You might talk and complain at length to your second in command, your spouse, or even your mentor, but actually having a conversation with a failing employee is tough.
You know you aren’t helping anything if you allow an employee to fail without providing feedback. Candor is always necessary, but so is tact. Knowing employment regulations and being consistent are also important.
We generally suggest these steps:
- Have a conversation with the employee. And we mean a REAL conversation. You need to be clear. Don’t sugar-coat to the point no one understands the problem.
- Provide support. If the employee has questions after your conversation, answer them or direct the employee to someone who can.
- Develop a written improvement plan. If you’ve tackled 1 and 2 with no improvement, then go on record stating the person’s employment is in jeopardy because improvement hasn’t been noted. Consider professional help with this if you’re unfamiliar with labor and employment laws.
- Give the employee time to improve. Don’t just issue the improvement plan and terminate employment the next day. But you also don’t have to wait several months if nothing changes.
Follow these steps and be brave enough to have the upfront conversation. You do need to be consistent. No employee can be allowed to skate by while you hold others accountable. Avoiding the problem can bring down your team, your culture and even your company.
When you have a personnel issue, you need a professional answer right away. The HR Help Desk is ready 24/7 to answer your personnel questions.
Give us a call at (855) 474-2836 to find out how to get real-time solutions and guidance for your HR challenges.
