Gently ‘encourage’ marginal employees to move on!

dont-be-trapped-by-marginal-service-employees

Come on… admit it. Sometimes you accidentally hire (or develop) a semi-marginal employee. (I did too!) But here’s how you can ‘compound your mistake’…

Sure, you remove ‘criminally loser’ people immediately. But what happens when your new hire isn’t ‘horrid’ but you deep-down-inside recognize they will never be a rock star either? (Or sometimes they start out great but eventually slide downhill!) What happens?

Well, we all dread confrontation plus you don’t want to pay unemployment! So you ‘hunker down’ and wait for them to quit! Here’s why this ‘waiting game’ is a trap…

Nothing is more important to your financial future (and personal happiness) than finding stellar employees that ‘buy in’ to your business vision. Doubt me? Then contrast the difference between a Very Best Person and a Marginal Worker in this chart HERE!

After all, when you only have a few employees every single worker must have the POTENTIAL to grow with your company. (Jon-Don’s Papa Nick Paolella calls this your “employee totem pole”.)

IMPORTANT: This is why you need our 3-hour, online SFS: Hiring the Very Best! LIVE seminar. Click HERE for the class curriculum, to see upcoming dates or to easily register online…

So you simply can’t afford let your employee totem pole be ‘plugged up’ while waiting months (or years) for a marginal employee to leave. Soooo…

Respectfully and gently help a “non-performing” employee move on with their life!

Having this difficult conversation quickly is better for all concerned. Your “just-not-working-out employee” deserves to find a fulfilling job they can excel at. Your good employees want to work with quality people. So you need to get back out there and hire another employee who just might be the star you want!  The longer you postpone this hiring process the more your company suffers! (Plus it is no fun working with marginal people and business should be a joy!) HOWEVER…

New employees need (and deserve) to a) know what you expect from them and b) how to actually do the physical work. So you must develop a day-by-day written Fast Track Training system. If you don’t the same sad “fire and hire” process will be repeated over and over again. (This employee “revolving door” exacts an enormous financial and emotional toll on all concerned!)

NOTE: A recent QuickTIP shared how important a trial day working with you is BEFORE offering a candidate a full time job. Jon-Don instructor Bill Wiegand reminded me that a relationship with a temporary staffing agency can be invaluable here so your candidate is on the agency’s payroll and Workers Comp for the trial. And of course a good temporary help agency can be an invaluable Strategic Partner for the highs and lows of restoration work.

Long term employees need (and deserve) “performance feedback” and “Public Recognition” for their hard work.

The best way to sum this QuickTIP up? Hire slowtrain well, give recognition constantly and then if the employee doesn’t get on board… FIRE FAST!

Steve

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