Employee has the knowledge and experience but not performing - How would you handle this situation?

An employee has the knowledge and experience, knows the processes and systems very well. However, the employee is not performing, making mistakes that are avoidable. When feedback is given on the performance, the employee accepts the mistakes, is aware of the impact on the project the mistakes cause but does not work to improve the mistakes and performance.

We tried everything, counseling, talking to the employee to find out if there are personal and/or other factors that are resulting in nonperformance at work. The employee is very cheerful and gets along very well with the team. Very chatty and talks a mile a minute at every given opportunity. Also tends to waste time which should have been used effectively to meet project deadlines. Socially very active, but when it comes to work, the employee does not seem to take project deadlines, accuracy of tasks, and releases very seriously.

The Project Lead is extremely frustrated and wants to chuck the resource out of his team. That would be the last step. I am refraining from taking such an action because the employee is very committed, has knowledge, experience but what the employee lacks is focusing.

Friends, I would welcome your suggestions to handle this particular employee.

Hi Ms. Richa,

First of all, thank you for sharing such a situation in this forum.

Quite possibly, I may be wrong, but what I have experienced many times is that if a person, say, has the character of your mentioned employee, people don't take him seriously. I still remember when Cricketer Ajay Jadeja used to play, he used to enjoy the game. However, people watching him on television would say that he doesn't play seriously and he's just passing the time. They would suggest that any other good player could have been accommodated. Even when he scores 40 odd runs during the slog overs, people say that he just threw his bat and it happened to go to the boundaries, etc.

Due to this type of attitude from people, the person often doesn't feel motivated to perform, even though he has the capabilities, because he would never be appreciated or rewarded for it.

To my understanding, this employee is well versed in competence (Knowledge + Skill) but he is lacking in competency (behavior). Attitude towards the job is more important than experience and knowledge to perform, where in this case he has been provided with chances to change which has never happened.

The ultimate goal of any job is perfection rather than completion. Both skill and knowledge can be trained to meet expectations, but an individual's behavior is a fundamental trait that is challenging to change (Nothing is impossible).

Let's address some questions:

1. Why did the company recruit the employee for that specific position?
2. How is his performance and attitude towards company's future?
3. Why does the company need him?

If the organization is still interested in the individual, then this can be addressed through special measures, and groundwork needs to be laid:

1. His personal life and behavior
2. An inquiry with his peers and colleagues on his work attitude
3. Identifying his areas of improvement and reasons for shortcomings
4. Whether his expectations towards the company have been met
5. Relationship between him and his immediate boss and peers
6. Whether his behavior aligns with his boss's expectations

When we seek answers to some of the above questions, more queries are likely to emerge, forming a chain of assessment.

I am not an expert in this profession, but I just analyzed this case from an employee's perspective rather than an HR standpoint.

Cheers,

Hari

Hi,

I think the company should try to analyze his behavior. Is the person always like that, or is it just a recent occurrence of neglecting work? When he is accepting his mistake, what is the reason behind not improving the same? What is he expecting from the company, his colleagues, his immediate boss, or higher authority? There may be a personal issue that he is not sharing.

He has a behavioral problem. I think he should be given a chance but also warned or possibly suspended for some days, which will make him be more careful towards his job.

Hi,

In this case, the agents need proper motivation. According to my experience, agents can be motivated in 3 ways:

First - Money, money, money.
Second - stick. We can call it carrot and stick policy. However, what works more is emotional motivation by their immediate superior. If all three don't work, the last resort is to hurt the ego of the person, and the extent has to be decided by the discretion of their superior who knows them well. If they don't improve, then it's time to show them the door.

All I can say is there is no appreciation for the work from his immediate manager, which results in a lack of interest due to no recognition for any work done by him.

Hello,

I assume, based on the characteristics you stated about the employee, that he is a very active person. Basically, this kind of person is intelligent and an expert in their work, but they are always associated with one common negative point, which is a lack of concentration. These individuals are aware of their mistakes but are unable to rectify them because they understand the mistake but cannot recognize it when they repeat it.

