When do you cut and run with staff?
Leadership challenge around staff underperforming is one big issue most business owners have to deal with.
Of course, staff underperforming is our leading issue to address.
The existing platform that staff comes into businesses with obviously affects the tone of how they are going to perform. Prior to hiring staff, the approach to pre-qualify applicants to jobs is critically important.
Screening gives you an insight into what staff attitudes are going to be like after you hire them.
I recommend a strategy that I call the “front-loading recruitment” where you do a series of screening even prior to the resume review stage.
How we bring staff into the business, how they set up to perform, how their performance is monitored, supported, and inducted all have a big impact on their ability to succeed in the role.
When do you actually cut and run? This doesn’t have to be complicated.
A baseline has to be set, a performance expectation with a floor and ceiling. What I call the floor is 80% of that performance, and what I call the ceiling is 95% of that performance
If staff is consistently producing less than 80% of their productivity, then I’ve got a challenge on my hands, I want to check in that they are aligned and they’ve got the resources they need. We want to reassess their competency and their capability working with the resources they need.
And if staff is pushing up to more than 95% of productivity, then they are not being challenged enough and we look to grow their role.
Sitting and maintaining staff between this floor (80%) and the ceiling (95%) is the goal. Staff performance is no issue unless they fall under 80% or they are causing cultural issues or interpersonal issues with other staff.
Generally, Interpersonal issues are the majority of issues with performance management.
How do you cut and run? Well, legislation and awards can make that really tricky. We have different standards around trial periods, for small businesses and large businesses.
If you don’t know what that as a business owner, it is a good idea to have a consultant support you so that you know you are acting within the law.
How do you ensure that staff gets moved along respectfully? That their performance is monitored in a way that allows them to close a skill gap if they have a skill gap, or if there are interpersonal conflicts, or they are not a value match to their company?
That process is done respectfully, legally, and the employee gets the opportunity to make the choice about whether they are there or not without any coercion without any manipulation.
When you get issues around staff like, performing under the 80% expectations that have been communicated to them, cultural dynamic issues with someone, causing issues with other employees or they are toxic in some way and making it hard for themselves and everybody else.
I do recommend that you get an expert like myself to guide and govern that process to save you the incredible amount of time, energy, effort and cash that dealing with fireworks and dismissal can bring.
That is just one aspect of strong leadership. Making sure the right conversations at the right time happen, are documented, everyone is respected and that people get to move along if they don’t belong in your company anymore.
It is a big fear point! And I want to restore the experience of confidence and power and choices that we have as business owners if we have the wrong people, making sure they don’t stuck with staff that drive them into the ground.
If you ever feel like your hands are tied behind your back in terms of your employee choices, I’m here to remind you that there are always choices.
When we think we have limited choices, we experience fear and fears negatively affect leadership radically…
Book in with me to map out how to collapse old fears and boldly claim the future.
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Love,
Emily 💎