Managing Struggling Employees |Leila’s House of Corrections

Have you ever hired someone and then found out, soon after the employee started, that his skills weren t meeting your expectations? Many managers find themselves in this situation and most of them ignore it for way too long before deciding to take action. A better way to deal with this challenge is to address struggling performance right away. Come on managers, it s time to manage struggling employees.

Almost all companies have an orientation period: the first few months of an employee s tenure. The purpose of this orientation period is to give both the employee and the company an opportunity to see if they ve made an effective match. If you notice poor performance during an orientation period, don t make excuses for the employee s behavior. Instead, use these steps to actively manage a struggling employee.

Step 1: Look in the mirror first.

Before pointing the finger at the employee, point the finger at yourself first. Be honest and ask yourself, What have I done to set expectations and give feedback? And how often? Have I done everything possible to explain the tasks and behaviors necessary to succeed in this job? Chances are, you can do a much better job setting expectations.

Step 2: Start setting SMART goals and giving feedback daily.

Struggling employees need to hear from you often. They need to hear from you exactly what they must do and how. Start writing that information down and use the SMART acronym: use specific, measurable, action oriented, time bound, and realistic language. Check in with the employee on a daily basis. Never assume you are communicating enough.

Step 3: Talk to HR.

Support, knowledge, and guidance from HR is key to managing a struggling employee in an effective and legal way. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner you will receive expert advice on how to help an employee succeed or move on.

One final thought about managing struggling employees and this goes for all levels of performance great managers document performance. They take regular notes on what an employee is accomplishing and how he is accomplishing it. They write down the facts. This best practice isn t micromanagement it s smart management.