The best way to help the employee perform at his best would be by assisting him not only in understanding his mistakes but also in recognizing them when he repeats them. Additionally, providing guidance on how to overcome these challenges would be beneficial.

This is not a mental illness or anything of that sort but rather a different pattern of thinking, understanding, or perceiving things. This behavior is found in people sometimes from childhood, gradually disappearing as they grow up. However, some individuals develop this pattern of thinking at a later stage in life due to various reasons.

Thank you,
Octavious

The employee in 'question' needs to be analyzed on certain issues.

1. How long has he been working for the organization?

2. Is his behavior a recent change? If so, is it the latest performance appraisal, change in management, promotion of peers, etc., causing it?

3. How are his relations with his immediate supervisors/team leaders?

4. Is there an open communication system in the organization?

Given that all seems fair and the organization is not to be blamed for it, then there are other aspects to consider:

a. The employee may be demotivated with the reward-based system of the company on reaching project deadlines.

b. Job security may be an issue. The employee is 'too secure' with his job and has taken it for granted that knowledge is enough to keep one's job secure.

The organization may consider implementing the following:

1. Reconsider and if necessary, revise the reward-based system. This may not only motivate the employee in question but may also awaken other potential employees.

2. Introduce and conduct Stay Interviews where motivation, career goals, and improvement areas of the employees are recorded as stated by the employees themselves.

3. If nothing else works, let the employee be warned that he may lose his precious job if the next deadline is not met. A higher-ranking official in the organization would be more effective in communicating this message than his immediate supervisor. Set a deadline... it may work.

Thanks and regards,

Nina

In this case, you should arrange a one-to-one connection with the employee to ask him about the root cause that led to his failure to meet the deadline. For the company, employee behavior at work is of utmost priority as it directly impacts performance. It is important for him to be aware of this. Therefore, assigning him a task with clear performance criteria will allow for an evaluation of his behavior. This can also serve as a final opportunity for him to demonstrate his commitment to the company. If you hesitate to address this issue decisively, you run the risk of damaging team spirit and hindering project progress.

Hoping this advice will be of help to you.

Well,

From your paragraph, it is assumed that the employee has excellent knowledge of processes and systems and was performing well; however, recently, their performance has declined, and they are making mistakes. This was accepted by the employee too. Now, you are thinking about what has happened to the employee to reduce their performance and why they are making mistakes.

Your counseling may not work because if the employee is facing personal problems affecting their work, they may not share the real reason with you. As HR, you are neither their mother, wife, sister, nor any relative. It is better to keep your counseling brief to avoid aggravating the situation further. Give the employee some time and space to observe; if the problem resolves on its own, that's good. Don't push for the root cause immediately as it may create a negative image.

The employee might be intentionally underperforming to be relieved from the job sooner or might be facing serious personal issues they cannot share with an outsider like you. You may need to conduct several trial and error approaches to determine the root cause for a better understanding of how to proceed.

Remember, only you can directly interact with the employee; others can only provide advice. Be cautious not to act solely based on advice from others, as it could harm an employee's career. Make decisions carefully.

Dear Ms. Richa,

From your account, I find that you have done all that was necessary as a supportive action from HR to help an employee improve, but in vain. Despite your earnest counseling, the employee continues to be a non-performer, makes avoidable mistakes (careless disposition), and tends to waste time. He is definitely not committed.

If I were in such a predicament, I would have given the employee a final time-bound warning to improve or face termination. Perhaps this may help him realize the gravity of the situation and awaken him from his slumber. An occasional dip in performance is natural and acceptable, but then one is expected to take the performance feedback seriously and improve. After all, good or acceptable on-the-job performance is the basic contract that an employee has with his company; otherwise, he loses his right to remain in employment.

