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PRESS RELEASE
The Integrity News
Vol. XII No. 29
ISSN 1081-2717

November 12, 2003


CIO Magazine
November 1, 2003


How to FIND, FIX
or FIRE your POOR
PERFORMERS

Bad employees drain your organization.    Hiring is now beginning to grow.    Are you building on the best possible core staff ?

COSTS CREATED BY UNDER-PERFORMING EMPLOYEES

"You've probably had to deal with employees who are not up to the task, consistently perform below their capabilities, or exhibit a bad attitude.    These staffers fail to live up to   'The Agreement' ----- In exchange for a paycheck, they are to (eagerly and honestly) provide the company with their talents, experience, and time."

"Nothing drives your good performers away faster than knowing that a supervisor isn't dealing with employee performance issues."

"It's a wrenching task, but you have to face up to the need to confront poor performers and either fix their shortcomings or fire them."    "One of the hardest things to do is to look a person in the eye, and tell them that they are not good enough."

"Managerial lenience with poor performance is so pervasive, because it is tough, that many companies have turned to Forced Ranking.    It forces managers to make tough decisions that they otherwise would not or could not make about their employees."

FORCED RANKING

"Forced Ranking, or 'Relative Contribution', is a tough-minded approach that obligates managers to rank their staffers one against another."

"Forced Ranking schemes all assume that something is amiss in an organization's performance or plans."    It is assumed that there is room for improvement.    "An organization is usually not as good as the performance reviews would lead one to believe."

Usually, the staff is divided into three groups that represent the star performers, the average performers, and the low performers.    The superstars are in line for raises, bonuses, opportunities for advancement, and other perks.    The solid performers in the middle group get some financial remuneration for their efforts.    The low performers get zip, and usually wind up leaving the company.    The article points out that the costs to replace a low performer are usually less than the cost of the low performance itself.

FIVE STEPS TO IMPROVING WORKFORCE PERFORMANCE

1. Use a Performance Appraisal System.

Performance appraisal is the art of determining how well an employee does their job.    A good performance appraisal system will yield a solid foundation for decisions on promotions, development, and terminations.    You must have a set of organizational and departmental goals, and a fair and consistent method for judging how employees meet those goals.    What you are looking for is the employee's values and skill sets.

2. Keep HR in the Loop.

When facing a potential problem with an employee's performance, bring the details of the situation to the attention of HR as soon as possible.    It is important to follow corporate and HR policies appropriately.

3. Confront the Employee.

It may be that there is good reason for the employee's poor performance.    By talking with people, try to find out what is going on, then have a direct discussion with the employee about expectations, where the failings are, and the impact of the poor performance.    Ask the employee why they feel they are falling short, as this will frequently give you new information.

4. Shift the Onus for Improvement to the Employee.

If the employee appears to want to do better work, them ask them to take a few days to come up with an action plan.    Let the employee know that you are there to offer assistance, but that improvement is up to them.

If the employee denies that there is a problem, or is offended by your evidence, then ask the employee to take the rest of the day off to figure out what is best for them.    This dramatic gesture will bring home the fact that performance is a serious business.    If the employee returns the next day promising to improve, but doesn't, then you have your answer.    If the employee seems sincere, energetic, but needs training, then you have something to work with.

5. Follow Up Frequently.

"When you are trying to get someone to perform at a higher level, you need to measure and monitor them more often --- generally weekly.    This will quickly give you a sense of whether the employee can improve."

"Dealing with a poor performer usually means that you have to bring the situation to a head, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.    Given the chance, most employees want to do right by their employers, even as they're looking out for their own interests."

"If an employee has the right values, but the skills are not there, the skills can usually be trained."     However, "if the employee doesn't have the right value system, they're not worth the investment.     Values can't be trained."

Over the years, many aspects of this topic have been addressed by The Integrity Center, Inc.    Earlier Issues of The Integrity News are at www.integctr.com/News .    Feel free to call us at (972) 484-6140 to discuss any issues that you may encounter.


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