Everything is better when employees are held accountable.

Though small business owners are unique in personality, temperament and leadership style, almost all have one thing in common: They allow employee performance, behavior or attitude problems to persist unaddressed for weeks or months—sometimes even years.

If bosses avoid talking with employees about where they need to improve, they contribute to an unhealthy workplace because workers aren’t all held to the same standards.

When a few employees chronically miss work, show up late, are disrespectful, underperform, make errors, don’t meet deadlines, can’t get along with others, use knowledge as power, complain about everything or won’t adapt to new procedures—and nothing is done about it—the others enjoy their jobs less. Across-the-board accountability is an essential element of a great workplace culture.

Addressing employee issues really isn’t difficult, though, and these conversations don’t (and shouldn’t) involve anger, yelling or threats. More about that later.

The Problem: Justifying the Avoidance of Difficult Conversations

Bosses have dozens of excuses for not dealing with employee issues head on. Among the most common that I hear:

»   The employee should know better.

»   I’ll bring it up during their annual performance review.

»   I don’t want to upset them.

»   The employee does other things well so I overlook the problem.

»   Talking about it probably won’t change anything.

»   I keep thinking the situation will improve.

»   One or both of us will end up yelling, and that will upset other employees.

»   The employee has been with us a long time, and that’s just the way he or she is.

»   The employee may quit.

»   I hate confrontation.

None of these is valid, because:

»   Bosses have a responsibility to mentor and coach employees. And this includes discussing areas where improvement is needed.

»   Employees must be coached to success—or coached to termination. Many will appreciate the opportunity to change, improve, mature in their role and gain new skills. Others may prove unwilling or unable to change and, because of the coaching, will not be blindsided when terminated.

»   If employee problems go unaddressed, morale and motivation among your other employees—your top performers—will suffer. The result is increased absenteeism, theft, sabotage, gossip and turnover. Productivity, commitment and service levels will decline. Some will job-search on your watch.

The Solution: Calmly and Consistently Clarify Expectations

First, let’s talk about new employees (or those who have worked for you awhile but are problem-free). Starting now, meet with each of them one-on-one, every two or three weeks, for a quick feedback session. Ask what’s going well, what challenges they’re facing, how the new puppy is doing, if their sprained ankle is better and what you as their boss can do to help them be more successful at work and enjoy their job more.

Through these frequent conversations, you’ll establish a healthy rapport with each employee. Then, when you observe what could be the start of a behavior, attitude or performance problem, you can immediately address it. In a nutshell, here’s how:

1. Calmly explain where a change or improvement is needed, and why.
2. Clarify your expectations.
3. Ensure that your expectations are understood.
4. Ask if additional training or other help is needed to meet the expectation.
5. Agree on a plan for moving forward.
6. Schedule weekly meetings (or more often, if necessary) to praise their improvements, discuss obstacles, provide further clarification and answer questions or …
7. If the problem persists, let the employee know they may not be a good fit for the company or for the position. Don’t delay termination when you know it won’t work out.

The process is similar for employees you’ve avoided talking to for quite a while:

1. Schedule a one-on-one meeting.
2. Calmly explain that there is an area where change or improvement is needed, and why.
3. Acknowledge that a discussion about this issue should have taken place much sooner, and apologize for not doing so.
4. Follow Steps 2-7 above.

Provide Ongoing, Consistent Feedback

With all employees, feedback should be ongoing, frequent and combined with healthy conversation that builds a good relationship. Saving feedback for an annual review is an outdated, ineffective practice that established organizations are rapidly abandoning—and newer companies wouldn’t dream of considering!

Everything improves when everyone is held accountable. When you meet frequently with employees, you’ll find it easy to discuss issues while they’re still minor. Start building a culture of accountability today. Your employees and your bottom line will thank you.