Regards,
Mohan

Hi,

I'll suggest one thing: whatever information you have provided about the employee does not necessarily mean that he or she is not serious about their work. However, I may be wrong because I have witnessed a case where an employee was not performing adequately in the office. She would spend her time idly, causing inconvenience to others. Despite HR addressing the issue with her and receiving complaints from others, she showed no interest in her work and eventually resigned. It is not difficult to assess whether a person is genuinely committed to their work. The first step is to help them understand that their behavior is creating a negative impression, not just among colleagues but also with the management. Explain the potential consequences of their actions on their performance evaluation and salary increment. By highlighting these repercussions, individuals are more likely to reconsider their behavior. If they persist, HR can decide whether coaching, counseling, or issuing a verbal warning is necessary.

Thank you.

To my understanding, this employee is well-versed in competence (Knowledge + Skill) but he is lacking in competency (behavior). Attitude towards the job is more important than experience and knowledge to perform, where in this case, he has been provided with chances to change which has never happened.

The ultimate goal of any job is perfection rather than completion. Both skill and knowledge can be trained to the level of expectation, but the behavior of any individual is a birth sign which is hard to change (Nothing is impossible).

Let's address some questions:

1. Why did the company recruit the employee for that specific position?
2. Performance & Attitude towards company's future?
3. Why does the company need him?

If the organization is still interested in the individual, then this can be taken under special consideration, and some groundwork has to be put in place:

1. His personal life and behavior
2. An inquiry with his peers, colleagues on his work attitude
3. Where he is lacking and why?
4. Whether all his expectations towards the company have been fulfilled?
5. Relationship between his immediate boss and peers?
6. Whether his behavior suits his boss?

When we come to find answers to some of the above, surely many more questions will be raised as a chain to the existing.

I am not an expert in this profession, but I just tried this case as an employee rather than HR!!!

Akhil Saxena
9999640178

Hi,

Have a good day. I hope your case is normal, which exists in many organizations. Though he may be a professional in his field of knowledge, the reality could be just controversy. There could be many reasons behind this, like:

1. Compensation (just have a look at his present package compared to a similar person in a similar kind of industry).
2. Relationship with immediate supervisor (analyze the relationship between him and his immediate boss).
3. To know about his future career objectives in his life and to assess whether the guy has an interest in doing his job.
4. If he is interested in his job, then go for some sort of training and development activities.
5. Finally, have a look at his personal life, family, and all.

Regards, RK

Dear friend,

Based on the facts provided by you, here is my view:

1. Inquire with him in depth to understand if he is facing any personal problems that may be affecting his work performance.

2. Since you mentioned that he is talkative, consider relocating him to a more isolated work area to see if this helps improve his focus and productivity.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you. Let me know if you need any further assistance.

I agree with the excellent response from Nina. I would add that you could use a rigorous employee performance diagnostic tool like the one at http://www.businessperform.com/html/...rformance.html to determine where the problem lies.

The workplace performance factors I summarize at http://www.businessperform.com/html/...vironment.html also outline areas to probe in the employee’s immediate workplace environment.

When the root cause of the problem appears to be a poor match between the employee and the job, then you will need to start the escalation process to remove the person from the job. Not doing this will only serve as a bad example to the rest of the team and you will see a diminishing of morale over time.

Les Allan

Author: From Training to Enhanced Workplace Performance

www.businessperform.com

Dear Richa,

I have gone through your problem concerning that person who is not performing to the set standards, despite receiving feedback and acknowledgment. Drawing from my personal experiences, the best way to handle this situation is through a package developed by me - "Building Relationship with NLP." I have successfully trained many individuals to understand their actions and behaviors, providing them with a lens through which they can perceive and react based on their reactions to various situations.

Please respond to enrich.consultants@gmail.com to further discuss this opportunity.

