Sullen Sally. Prickly Pat. Gossiping Gus.
Every organization has them. The challenge is, what to do with them.
While we do our best to hire well, occasionally we take a misstep and end up with a staff member who just doesn’t fit. His qualifications were “overstated” on his resume and he can’t keep up. Perhaps she has the perfect technical skills but has to always be the smartest person in the room. Or, perhaps, you “inherited” an employee with poor performance that no one has bothered to address over the years.
Every organization has them. The challenge is, what to do with them.
While we do our best to hire well, occasionally we take a misstep and end up with a staff member who just doesn’t fit. His qualifications were “overstated” on his resume and he can’t keep up. Perhaps she has the perfect technical skills but has to always be the smartest person in the room. Or, perhaps, you “inherited” an employee with poor performance that no one has bothered to address over the years.
It took me a while to figure this out, but I came to the realization that most people fire themselves. As employers, we are responsible for setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and making sure employees have the tools and training to be successful. If we have done these things well, it is easier to determine whether someone is a problem, a project or perhaps has untapped potential.
The Problem Employee
This person is disruptive and causes all kinds of havoc. They may have the technical skills to do the job, but their behaviors are inappropriate in the workplace. They may think they are above the rules other people have to abide by. It could be 80 degrees and sunny and they would find something to complain about. They gossip. They try to “work the system”. Often they feel that the company is taking advantage of them in some way. There is always an excuse or someone to blame. These employees suck up a tremendous amount of time, emotion and energy. They spend more time causing problems than they do working.
What to do?
No matter what you do, this person will continue to be unhappy. This unhappiness will spread. The negativity seeps into meetings, lunchtime conversation and daily interactions. It will poison the rest of the team. Terminate this person. Follow good HR practices in terms of setting expectations, providing performance counseling and progressive discipline, but don’t dawdle. Every minute you spend dealing with this person’s drama is time you are not spending with your employees who are performing.
The Project
At some point in each of our careers we find an employee we consider a “project.” He or she has some potential, does good work overall, but there is something substantial lacking in performance. It might be attention to detail, a gruff demeanor or a lack of an essential skill. While this person may cause a bit of angst on occasion, you see a glimmer in them – your own personal diamond in the rough.
What to do?
Objectively evaluate this person’s strengths and weaknesses. How much of the job involves things she does really well? How much of the job requires skills she is lacking?
Analyze the gaps. Can the weaknesses be mitigated or improvement made through training, feedback or mentoring? If yes, how long will it take and is the intervention likely to result in substantial improvement?
Consider your team. Is this person largely able to “pull their weight” on the team? Is the customer (internal or external) suffering because of this gap?
Consider your capacity. It is usually OK to have one project employee. It is not OK to have a team of projects. This doesn’t serve the company or your customers well. As long as you have the capacity and are willing to dedicate the time and the resources to develop this person, go for it!
Establish clear developmental objectives and milestones, schedule regular check in meetings and monitor their work closely in the early stages.
Be honest. If the person is not able to improve sufficiently within a reasonable time frame (4 – 12 weeks), it is time to part ways. This can be done respectfully and on good terms. Sometimes the fit just isn’t there. If sufficient progress has been made, acknowledge the successes. Acknowledge that you may need to commit extra management time to her in the long term.
Untapped potential
This employee comes in many forms and evolves in many different ways. Perhaps the person has a few years in the workplace and wants to go back to school or move in another career direction. Perhaps he has always been a “steady Eddie” but never really stood out until…<insert Eureka moment here>. Maybe this is the person’s first “real job” and they need to learn the basics of what it means to be a professional. Perhaps this person moves so quickly they are like the Tasmanian Devil. They suddenly arrive, cause a flurry, and then they are gone and on to the next thing. (OK, for those of you who knew me when, this last one is a wee bit autobiographical).
What to do?
Help navigate. A new person may experience a bit of culture shock moving from one organization to the next. An experienced employee may not be well versed in how things work in other departments. Provide key introductions.
