By Amy Beth Miller, editor of The Organized Executive
I’ve had to dismiss only one employee for poor performance, and my only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.
I wanted her to succeed, and for weeks we struggled with no progress. It was stressful for everyone, including other team members, whom I had to rely on to pick up the slack.
When an employee’s performance falls short, start by asking yourself whether you have been clear about your expectations and provided adequate training. Do your part to set the person up to succeed, and then it is the employee’s responsibility to follow through.
Develop a performance improvement plan with specific benchmarks, deadlines and consequences. Meet frequently with the person to discuss progress.
Then if you have to terminate the employee, it won’t be a shock. And just as important, with a well-organized process, the problem won’t drag on too long and you will have documented the reasons behind your decision.
Bud to Boss: A New Supervisor’s Guide to Turning Around Poor Performers shows you how to correct performance issues and manage the most difficult people. Learn more at BudtoBoss.com.
Filed under: Dos and Don'ts, Leadership Tagged: | employee performance, firing, performance issues, termination, training
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