Thank you,
Vijay Bhasker
080-23468523

Hello,

Please check the following as well:

- How interesting is the job to the employee?
- Study his behavior in and out of work.
- Review his salary and establish the differences as compared to his colleagues.
- How are the supervisors treating him?
- Analyze the employee, his job, and his surroundings.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Richa:

Good one to discuss. The very first thing you need to see in him is his attitude towards the work and behavior with the peers, boss, etc. One would be perfect in his technical skills, but it is rather most important to have the behavior and attitude as well. To my knowledge, I have not shortlisted the guys who are strong in technical, but they have attitude, and their behavior is not up to the mark. It's just because when you are giving your 100%, there you find the commitment and attitude involved in it.

I think that he would be thinking that he is smart enough and a genius in what he is specialized in (one point). He has not been recognized for what he has given to the organization (second point). Try and see to find out what must be the reason from him or his colleagues, peers - mingle with him, talk to him personally, and see how he is talking. I am sure if he has something to talk to you, for sure he would come out. Welcoming others views.

Thanks,
- Mirza

Hi Richa,
We faced the same situation in our organization. We came up with weekly timesheets containing the daily input by the employees and confirmation from their managers regarding the effort put in. When these types of employees have to be disciplined, we need to show them a mirror of what they are doing. When they pen down on a daily basis their contribution, they think back. It has worked out for us. You can also probably try.
Smitaa

Dear Friend,

What I came to know after going through the given incident of your organization is that generally, experienced and intellectual employees tend to behave like this. To counter this problem, counseling is the best way. First, you have to observe how this particular fellow is doing on the job. Whether the management has made him aware of the policies and procedures of the company? Whether you have any scheme to recognize the sincere and hardworking employee? If so, has any employee been ignored in receiving special increments or promotions? Has the company given such increments or promotions to any undeserving employees? Has the employee in question been ignored while his juniors were promoted?

If the company policies and procedures are good, generally, these types of problems may not arise. For every problem, there is a solution. In such a case, the only thing we can do is select the right approach to tackle the present situation.

If you say that there is no fault in the management policy, then the problem lies with his immediate boss. He might have some personal bias and be showing discriminatory attitudes among his subordinates, which may hurt the sentiments of the employee in question.

Even if his boss is good and there is no fault with him in this case, then you have to provide counseling to the concerned employee and determine whether he has any problems either at the workplace or at his residence. In some cases, the domestic problems of the employee also influence his performance on the job.

Being an HR professional, we should have the capacity to analyze the problems of the individual at his workplace and at his residence.

Without having any of the above problems, if the concerned employee is deliberately behaving in a way to cause financial or other problems, then we need not tolerate this type of behavior, and disciplinary proceedings should be initiated against him to correct it. If he does not change his behavior, then we have to take steps to remove him from the services by following the due procedure of issuing advice letters, charge sheets, holding inquiries, final show-cause notices, and dismissal orders, etc.

I think for the given problem, my suggestion may not be 100% correct because one cannot say without knowing the facts about what is going on in his workplace exactly and what internal and external factors are influencing the working conditions of the workers. Whether political games are being played by his superiors to meet their personal reasons, etc.

Venkateswararao

Hyderabad

1. Give that fellow the LEAD ROLE in said project. (At least show that.)
2. Manage to take a PUBLIC commitment from him about goals and how he will reach them. (It's from the aspiration theory - individual psychology.)
3. Display in public daily/weekly progress of the project.
4. Try management by objectives for him.
5. Think of awards and recognition.

Well, Richa,

Firstly, I see a lot of valuable comments and suggestions here, and many of them are very useful.

But I would like to approach it in terms of an employer engagement issue rather than an employee issue. Let me clarify the above statement.

Let us consider the established points:

A) The employee is up to date in terms of systems and procedures.

B) The employee is receptive (at least outwardly) to discussions.

C) The employee is committed.

D) Socially active.

