No one hires employees thinking they will fail. We hire the best available candidates, thinking they\u2019re brimming with potential.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re right more often than not. But sometimes it\u2019s clear fairly soon that a new employee is a bad fit.<\/p>\n
Then there are those who do a great job for months or even years until their performance falls off track. Performance can suffer for a lot of reasons, some of them quite understandable. <\/p>\n
But, when it comes to leadership and employee performance, the adage to remember is, \u201cif you snooze, you lose.\u201d The longer you let employees\u2019 performance slide, the tougher it is to get them back on track. Problematic behaviors can quickly become habits, and habits are tough to break.<\/p>\n
Address a performance issue when you first notice it. \u201cHannah, you\u2019ve gotten behind with the salads a couple times now; let\u2019s get back to your usual pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019re not making a big deal out of it, but you\u2019re letting the employee know you\u2019re watching. Sometimes that\u2019s all it takes.<\/p>\n
And sometimes it doesn\u2019t. Take the employee aside: \u201cHannah, I mentioned this to you last week, but it\u2019s not getting any better. Is there something keeping you from working up to your usual level? How can we fix it?\u201d<\/p>\n
You may learn more than you want to about the employee\u2019s \u201cissues.\u201d But listen attentively and be empathetic. There may in fact be some workplace problems that should be addressed. That said, the issue is the employee\u2019s performance, not the reasons behind it. Make it clear that you expect improvement.<\/p>\n
Many managers express frustrations about younger workers\u2019 reactions to criticism. Don\u2019t be afraid of having \u201cthe hard conversation\u201d with a millennial. They can take it\u2014especially if you couch it in terms of mentorship and guidance. Be very straightforward about performance issues that can impede their progress. <\/p>\n
Just let them know when they\u2019ve turned things around. \u201cHey, Hannah, you\u2019re back on track. Thanks for doing what needed to be done to make sure salads are out on a timely basis again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting employees back on track after you\u2019ve ignored their slide for too long is a little more difficult. But it can be done.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s needed is an intervention. Take the employee to a private area and lay it on the line. Clearly delineate the problem behavior(s) and tell the employee the ball is in his or her court: fix the problem, and it\u2019ll never be mentioned again \u2026 or don\u2019t fix it, and force you as the manager to do what you\u2019re paid to do. It\u2019s completely up to the employee.<\/p>\n
If the thought of an intervention intimidates you, consider two key points: <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s another good point: Correct early and often, you\u2019ll never have to worry about an intervention.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Correcting early and often builds good habits and more productive, happier workers. No one hires employees thinking they will fail. We hire the best available candidates, thinking they\u2019re brimming with potential. We\u2019re right more often than not. But sometimes it\u2019s clear fairly soon that a new employee is a bad fit. Then there are those […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4064,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,112,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catering-small-business","category-restaurant-bars","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n