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Employee Warnings: One Strike and You're Out
Written by: Donna FlaggArticle Overview: If an employee's performance needs improve, it shouldn't take a full quarter to find out whether he or she can pull it off or not. A better system can be structured so that you get the information you need about an employee's ability to turn it around sooner, rather than later.
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Employee Warnings: One Strike and You're Out
In months past, we were writing the performance management section of an employee handbook for a client when our attorney pointed out how illogical it was to warn employees in the form of a threat to guide them toward better performance. The client had been using a fairly standard model commonly used to manage problem employees "out" that is often referred to as "30, 60, 90."
It went something like this:
Step 1: Communicate conditions of poor performance with the employee
* Counsel, document and advise the employee of the next 30 day follow-up
Step 2: Conduct first 30 day follow-up
* At 30 days, if performance has not improved, place employee on written warning and advise him/her that there will be another 30 day follow up
Step 3: Conduct 60 day follow up
* At 60 days, if performance has not improved place the employee on final warning and advise him/her that there will be another 30 day follow up
Step 4: Conduct 90 day follow up
* If performance has not improved, terminate employment, effective immediately
The point is that if performance is going to improve, it shouldn't take a full quarter to find out. A better system can be structured differently so that you get the information you need about an employee's ability to turn it around sooner, rather than later. Here is what we suggested our client do instead.
Step 1: Be explicitly clear about what your organizational expectations are.
Step 2: Be even clearer that your company has no intention of tolerating behaviors, conduct or breaches should they surface at any time down the road.
Step 3: Then, if an employee does violate company policy, inform him or her of the problem ONCE, and explain why it is a problem. This is the warning and his or her chance to fix it. Make sure the employee knows that if it happens again, his or her employment with your company is over.
Step 4: And you wait. Hopefully they "get it" and don't want to lose their jobs and you never have to revisit the issue again, or watch employees languish through a laborious and inefficient process. Otherwise, you eliminate the problem by nipping it in the bud and your company is clean of the people who do not contribute in a positive and productive way.
The idea here being that if you treat your employees like children, you increase the chances that running a business will feel more like to running a daycare center. Keep in mind though, if you feel you have a legitimate performance issue, and you want to give an employee a chance to learn and master skills, and you feel confident that he or she can do it, then it's better to coach, train and develop. This gives you and your employee an opportunity to decide together whether the objectives of the job can be met. If it turns out not to be the right place for him or her, you can mutually agree to make a change.
Article Tags: breaches, employee handbook, final warning, intention, jobs, management section, performance management, poor performance, problem employees, standard model, step 1, step 2, step 3, time down
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About the Author: Donna Flagg RSS for Donna's articles - Visit Donna's website Donna Flagg spent over 15 years in business before founding The Krysalis Group, a consulting firm specializing in management, marketing, training and sales and their respective relationships to business results. Her management career began in sales at CHANEL, and before branching out on her own, she spearheaded a new training function within the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. After earning a BA from Rutgers University and gaining experience on the front lines of Corporate America, Donna went on to attend New York University's Graduate School of Education where she obtained a master's degree in Organizational Development and Human Resource Management, and a post graduate degree in Business Education. She has also been a speaker at City University of New York (CUNY) and New York University through Stern Business School and Delta Pi Epsilon, a national honorary professional graduate society in business education and training. In addition, she speaks at various conferences including those conducted by The Business Leadership Network and The Conference Board, where she was also on the advisory committee for the Enterprise Learning Strategies Conference. For her communications expertise, Donna was invited to be a host at the Liz Claiborne Leadership Offsite to discuss branding during their "Progressive Dinner" event and more recently, a speaker at the Inc. Leadership Conference in Dallas, TX. Donna is the author of Surviving Dreaded Conversations and is blogger on Pyschology Today and The Huffington Post. She is frequently featured in the press for her workplace expertise in outlets including CNBC, the New York Times, WOR, and XM Satellite Radio. Donna currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Randy Foye Foundation where she actively participates in its mission to assist children and families in Newark, NJ. Click here to visit Donna's website HR Department Basic Functions Holiday Parties 101 Risks and Returns Giving Employees a Test Run Before Hiring Creating Healthy Work Environments Finding and Forming Your Corporate Identity |
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