Create opportunities for this person (and others on your team) to contribute in new ways. Perhaps participate in a cross-functional project or serve as a mentor to junior staff members.
Create conversations. Make time for periodic career discussion conversations. What is the person learning? What does he want to learn? How can you best support her?
Coach. This person wants to succeed. In order to progress, they need to develop new skills or look at the world through a broader lens. Be the coach who can prop them up when they are discouraged, redirect them if they get off track, and tell them what is not going well.
Here’s to your success.
The Problem Employee
This person is disruptive and causes all kinds of havoc. They may have the technical skills to do the job, but their behaviors are inappropriate in the workplace. They may think they are above the rules other people have to abide by. It could be 80 degrees and sunny and they would find something to complain about. They gossip. They try to “work the system”. Often they feel that the company is taking advantage of them in some way. There is always an excuse or someone to blame. These employees suck up a tremendous amount of time, emotion and energy. They spend more time causing problems than they do working.
What to do?
No matter what you do, this person will continue to be unhappy. This unhappiness will spread. The negativity seeps into meetings, lunchtime conversation and daily interactions. It will poison the rest of the team. Terminate this person. Follow good HR practices in terms of setting expectations, providing performance counseling and progressive discipline, but don’t dawdle. Every minute you spend dealing with this person’s drama is time you are not spending with your employees who are performing.
The Project
At some point in each of our careers we find an employee we consider a “project.” He or she has some potential, does good work overall, but there is something substantial lacking in performance. It might be attention to detail, a gruff demeanor or a lack of an essential skill. While this person may cause a bit of angst on occasion, you see a glimmer in them – your own personal diamond in the rough.
What to do?
Objectively evaluate this person’s strengths and weaknesses. How much of the job involves things she does really well? How much of the job requires skills she is lacking?
Analyze the gaps. Can the weaknesses be mitigated or improvement made through training, feedback or mentoring? If yes, how long will it take and is the intervention likely to result in substantial improvement?
Consider your team. Is this person largely able to “pull their weight” on the team? Is the customer (internal or external) suffering because of this gap?
Consider your capacity. It is usually OK to have one project employee. It is not OK to have a team of projects. This doesn’t serve the company or your customers well. As long as you have the capacity and are willing to dedicate the time and the resources to develop this person, go for it!
Establish clear developmental objectives and milestones, schedule regular check in meetings and monitor their work closely in the early stages.
Be honest. If the person is not able to improve sufficiently within a reasonable time frame (4 – 12 weeks), it is time to part ways. This can be done respectfully and on good terms. Sometimes the fit just isn’t there. If sufficient progress has been made, acknowledge the successes. Acknowledge that you may need to commit extra management time to her in the long term.
Untapped potential
This employee comes in many forms and evolves in many different ways. Perhaps the person has a few years in the workplace and wants to go back to school or move in another career direction. Perhaps he has always been a “steady Eddie” but never really stood out until…<insert Eureka moment here>. Maybe this is the person’s first “real job” and they need to learn the basics of what it means to be a professional. Perhaps this person moves so quickly they are like the Tasmanian Devil. They suddenly arrive, cause a flurry, and then they are gone and on to the next thing. (OK, for those of you who knew me when, this last one is a wee bit autobiographical).
What to do?
Help navigate. A new person may experience a bit of culture shock moving from one organization to the next. An experienced employee may not be well versed in how things work in other departments. Provide key introductions.
Create opportunities for this person (and others on your team) to contribute in new ways. Perhaps participate in a cross-functional project or serve as a mentor to junior staff members.
Create conversations. Make time for periodic career discussion conversations. What is the person learning? What does he want to learn? How can you best support her?
Coach. This person wants to succeed. In order to progress, they need to develop new skills or look at the world through a broader lens. Be the coach who can prop them up when they are discouraged, redirect them if they get off track, and tell them what is not going well.
Here’s to your success.