Hi seniors,
I have noticed a drop in the quality of a senior employee. I would like to understand different ways of handling this from all of you.
My initial thoughts are:
1. Management can directly speak to the person and see what can be done to improve the situation.
2. The person can fill out a motivation survey, and based on the results, we can determine the best course of action.
Please provide your feedback.
Regards,
Anjali
From India, Ambala
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
I have noticed a drop in the quality of a senior employee. I would like to understand different ways of handling this from all of you.
My initial thoughts are:
1. Management can directly speak to the person and see what can be done to improve the situation.
2. The person can fill out a motivation survey, and based on the results, we can determine the best course of action.
Please provide your feedback.
Regards,
Anjali
From India, Ambala
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Anjali,
I don't think the first idea is good, as a senior employee directly interacting with the management may be remarked as "negative" in various aspects like leadership, self-driven, self-motivation approach, which is often required at HOD levels. Remember, the HOD is one, and all others fall under him.
The second idea, by filling out a set of questions on engagement and satisfaction, may give you some idea about this employee's demotivation. I personally believe a senior member from the HR team should interact with this person informally, probably outside the office, and find out the reasons before the person goes into some kind of trauma.
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
141I don't think the first idea is good, as a senior employee directly interacting with the management may be remarked as "negative" in various aspects like leadership, self-driven, self-motivation approach, which is often required at HOD levels. Remember, the HOD is one, and all others fall under him.
The second idea, by filling out a set of questions on engagement and satisfaction, may give you some idea about this employee's demotivation. I personally believe a senior member from the HR team should interact with this person informally, probably outside the office, and find out the reasons before the person goes into some kind of trauma.
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hello Anjali,
Please be realistic.
Your idea of getting an Employee Motivation Survey filled in by a senior employee may not give you the results you are looking for.
The reasons for the drop in quality could be wide-ranging, right from personal issues impinging on official productivity to purely official issues, as well as multiple and/or a mix.
It's human nature to desist from putting things in writing that the individual could see as affecting his/her image or career. Even though that may not be the company's intent, it's the 'perception' that would decide if the employee will fill in the survey completely and clearly (wouldn't like to touch the 'truthfulness' aspect here, even though that too could be one factor).
In general, any person is more prone to open up when the discussion is informal and with those whom he/she knows and trusts at the personal level.
I suggest taking Umesh Chaudhary's advice to depute any senior HR person to speak to him informally before you decide the next step.
Another way could be to check out with whom he interacts regularly in the office and see if there are any personal issues that are affecting his performance at the office. Quite often, that happens.
I presume your focus is to set things right and not just to gather the reason(s) for this situation.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Please be realistic.
Your idea of getting an Employee Motivation Survey filled in by a senior employee may not give you the results you are looking for.
The reasons for the drop in quality could be wide-ranging, right from personal issues impinging on official productivity to purely official issues, as well as multiple and/or a mix.
It's human nature to desist from putting things in writing that the individual could see as affecting his/her image or career. Even though that may not be the company's intent, it's the 'perception' that would decide if the employee will fill in the survey completely and clearly (wouldn't like to touch the 'truthfulness' aspect here, even though that too could be one factor).
In general, any person is more prone to open up when the discussion is informal and with those whom he/she knows and trusts at the personal level.
I suggest taking Umesh Chaudhary's advice to depute any senior HR person to speak to him informally before you decide the next step.
Another way could be to check out with whom he interacts regularly in the office and see if there are any personal issues that are affecting his performance at the office. Quite often, that happens.
I presume your focus is to set things right and not just to gather the reason(s) for this situation.
Regards,
TS
From India, Hyderabad
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Anjali, your observation: "Have noticed a drop in quality of a senior employee," requires an elaboration as under:
1. What do you mean by 'drop in quality' and what is the basis of such an observation?
2. Are you the Manager of this senior employee or merely an HR executive?
3. What is your norm of comparison of this employee with other senior employees in the organization?
Both your suggestions (i) management can directly speak to the person or (ii) a motivation survey could help, shall merit consideration after you provide the above feedback.
