One bad employee can do a lot of damage to your business and your brand as a whole. A poorly performing employee will likely earn your business bad reviews which is ultimately going to translate into lost sales for your company. However, is it as simple as just letting an employee go and replacing them with a better one? Not usually no and the reason for this is employee churn.
High levels of employee churn can cost your business a fortune. Refreshing your team can seem like a great idea but not if it’s going to add to the costs that you are already struggling to sustain in your business model. So, how should you handle a team member that is not performing to the right standard? Here are some key pieces of advice that you must keep in mind.
How Can You Keep A Poor Employee?
If an employee isn’t performing well and you want to avoid increasing your churn, then you need to help them improve. There are a few ways that you can do this. For instance, you might want to think about investing in training for your team member. Training will pay off in the long term and usually help you avoid needing to micromanage certain employees. It can also empower them to perform at the level that you need and deliver a fantastic service to customers and clients.
If training doesn’t work then you have to consider that there might be something else going on that is impacting their level of service. For instance, it’s possible that they are dealing with emotional issues that are affecting their quality of work. Be aware that as an employer you are responsible for offering the right support here. You need to make sure that your team members are happy at work.
It’s possible that they are overly stressed in their position. If so, rather than letting them go, you should think about looking at how you can help them manage their stress more effectively. This might include reducing their duties until the situation improves.
What If You Do Need To Let Them Go?
If you still need to let them go and you’re down to your last resort because they are not improving, it’s important to handle this the right way. The danger here is that an employee could accuse you of wrongful termination. This can lead to a long and expensive lawsuit that could also damage your business reputation. If you are worried about the issue of wrongful termination, then make sure that you consult with HR first. If you are accused of this, then you will need the support of an employer defense attorney.
We hope this helps you understand some of the right steps that you should take if an employee in your business is not performing at the right level. If you explore the key options here, then you should be able to take this as an opportunity to strengthen your business while also avoiding the heavy costs of replacing a team member.
Leave a Reply