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As a department
manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services, I
manage 10 employees. These 10 employees
are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver
excellent customer service. One of my employees, “Jack”, has been with
the company for two years, and is performing at a substandard level. I have received numerous complaints from
customers and coworkers. In addition, Jack has displayed confrontational
behavior that has created a hostile environment. I have set up a time to
meet with Jack and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate
improvement or dismissal.
There are
organizations and professional societies that study the art of “motivating”
underachieving or underperforming employees.
After reviewing several techniques offered by Eric Herrenkohl (2009), Dr. Billy M
(2013), Lee Colan (2011), and Lorna Brett (2011), I liked the six strategies that
Herrenkohl recommends.
The bottom line is
I like Jack. He may not be an A plus
employee but he certainly a solid B to B plus worker who can be a valuable
member to my team. The problem is he is
costing the company money because he is performing at a D minus level. It is bad enough to receive complaints from
coworkers, but now customers are complaining as well. It is my duty to give him an option to
improve his attitude and work output, or leave willingly or forcibly. I have set up a meeting with him tomorrow and
will use the six strategies recommended by Herrenkohl (2009).
Step 1.
I am drawing the line in the sand for Jack so he understands what his
choices are before he walks out of our meeting.
I have laid out where Jack is performing poorly and will give him a
chance to respond to each accusation. Next,
I will give Jack a chance to take personal responsibility for his
shortfalls. If he does, I will move to
the next step. If he does not, I will
make it clear that I will terminate his job.
Step 2.
Other managers have helped me put together a systematic process for Jack
to follow to improve his shortfalls. The
process will include milestones Jack needs to reach in improving his attitude
and quality of workmanship. The team
understands that sometimes an employee gets into a rut and is not sure what to
do. This systematic process will be a
good guide.
Step 3.
This step offers me an opportunity to observe him during a workday. I will watch Jack in action on Thursday, and
when a situation arises that he needs to improve in, I will take the lead and
let Jack observe how I handle the situation.
It is crucial that I make sure he understands the steps I take and
why. If step 3 combined, with step 2,
does not help Jack show improvement, it will be a sign that I need to make a
change.
Step 4.
I will set a follow-up meeting with Jack and see if he is meeting goals
and improving in specific areas he and I have discussed. It will be clearly annotated that if
improvement is not made by this timeframe, that I will be forced to terminate
his employment with our company.
Step 5.
This is an optional step.
Herrenkohl recommends bringing a “farm team” together of
employees who want to work on your team.
This is a great motivator for the underperforming employee such as Jack
because Jack can visually see that he is replaceable.
Step 6.
The most difficult step for many managers is making the ultimate
decision that the employee is not a good fit for your company. I am willing to make that hard decision to
terminate Jack’s employment if he does not follow steps 1-5 in the designated
timeframe.
In conclusion, S.J. Wall
(1998) validates what Herrenkohl has stated. The most difficult job for most company managers
is firing an employee. When asked what they
endlessly put off, managers will say advising underperforming employees that they
must improve or lose their job. Many managers
dodge giving frank feedback to these underperforming employees, and in effect the
managers are choosing chronic pain over acute pain. If efforts fail, such as Herrenkohl’s six strategies,
the manager and employee should come to an agreement that the employee leave to
find a more suitable job or risk termination.
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