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
1. What do you mean by 'drop in quality' and what is the basis of such an observation?
2. Are you the Manager of this senior employee or merely an HR executive?
3. What is your norm of comparison of this employee with other senior employees in the organization?
Both your suggestions (i) management can directly speak to the person or (ii) a motivation survey could help, shall merit consideration after you provide the above feedback.
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi Anjali,
The problem that you stated is a very common issue. A drop in quality is the symptom; therefore, you need to identify the cause.
Usually, a decline in quality for good performers is primarily due to the following reasons:
1) Family-related problems
2) Office politics
Therefore, as you have suggested, simply having someone from management speak with the employee will not be effective. The reason being, if the employee had a good rapport with management, they would have already shared their issues.
I hope you are not part of the management. My suggestion to you is to take the initiative. Approach the employee in a friendly manner. Instead of directly inquiring about their performance, try to gather some clues about any underlying issues they may be facing. If possible, observe their body language when discussing family matters. If it seems to be a family-related problem, offer assistance from the office. Supporting an employee's family can be the most motivating gesture a company can make.
If you are certain that there are no family-related problems, then it is likely that the employee is affected by office politics. It is time for you to address the rumors and navigate the politics within the company. Since you are not part of the management, you are in a prime position to understand the dynamics of the office politics. Pay close attention; if the employee is involved in office politics, they are likely not alone. There may be other employees who are also experiencing a decline in quality. Stay observant of the employees' interactions. With vigilance, you can gain the confidence of the employee and address the political issues effectively. Your efforts will lead to success :)
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
The problem that you stated is a very common issue. A drop in quality is the symptom; therefore, you need to identify the cause.
Usually, a decline in quality for good performers is primarily due to the following reasons:
1) Family-related problems
2) Office politics
Therefore, as you have suggested, simply having someone from management speak with the employee will not be effective. The reason being, if the employee had a good rapport with management, they would have already shared their issues.
I hope you are not part of the management. My suggestion to you is to take the initiative. Approach the employee in a friendly manner. Instead of directly inquiring about their performance, try to gather some clues about any underlying issues they may be facing. If possible, observe their body language when discussing family matters. If it seems to be a family-related problem, offer assistance from the office. Supporting an employee's family can be the most motivating gesture a company can make.
If you are certain that there are no family-related problems, then it is likely that the employee is affected by office politics. It is time for you to address the rumors and navigate the politics within the company. Since you are not part of the management, you are in a prime position to understand the dynamics of the office politics. Pay close attention; if the employee is involved in office politics, they are likely not alone. There may be other employees who are also experiencing a decline in quality. Stay observant of the employees' interactions. With vigilance, you can gain the confidence of the employee and address the political issues effectively. Your efforts will lead to success :)
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I agree with B.K. Bhatia's comments and the three questions that he has put forward.
Other relevant questions can be:
To which function does this senior employee belong?
What is the opinion of his Reporting Officer?
Simply saying, "Have noticed a drop in quality of a senior employee" is not sufficient.
"Drop in quality" of what?
Is it dress, attitude, informal or formal participation, punctuality, relationship, and interaction with other employees?
If it is performance, then what are the criteria, what are his tasks and targets, what is the end-date of this year's performance appraisal period, and what are his ratings? What were the comments of his Reporting and Reviewing Officers?
One should remember that HR is in no position to JUDGE the PERFORMANCE of employees in other functions like Production, Sales, Client Service, Finance & Accounts, etc.
Neither is it competent, nor does it have the opportunity to do so, as HR is not a party to all the activities of an organization, nor is it empowered to do so.
Moreover, one should not equate performance with the outward appearance or behavior of the person. Condemning a person like this is unfair and an injustice to that person.
Several times, in their over-enthusiasm and over-zealousness, young HR persons make the mistake of having the impression that "they are the lord of whomsoever they survey"!!!
