Struggling with High-Paid Employees Not Delivering? How Would You Handle This HR Dilemma?

We have a couple of employees who were recently hired on a high salary. The company is not getting any output from them. They are expected to act as mentors to other employees, but they are often found seeking help from juniors. Being in HR, I have spoken to them, and they promised to deliver the desired output. However, things are not working out. Please suggest an appropriate solution to this problem.

Regards,
Deepa

Hi Deepa,

Could you please tell me under what conditions you have hired them? Did the Annexure/appointment letter state that in case of poor performance, they can be terminated? If so, give them a warning. Even if they do not perform, you may terminate them - perhaps, on a friendly note, lay them off by issuing an experience letter and a relieving letter.

Thank you.

You should facilitate a meeting between these individuals and members of the senior management team of the company. Let them explain exactly what is expected from them.

I hope this will work. If it does not, then you can schedule a second meeting and give them an ultimatum.

Regards.

Thank you, Sari and Byomjeet, for your quick response!

The appointment letter clearly states that, on grounds of non-performance, the employee is liable to be terminated. We have already conducted a meeting with these individuals, including technical staff and HR, where we discussed areas of improvement and the company's expectations. Unfortunately, they have been unable to meet these expectations. Therefore, we are considering giving them a one-month notice and requesting their resignation.

To ensure a proactive approach, we will also have a meeting with the high-performing employees of the company to address any concerns they may have and prevent any feelings of job insecurity.

Deepa

Deepa,

Why don't you consider implementing job rotation for that employee? Transfer these employees from underperforming areas and have a meaningful conversation with them to discover their interests. They are your employees; prioritize their interests first.

Vikram.D

Hi Deepa,
I don't think terminating or laying them off is an appropriate action. Instead we should be very careful while recruiting the employees and somebody not performing well we must train them as nobody is perfect and each one of us have weakness. Also company expectations from these employees should be realistic.

Hi,

First, who are they? Are they not capable of performing the role that was assigned, or have they not understood the role? Maybe initially, somebody has to give them a step-by-step action plan for them to take on; then you can expect some initiative. If they are not actually capable of performing the role, then it was the recruiter's mistake to have taken them. In that case, you cannot punish them for the mistake they have not done; so you need to change their roles, not terminate!

S.K. Sundararajan
09282103900

Dear Deepa,

The situation you have narrated is not unique. Many companies face this at some point. This is what we call a wrong hire. Please understand, in these circumstances, it's easy for everyone to point out the folly of the people involved – that they are not producing output even though they are being paid highly.

Let me start by asking this: Who decided to bring them in with a high salary? When such a decision was made, what was the reason for selecting them – what skills did they possess that were identified as valuable to your company? After joining, has your company been able to provide them with all the support needed to make them successful? Have you all been able to make them understand what is expected of them even before joining time and if it aligns not only with their aspirations but also with their abilities and skills?

Some individuals take up roles for various reasons – some for the sake of it, others for the opportunity to add value to their profile or for a salary increase, and yet others because they genuinely believe they can accomplish the work and enjoy doing it. However, even with these motivations, success is not guaranteed. People who fail are not necessarily losers and may excel in a different work environment. One aspect you have not addressed is whether they have been exerting effort in their roles. As an experiment, placing the person in a different work area might improve their performance at times.

I have mentioned all this for the simple reason that there is only one solution for a wrong hire for all concerned parties – to gracefully release that individual as soon as possible!

Warm regards,

Sagar

Hi,

According to me, the performance of an employee is in the hands of the employer. You must help them achieve the desired output by providing training. If you need to terminate them, you should blame your recruiter for hiring them. Surely, the fear of job insecurity will arise in the minds of other good performers.

Thank you.

Regards,
C.J.W. Edwin