Now that these are established, let us ask a few key questions:

a) Is the employee committed to his work (personal goals) or the company culture? Herein could lie one of the answers. What are his/her personal goals in life? Are they really in alignment with company goals? If not, then how can they be aligned?

b) Does the employee understand his/her performance goals (not of the team as a whole) and the consequences of not achieving these goals?

c) Thirdly, "comfort zones" - has the employee created a comfort zone both socially and work-wise, which is giving him/her a false sense of security? Comfort zones are created based on past performance or a false sense of security in teams, which arises from social activeness as you have mentioned. It takes on an atmosphere akin to the army where individuality is not the key but rather teamwork is overly emphasized.

d) Hence the last question. As a company/work division, do you emphasize individuality in team performances? When I say that, are individuals recognized, and are there means for redressal and recognition of high-performing individuals to be recognized other than the references of their immediate supervisor or line manager?

e) Elaborating on the point above, the proverbial question of "boredom." Is the individual a high performer who currently feels that he is better than the team lead? Is he really better? And if he is, then would it be viable to redeploy assets, keeping in mind the current project commitments?

I hope this is helpful, as I have also faced such situations which sometimes seem totally mysterious.

P.S.: I would suggest semi-formal meetings with members in the individual's social circle to see if he/she has mentioned notions of being better than the current team lead.

Regards,
phrca

The proof of the pudding is in eating it. The employee may have all the virtues, but is failing to perform. In such important positions, you just can't depend on 'trial and error' method. You have to act fast and see that things are not allowed to drift.

Have a plain talk with the individual and point out all the shortcomings. Get feedback from him and examine if any corrective action is to be taken from the management side. Once the goals are set, let the employee know your expectations, and also the implications should he fail to perform. Depending upon the outcome, take action.

Remember, other employees are also watching you. Don't allow lethargy to creep in. As managers, our job is to make the employees competitive, and not comfortable.

Cyril

Dear Richa,

Thanks for bringing up this situation in the forum. Perhaps there are a few reasons why he is making mistakes despite possessing all the necessary job skills and experience. He might be taking the job for granted as he has everything (skills + experience) and may be giving less importance to the tasks assigned. Perhaps he is looking for a more challenging position, needs a change, or some rest. Sometimes it becomes critical when involved with co-workers in unnecessary chit-chat, or he might be demotivated due to an appraisal result that did not meet his expectations.

I think here we can apply the strategy of "GO SLOW"; he might feel deprived of deserving rewards or recognition, which could be why he is not meeting deadlines. You could invite him for dinner and have a very casual and informal discussion about the issues he is facing or try some other tactics.

I support the suggestions given by Nina and other staff members. Please build his confidence and address the issue openly.

Cheers,
Hassan

Your evaluation must be focused on the following areas:

1) What were the inputs given to the person and against what defects?
2) Was proper counseling provided for the given defect?
3) Who evaluated the defect and counseling process?
4) Was HR given the power to make modifications to behavior, or was it an ad hoc attempt? In other words, would HR intervention have mattered to the company?
5) Were all inputs from all authorities in the same direction, or were they confusing? An organization with cross-purposes within can send out very different messages.
6) What was the actual intention of the defect rectification process? 90% of what is conveyed is based on our intention - words don't just mean what they mean anymore!
7) Who is tracking the counseling process and change in behavior and under what parameters?
8) What are the business requirements? Have you communicated those to the person concerned? A change of behavior can mean improved business. If he buys this theory, does he believe it?
9) The perception and attitude of a person are also governed by the environment he/she is in. Who can change his perception?

Saikiran

Hey, I doubt if you would be going through all the replies yet here's my opinion...

This guy seems to be a careless employee. More often than not, we find such talents being wasted. "Lato ke bhoot bato se nahi mante." I don't expect you to kick him though... ;)

Along with your tech lead, you need to assign timelines and benchmarks. Allow him 3 chances to improve. If he does not, you'd better chuck him. He seems to be someone with exceptional PR skills; hence, he has built a good rapport.

Dear Richa,

I believe the best approach to address this situation is to issue him a warning letter based on the mistakes he has made on the job. By doing so, he will understand that he needs to change his attitude, setting an example for other employees within the organization.