Such erroneous thinking is bad for the organization. It is like the story of the proverbial monkey with the razor trying to become the barber - it is always possible that the neck gets slashed instead of the beard.
As far as judgment on performance is concerned, suo moto it should be restricted to one's own subordinates or those who report directly.
Hope I have not hurt the feelings of anyone by coming down heavily on such impropriety or proposed action, which may be unfair to someone for no fault of his on the performance front, which can be judged only by his KRAs under a good PMS or the unbiased opinion of his reporting officers.
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Other relevant questions can be:
To which function does this senior employee belong?
What is the opinion of his Reporting Officer?
Simply saying, "Have noticed a drop in quality of a senior employee" is not sufficient.
"Drop in quality" of what?
Is it dress, attitude, informal or formal participation, punctuality, relationship, and interaction with other employees?
If it is performance, then what are the criteria, what are his tasks and targets, what is the end-date of this year's performance appraisal period, and what are his ratings? What were the comments of his Reporting and Reviewing Officers?
One should remember that HR is in no position to JUDGE the PERFORMANCE of employees in other functions like Production, Sales, Client Service, Finance & Accounts, etc.
Neither is it competent, nor does it have the opportunity to do so, as HR is not a party to all the activities of an organization, nor is it empowered to do so.
Moreover, one should not equate performance with the outward appearance or behavior of the person. Condemning a person like this is unfair and an injustice to that person.
Several times, in their over-enthusiasm and over-zealousness, young HR persons make the mistake of having the impression that "they are the lord of whomsoever they survey"!!!
Such erroneous thinking is bad for the organization. It is like the story of the proverbial monkey with the razor trying to become the barber - it is always possible that the neck gets slashed instead of the beard.
As far as judgment on performance is concerned, suo moto it should be restricted to one's own subordinates or those who report directly.
Hope I have not hurt the feelings of anyone by coming down heavily on such impropriety or proposed action, which may be unfair to someone for no fault of his on the performance front, which can be judged only by his KRAs under a good PMS or the unbiased opinion of his reporting officers.
Warm regards.
From India, Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I would like to thank you all for taking the time to share your views.
@TS, B.K. Bhatia, Prasanna K S, & Raj Kumar: I understand employee motivation cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, nor does it have a definitive solution. We cannot process or document employee motivation as it depends on employees and their needs.
I work as an HR in a small setup where we have tried to follow an open-door policy. Employees are free to reach out to their respective department heads, managers, or HR in case of any issues, problems, or clarifications. The senior employee is reporting to the key management, who have already identified areas where they would like to see improvement.
The employee does not have any personal or official issues. They interact well with the team, but it seems to be more related to the comfort zone they have developed over the years. We have tried giving them new or different assignments, defining KRA's, but there has been no significant improvement.
I believe many of you may have faced this situation before, and it would be great to read your views on this.
Regards,
AS
From India, Ambala
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
@TS, B.K. Bhatia, Prasanna K S, & Raj Kumar: I understand employee motivation cannot be answered with a simple yes or no, nor does it have a definitive solution. We cannot process or document employee motivation as it depends on employees and their needs.
I work as an HR in a small setup where we have tried to follow an open-door policy. Employees are free to reach out to their respective department heads, managers, or HR in case of any issues, problems, or clarifications. The senior employee is reporting to the key management, who have already identified areas where they would like to see improvement.
The employee does not have any personal or official issues. They interact well with the team, but it seems to be more related to the comfort zone they have developed over the years. We have tried giving them new or different assignments, defining KRA's, but there has been no significant improvement.
I believe many of you may have faced this situation before, and it would be great to read your views on this.
Regards,
AS
From India, Ambala
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)Join Our Community and get connected with the right people who can help. Our AI-powered platform provides real-time fact-checking, peer-reviewed insights, and a vast historical knowledge base to support your search.
Improve employee engagement and performance.pdf