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I'm often asked the question, "If I have a serenity-busting employee, can they turn around?" My answer is, "Yes, but it's rare." Most of the time, problem employees are like bad boyfriends. They promise you they will change, they change for a while, then they are back to their old stuff. Or, worse. They correct the particular behavior you call them on, but then do something entirely different but equally preposterous.
That said, with few exceptions that were very extreme cases, I always allow employees a chance to change. We are all human, after all. I follow a formal procedure of:
1) Verbal warning
2) Written warning (often with notice of next review)
3) Fire if they haven't done a 180.
In recent memory, I can think of 3 employees who were warned and did a 180. When that happens it's a joy. It's wonderful to witness transformation. Here are some commonalities of what happened for the employees who turned it around and became part of my dream team.
1) All of them turned around after the written warning as opposed to the verbal warning.
2) Either I, one of my managers or both of us looked into the whites of the employee's eyes when speaking to them at the verbal and written warning meetings. We were very straight, specific, and we made strong recommendations for how to improve their performance and attitude. One of them, we recommended mental training. Another, we told them to take a couple of weeks (it was before winter vacation) and really think over whether or not they wanted to work at the business.
3) We told all of them what our fears were that we thought they were capable of doing. We thought one might lose it on a client. Another we thought might do something so ridiculous it could cost the company into the 5 figures.
4) All of them made very dramatic turnarounds quickly:- The "perfect deflector" broke down and apologized with all their heart. (This is HUGE for this type of personality.)
- The "ever innocent flake" got themselves some outside mental training. (AMAZING. These employees are typically high anxiety. Mental training can do wonders to lessen anxiety which in this case improved attitude and attendance.)
- The "bull in a china shop/owner-wannabe" found humility. (That means the superior/inferior complex that these employees typically have with the owner disappeared. Trust was established.
Can a Serenity-Buster Become a Dream Team Employee? (Part 6 of 10-part series)
January 22, 2012
