager thought the employee was a good person and couldn't figure out what had caused the change in the employee’s performance. To make matters worse the Regional Manager wanted this person fired. There were no warnings in the file so this was not an option. I spoke with the manager about writing a warning for the most recent incident but also opening a dialogue with the employee about their performance in general…pointing out that there had been an obvious change and wondering why.
The manager called me later to tell me he had spoken to the employee. He had discovered that the employee was extremely bored with his job and finding it hard to focus on his duties. He and the manager came to a compromise and the employee took up some dispatch duties to give him some new responsibilities. Sometimes it is just the trick of figuring out what drives a person. Some people crave recognition while others want responsibility. By understanding your employees you can think of ways to make them better performers.
Tools For The Manager
Job Descriptions. Employees need clear and concise directions on what their roles are. Make sure that the employee knows exactly what is expected of them. Sometimes if a certain task is not getting done maybe it is because they do not realize it is their job to do it!
Training. It is very important that employees receive the proper job training. The early days on the job are when habits are formed and can determine the work style of your employee. If you take a thorough approach and spend a sufficient amount of time training the employee the way you want the job done…chances are you will be pleased with their performance.
Positive Feedback. They say that plants respond to people singing and talking to them. So why shouldn't that be true of people? Unfortunately the truth is that people are FIVE times more likely to hear negative feedback than positive. It may feel strange at first but telling your employees when they do a great job can have a huge effect. One note of warning…..when giving positive feedback relate it to a certain task or incident. When positive feedback is given too often or vaguely it can sound insincere.
Reviews. The review process is the best time to address performance issues with employees. Instead of criticizing weaknesses or past mistakes, the manager should concentrate on constructive suggestions. The indirect approach is useful because it encourages the employee to think about the reasons for poor performance. This will tell the manager about their motives and perceptions. A close ended question often gets a one word answer: “yes” or “no” because it asks for specific information. Asking an open-ended question will give you more information.
Sometimes even after trying to understand an employee’s behavior you will find that some people are still poor performers. When performance is not improving managers need to take action. Often people give a few verbal warnings, get frustrated, and then the employee eventually gets terminated. But when you go to contest unemployment or an unfair dismissal charge there is no written documentation and the former employee can just deny everything. Guess what….the judges and officials will believe them! That’s why it is important to write everything down!
Different employers have different employee progressive discipline systems. Make sure when you are filling out any written documentation for the employee that you:
1. Describe the unwanted behavior or performance (no personality descriptions!)
2. Clearly indicate what needs to be changed.
3. Clearly indicate what will happen if the behavior is NOT changed (“will include disciplinary action up to and including terminated”).
4. Whenever possible make sure there is another manager level person present to act as a witness to the giving of the discipline. This will come in handy if the employee refuses to sign the document or they dispute that they ever saw it later.
One that thing employers and managers should try to remember is that warnings should be used not to punish but to correct poor performance.
2 comments:
Corey,
Your list includes great tips around progressive discipline.
In addition to the steps noted, I would encourage that the manager's role in each process be discussed and outlined as part of any written plan. Including the manager's role in the process increases the likelihood of a successful partnership and removes the stigma of performance management being adversarial.
Thanks baze3... you are absolutely right! Oftentimes a manager will give an employee feedback and behaviors they want changed with a "you figure out how to do it" philosophy. That often results in an "us" (meaning employees) versus "them" mentality. Active participation from the manager in giving the feedback and participating in the plan to improve it can bring much more successful performance in the long term.
Post a Comment