By Steve M. Cohen bio
Here’s something you’ll consider too obvious to mention: To improve your overall office performance, work to replace marginal employees with better ones.
That is obvious and I know most managers are ready to do that whenever possible. But what I’m promoting here is a long-term, sustained policy that ultimately may target weak employees for removal with an eye to increasing your top tier workers.
I frequently mention a workplace study that found the average workplace is comprised of only 25 percent of workers who are engaged in their work, who are invested in the organization’s goals and actively supporting them. Of the remainder, 15 percent are actually disengaged or working against the organization. The remaining 60 percent are in the middle, pretty much coasting along and likely to go with whichever group pushes the hardest.
To me, it’s clear that you want to increase the engaged group, eliminate the disengaged group and convert more of the third group to engagement. It’s clear, but it’s one of those long-term goals that are easy to lose in day-to-day challenges.
It helps to remember that marginal employees produce errors, inaccuracies and affect the morale of the office. These staff members demand a larger percentage of a manger’s attention and ultimately are apt to bring down even motivated, engaged workers.
Sometimes, marginal workers respond to a wake-up call. Identifying and handling these employees may be among the most difficult challenges that managers face. But it’s a job that can solve a lot of other problems and often done best in a slow and steady fashion. I stress, however, that “steady” is more important than “slow!” Identify marginal employees, notify them their work can and must improve, then give them specific advice and direction with some sort of timetable. Keep it positive whenever possible but don’t procrastinate when action is needed. If nothing else, remember that when something is not done, good employees often tend to turn on the manager.
Eliminating staff members is never easy. The traditional way is to remove marginal performers is watch them fail, document the failure, tell them what they are doing that is failing and give them time to fix it. If they still fail, document it again, tell them what they need to fix and give them more time to fix it. If they continue to fail, then you can terminate. Still, be ready for a fight with your State Human Rights Commission or the EEOC. Legal battles are widespread in such actions.
Another option is to let marginal employees know they are failing and on a path that will lead to termination. Tell them that just because they cannot make it with your organization does not mean that they cannot make it elsewhere. A termination will stain their record and will have to be explained for years to come, but a voluntary resignation can be explained. Assure them that if they resign, you will give them a neutral reference while a termination will go on their record. In all likelihood, this may be their best shot at clearing their opportunities for the future.
Obviously, removing half of your staff simultaneously just to follow this concept is not a good plan. This is one reason I suggest beginning with the most obvious examples, those who are either working against the organization or are shown to be so apathetic that getting them “on board” is extremely unlikely. In most cases, many of the other marginal workers will get the message and your work will be easier.
Either way, it’s really the only practical solution to improving your office environment. No amount of bonuses or other incentives is likely to create this type of long-term advance. You and the workplace will benefit.
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