Senior Employee's Motivation Decline: How Would You Address This Challenge?

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

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

I don't think the first idea is good, as a senior employee directly interacting with the management may be perceived as "negative" in various aspects like leadership, self-drive, and self-motivation, which are often required at HOD levels. Remember, the HOD is one, and all others fall under them.

Alternative Approach

The second idea, by filling out a set of questions on engagement and satisfaction, may give you some insight into this employee's demotivation. I personally believe a senior member from the HR team should interact with this person informally, probably outside the office, to find out the reasons before the person goes into some kind of trauma.

Regards

Realistic Approach to Employee Motivation Surveys

Please be realistic. Your idea of having a senior employee fill out an Employee Motivation Survey may not yield the results you are seeking.

The reasons for the drop in quality could be wide-ranging, from personal issues affecting official productivity to purely official issues, or even a combination of both. It's human nature to avoid putting things in writing that could impact one's image or career. Even if that is not the company's intent, it's the 'perception' that will determine whether the employee completes the survey fully and clearly. I won't delve into the 'truthfulness' aspect here, although it could also be a factor.

In general, people are more likely to open up in informal discussions with those they know and trust personally. I suggest following Umesh Chaudhary's advice to have a senior HR person speak to him informally before deciding on the next step.

Another approach could be to identify with whom he interacts regularly in the office and determine if there are any personal issues affecting his performance. This is often the case.

I presume your focus is to resolve the situation rather than merely gather reasons for it.

Regards,
TS

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.

The problem that you stated is a very common issue. A drop in quality is the symptom; therefore, you need to identify the cause.

Reasons for Decline in Quality

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 

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.

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.

Open-Door Policy in a Small Setup

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.

Challenges with Employee Motivation

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 KRAs, 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