Many times managers tell me they have an employee with a
performance problem and they just can’t seem to get the employee
to fix it. This is always funny to me because upon further
discussion, I often find it is the manager who has the problem,
not the employee. Managers often have unclear expectations for
employees and/or do not clearly communicate the expectations
they have.
For example, a participant in one of my sessions once told me
that whenever she leaves the office, she expects her assistant
to “handle things.” This manager was frustrated because when she
gets back to the office, there are often unanswered phone
messages. When I asked the manager if she explained to her
assistant that she expected all phone messages to be answered
when she was away, the manager responded meekly with, “Well, no,
not exactly.”
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you begin to
address an employee’s “performance problem”:
1. What is the unacceptable behavior that is not meeting your
standards? You should be able to answer this question in
behavioral terms. If it is an “attitude” or a feeling you have,
stop right there. You must be able to give specific, behavioral
examples so the employee knows clearly what they should stop or
start doing.
2. What do you want the employee to do differently? If they are
not doing something the way you expect them to do it, what do
you prefer they do? If you can’t state your expectations
clearly, in behavioral terms, how can you expect the employee to
be able to meet those expectations?
3. How will solving the problem or changing the behavior improve
productivity, safety, confidentiality, or adherence to policy?
If there is not a compelling reason for the employee to change
their ways, why should they change? We all need to know the
“why” behind any change that affects us. If you can’t give a
reason why the employee should behave differently, then you
probably shouldn’t be bringing up the issue.
When addressing a performance issue with an employee, the
problem or issue must be clearly defined and relevant to the
job. In other words, it should not just be your pet peeve.
Before discussing the issue with the employee, make sure you
have considered the impact your discussion will have on the
employee and on their overall performance.
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