Building an effective team is critical to developing a profitable business, as most of you know. I have worked closely with small businesses for many years, helping business owners train and develop their employees into cohesive teams.
And while most employees are motivated and receptive to training and development, every once in a while this is not the case. So what should you do when you wind up with a difficult, uncooperative employee in your workplace? Below are several steps to follow.
1) Don’t ignore the problem. Most business owners are very tempted to simply ignore the bad behavior and hope that it goes away. For one thing, confrontation can be unpleasant- and for another, the average small business owner has his or hands full with plenty of other issues. But ignoring the problem is a poor decision – because these types of issues do not go away on their own. Ignoring it will only make things worse.
2) Clearly explain the problem. Have a conversation with the employee in question and clearly explain what he or she is doing wrong. Be specific and make sure that they “get it” before moving on. In addition to telling them what they are doing wrong, explain why it matters. It’s often easier for an employee to grasp the “rules” if he or she understands the purpose behind them.
3) Clearly define your expectations. Now that you’ve explained what the employee is doing wrong, explain what you expect to see moving forwards. Be specific – don’t leave any room for misunderstanding or miscommunication.
4) Create a plan to get the employee back on track. It’s your job, as a business owner, to put your employees in position to succeed. And that means making sure that they have the support and the guidance they need to perform well. Work with the employee to ensure that he or she not only understands what needs to change, but also has the resources necessary to get it done. If you don’t take this step, you are setting yourself up for failure, and you’ll find yourself wasting time and resources by hiring and training a replacement. It’s far cheaper to re-train your current employees, so that the time they have spent working in your business isn’t wasted.
5) Monitor the progress, and if necessary, consider terminating the employee. Once you’ve defined your expectations and created a plan to help the employee achieve them, closely monitor his or her progress. In many cases, the employee will respond well to your intervention and will begin to improve performance. But this isn’t always the case—and if the employee simply can’t improve, letting the employee go may be your only option. Termination should be a measure of last resort, but don’t be afraid to use it should the situation demand it.
Questions or comments? Would you like to learn more about training and developing teams in your small business? Contact me today to learn more!