Do you have what it takes as a leader to hold employees accountable for the performance they agreed to deliver, and more importantly need to deliver to be successful in their position?
I think most entrepreneurs and managers will answer yes to this burning human resource question. The problem is that most who answer yes, are likely not as successful at it as they think. I am sure you have seen all the statistics about bad bosses and disengaged employees, but how do you know if you are contributing to this typical HR dilemma?
As an outsourced human resources agency, we see performance management as a really big issue on both sides, for the managers and the employees.
Employees, for the most part, truly want and need to know how their performance ranks. They must know what tasks they do really well, and also the areas in which they need to improve.
Managers, on the other hand, tend to avoid these conversations, bring them up at inappropriate times in front of the employees’ peers (usually leading to a passive-aggressive relationship and hostility), confront the issues with an iron fist (producing anxiety or hostility again), or try to address the issues too softly (leaving the employee feeling like there is nothing he or she needs to address or do differently). No news means the employee is awesome, right?
As a manager, you know you need to have these conversations, confront the issues and handle issues timely. But, how do you do this the best way and stay out of human resources hot water?
You’ve invested too much to give up so soon
Confront performance issues with compassion. After all, you have invested so much in your employees that you owe it to yourself and the team to help them be successful. It is not about building a case against the employees to kick them out the door. If it is, then this is a big hint that you are doing it all wrong and have waited too long! But that’s an entirely different human resources topic.
Be sure to make the conversation formal enough to reflect its importance. Employees play a part in the process though. For this reason we are big fans of personal development plans as part of quarterly or semi-annual performance reviews or in more serious cases, a performance improvement plan. State the problems, very simply, own your part (if they need additional training, or additional resources, or coaching be sure to state this and offer it), make specific requests on what improvements are needed and when, then inform them of the consequences if needed, and be clear on this. Allow employees the opportunity to communicate their sides. Reinforce that you want him or her to be successful and he or she has control.
Follow up is extremely important. Keep up communication and let them know how they are progressing. If they are improving, be sure to let them know this. Encourage the behaviors/actions you want to see, and discourage what you don’t.
If this approach sounds simple, it’s because it really is. But, it takes time and a willingness to effectively confront human resource issues. Just don’t let them fester because that can open up a whole new can of worms.