You’ve heard it before. Maybe you’ve even said it: “[insert employee name here] is great when they’re here!” or “When they take their time and focus, they do a great job!” or “Every time I train them, they do well for a few weeks, but then it just falls off.”
Managing problem employees is one of the toughest challenges leaders face. It becomes even harder when an employee demonstrates occasional potential but continues to struggle with poor performance, a negative attitude, or other problematic behaviors.
Why Hope Won’t Fix Problem Employees
These statements are the voices of hope. And, as someone once said, hope is not a strategy. Hope is lovely. It’s optimistic and soothing, but it can also be dangerous, especially when dealing with poor performance. Hope can become a frequent culprit that keeps managers believing a situation is fine, or will eventually be fine, when it simply isn’t.
Many live in a world of pure imagination (cue the Willy Wonka song) when it comes to staff. You hired the candidate without relevant experience because they seemed sharp and willing in the interview and you figured you’d train them. But now, six weeks later, with the benefits clock ticking away, they haven’t picked it up, and you are out of ideas. You comfort yourself because every third day at 2:00pm they do it right, so you just know that one day that will expand into the 40 hours of competency you actually need. Stop it.
This is the meaning behind, “Hire slow, fire fast.” If you have provided adequate training, tools, and support, your employees should be doing their job well in a relatively short period of time. This doesn’t mean mistakes won’t be made, or that more training won’t be necessary. It means that all things being equal, the job is getting done and people are content.
Stop Making Excuses and Start Measuring Reality
Many employers tolerate ongoing performance problems for a variety of reasons. The reason that is most harmful, though, is when employers see the potential of the person, rather than the reality. The employee may be a perfectly nice person with a great brain, but if they can’t get the job done correctly after multiple attempts, it’s time for a reality check.
Look objectively at what’s in front of you. Are they doing what you asked them? Is the work good? Are deadlines being met? Would you recommend them to a friend? Do you trust them to work unsupervised? If the answers are “no,” you need to seriously consider your options when it comes to retaining that employee.
Signs You Are Managing Potential Instead of Performance
How do you know when you are focused on potential and not reality? There are signs:
- You are frequently disappointed with the employee’s poor performance.
- The employee repeats the same mistakes, even after receiving constructive feedback and additional training.
- Employee performance is inconsistent. The employee completes a task correctly for several days and then returns to the same mistakes.
- The employee is willing, but not capable.
- The employee is capable, but unwilling.
- The employee is capable but doesn’t understand the assignments/expectations, despite training, cheat sheets, and asking questions.
- You find yourself making excuses for the employee.
Sometimes a different approach is appropriate. An employee with potential may succeed in another position that better matches their abilities and skill set. After all, a fish can’t climb a tree. However, this isn’t always possible for an organization to do.
Making Fair Decisions Based on Performance, Not Possibility
Potential is valuable, but performance is what keeps a business moving. Before hope turns into frustration, take an honest look at the facts: what has been communicated, what support has been provided, and what results are actually showing up?
When you separate who you want the employee to become from what the employee is consistently doing today, you can make clearer, fairer decisions—for the employee, the team, and the organization. Give yourself, and your employee, a reality check.
By: Amy Matthews, SPHR
