Employee Skipping Duties: What Strict Actions Can We Take to Address This Issue?

Hi, we found that an employee is skipping his duties. He is a marketing executive, and whenever he is asked to meet a client, he does not respond, even though we have warned him several times. What strict action should be taken? Please help.

Regards,
Renuka

Dear Renuka, if the employees have been absent several times and you have already given them warnings, then they are habitual offenders. However, why are they not responding to your efforts to correct their behavior? What underlying reasons are prompting them to ignore your warnings? Secondly, how were the warnings given? Were they just verbal, or do you have records of written warnings?

If you have sufficient evidence of progressive discipline, then proceed with a domestic enquiry and terminate their employment. Before conducting the enquiry, you may consider giving them one final chance to improve.

For Mr. Govind Singh Negi: Absenteeism undermines the organization's culture. While you have stated your position clearly, your questions suggest a desire to connect absenteeism with performance. What if the employee's performance is excellent? Does this imply that we should overlook their misconduct for the sake of high performance? Such a trade-off is perilous as it compromises the principle of equality. Taking strict action against truant employees sends a clear message to everyone, and this unspoken message from top authorities holds significant weight.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

Addressing Employee Non-Performance

As mentioned by you, the marketing executive in your company is not responding when asked to meet the client. You can definitely take strict action against him, starting from issuing a warning letter to termination. However, I would suggest certain points to be considered before you take any action against him.

Has he been behaving like this ever since he joined your organization?

Has there been any confrontation, discussion, or counseling done for him?

Has there been any discussion around the reason for this behavior to analyze if this is a skill issue or a will issue?

My questions may not sound very important, but if he has shown good performance in the past, he can do so in the future as well. As an easy alternative, you may fire this employee and hire a new one to replace him. However, if any 'performance improvement plan' in your company can make changes to his performance, you'll convert a non-performing asset into a valuable one for your company! Moreover, it can help the retention figures of your company look good.

It's a fact that the employee in question is not performing, but the REASON is something that needs to be taken care of. Just a possibility, he might be facing personal problems, frictions with his boss or colleagues, or any other problem inside or outside the organization. This given situation should ideally lead to an investigation or diagnosis of the problem, which may bring some unknown facts to light. It could be a mean statement, but such situations are helpful for HR personnel to engage themselves in understanding the psychology of the employee, his understanding of his own work, and his views towards the employer.

Undoubtedly, the situation calls for strong action, but whatever action you take should be supported by reason. At the end of the day, it's a 'REASON' that can justify the actions taken by management or an employee to survive and progress professionally.

All have given the right guidance. I just wanted to add that training and imbibing corporate discipline in employees is the prime responsibility of HR. At the same time, employee performance review, their welfare, growth, and development assurance are also equally important. Kindly have a self-review on all aspects of HR Development and then look out for appropriate actions as per the laid-down procedures under the HR policy of the company. After all, businesses need output from their employees while employees need all the support and assurances concerning their growth and development. One thing not to be forgotten is that manpower is the basic requirement of any business, and turning this manpower into the most fruitful asset to any business lies in the hands of HR, provided the management also supports this and helps in providing all the resources needed for business development.

The case in your matter is only of an executive, and it is not much difficult to handle. If you make careful decisions, you will not go wrong. Just ensure that every action in the industry will require appropriate justification for both - management as well as the employee in question.

Thanks and regards,

Bijay

From the details given by you, his conduct amounts to insubordination and lack of interest, especially coming from a marketing executive. This has vital implications on business development and customer service and cannot be allowed to continue like this. You need to pursue two options.

1) HR Approach: If the marketing executive is otherwise a performer and has recorded a good past performance and potential, you can try once more by talking to him, ascertaining the reasons for his indifference (whether issues of compensation or commissions are the cause), counseling him, and thereafter taking remedial measures to induce positive behavior. This is suggested because it is not known whether you have exhausted this option earlier, as you mentioned you only warned him. This is not to condone indiscipline that is habitually repeated for the sake of good performance.

2) IR Approach: If he is of ordinary caliber and an average performer, yet has the audacity to disobey the instructions of the superiors, such conduct may not be conducive in this competitive, market-driven business environment, and it may warrant action on disciplinary lines beyond the stage of warning.

You need to take a call on the facts and merits of each case. Diagnose the cause and then determine the action.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

HR & labor law Advisor

Challenges in Managing Field Marketing Executives

Working in marketing, especially in the field, presents challenges that are often beyond the control of an Office Manager. Most companies focus on ensuring that their field personnel achieve their targets. These Marketing Executives (MEs) take great care to ensure that the business assigned to them is well-achieved through their regular contacts and personal touch with customers. Once this is accomplished, they may feel at liberty to do anything or not sincerely follow instructions given by office personnel.

If the office instructs them to meet a new customer, they might not be very concerned or may act according to their own wishes. They often feel that because they work under harsh conditions, such as in the hot sun or heavy rain, or endure tedious travel, the company benefits from their efforts. To some extent, this is true; however, one must adhere to instructions from headquarters or seniors and always maintain discipline in their working habits.

If a person is consistently at fault or always disobedient, action must be taken. However, management should be prepared to lose business temporarily if the concerned person decides to negatively impact the company's sales.

Regards

If your employee is skipping his duty and does not meet clients, it indicates that he is not serious or motivated about his job. If this behavior is habitual, he becomes a burden, and you may consider termination after a couple of written warnings. However, if this behavior has suddenly started, something might be wrong. He could have issues with his boss or colleagues, compensation problems, or he might have found another job. It's crucial to investigate the reasons behind his attitude.

Since you are talking about a marketing executive, he is reasonably mature to realize his roles and responsibilities and to fulfill them. You'll have to see whether it is out of callousness that he is thus acting—in which case, he must be reprimanded in the most unambiguous terms, and if his attitude of indifference continues, he must be shown the door. If it is something more deep-rooted (HR must look into the issue/s) and arrange for his meeting with a psychologist, an answer may emerge. What needs to be remembered is that often such issues emerge because of environmental, societal, and social factors, and for some reason, unknown to the employee himself/herself, fails to 'open-up' with the employer. The HR Manager/Boss must play a positive role trying to dig out the 'issue' in an empathic manner, which would lead to building a lasting and productive employee who may not be lost.

Hope this helps.

Please review his performance records for at least the last three months. Check with his manager about the daily reports he is supposed to submit. If there is a performance gap, call the employee and confront him by presenting all the records you rely on.

Give him a reprimand letter. If he continues to perform below the expected level, issue a written warning letter. If there are no improvements after the third time, consider issuing a pink slip.

Regards,
C. Manimaran
Coimbatore