Performance Problems and Termination

The skills it takes to deal with performance issues and termination are among what are called the "soft skills", really?! How ironic! In twenty-five years of working, both inside organizations or doing HR or leadership consulting, the above-mentioned tasks have certainly surfaced as the most difficult/hard for most executives and supervisors. Even if a leader dose not view these tasks as difficult they may, nonetheless, be performing them in a manner that is not conducive to the best possible outcome and benefit to the organization, him or herself, or the person being targeted.

Barbara Bannon is owner and principle consultant of Human Resource Investments (HRI) a consulting firm specializing in human resource management and organization development with emphasis on mediation and managing conflict. Her corporate career ranged from small privately owned companies to large utilities and ended in a Fortune 100 company as Manager of Employee Relation for the corporate headquarters, with 900 employees, and head of training and development system wide for 6000 employees. She left the corporate world to do independent consulting in 1989 and since has consulted with, and coached, thousands of organizations and individuals in a variety of industries.

A few of the things that stand out, to me, as fundamental with regard to performance problems and the need for termination are:

1. Selection: if there is a critical lack of skill that is keeping an employee from performing a job, the first thing one must ask is; does or did this person have the critical skill sets to do the job in the first place? If not, are these the kinds of skills that could be easily or economically developed on the job? If not, why did I make this hiring choice?

2. Remediation: Assuming that this employee has the skill/s to do the job you, or someone else, choose them to do, how are you going to get them back on track? The complexity and finesse of this process is much greater than it seems, I suppose that is why so few people do it well. It certainly is not a magical process but it is one that contributes greatly to establishing an environment that is conducive to loyalty, trust, motivation, and productivity, so it is well worth taking the time and making the effort to understand.

If I know this employee has been capable of demonstrating the skills needed in the past, my role as the leader/coach is to get that person back on track. I do this through helping to problem solve with the individual. It starts with bringing the issue to their attention by clearly, and specifically, stating: "This is what I see" (actual behavior or action) and "This is what I need to see" (ideal behavior or action). Then ask: "What are you going to do differently to move from actual to ideal?" Then wait for their response. If the response is vague or general like: "I’ll try harder to …….", you must help them be specific by stating: "I’m sure you will try harder but what exactly will you do differently?"

Pitfalls: 1) Speaking in generalities is one of the pitfalls of performance problem solving for both the target and the leader/coach. Moving away from the habit of speaking in generalities is not easy and it takes practice. 2) Thinking of confronting performance issues as punishment versus, what it really is, getting people back on track. As a leader your job is not to punish, it is to help people be as productive as they can be. So when you move from punishment thinking to helping, both you and the employee will feel better about the encounter and the results can be exceptional for the relationship and the organization. No one at any age responds well to punishment and in the workplace what it can lead to is resentment, anger and retaliation. 3) Thinking in terms of being tough versus assertive and respectful. It’s unfortunate that many people in leadership positions don’t understand the difference between aggressive/abusive behavior versus assertive/respectful behavior because the outcome for the individuals and the organization are by far more functional when people choose an assertive approach, more problems get solved, more work gets done with less cost in morale and productivity.

Of course it takes more skill, self awareness (a high EQ) to be assertive but the outcome from problem solving, an adult to adult approach, puts the ownership for solving the problem on the employee, where it belongs, which leads to more high functioning employees, and leaders with less employee interventions to do and better overall results.

Some times, for a variety of reasons, it may be necessary to terminate an employment relationship. This is probably, and should be, one of the most difficult things a leader has to do. I won’t go through all the steps of a progressive process, but suffice it to say that anyone in a leadership position should have training in using a progressive discipline process since that process is the most sound and effective process available.

In my opinion the hallmark of a healthy and effective approach to terminating an employment relationship is to "maintain the dignity" of the person who is being terminated, as well as your own. I can’t think of too many life events that are more distressing and destabilizing than being terminated from a job. Your social status is affected on a variety of levels including: financial, emotional, and relationship. There is never a good reason to put your own dignity in question by destroying that of the other person. The situation is a painful one for everyone involved but mostly for the person being terminated.

The reason I mentioned the dignity issue is because, fortunately and early in my career, that is how I learned to train people in leadership positions to confront or terminate an employment relationship. I have seen first hand over many years, and through research, the results of doing this, with and without dignity and respect, and the former works by far better. Particularly in regards to maintaining individual and organizational reputation, as well as the effects on loyalty and productivity, to say nothing of just showing respect and concern for another human being.

During this early time I was doing a workshop on supervision for non-supervisors, people who were being targeted as potential supervisors. Yes we were really preparing people in advance for these positions, and I hope there are still companies that take the time to do this today because there is nothing worse for the overall effectiveness of the organization than to have employees suffer at the hands of a poorly prepared supervisor. Additionally, there is nothing more destructive to the supervisor than to be put in a position without the preparation they need to have a positive impact on the people they supervise.

During the workshop when I mentioned, and we practiced, this approach for termination, one of the participants asked: "why should we worry about their dignity?" Indeed, why should we concern ourselves with treating each other in a respectful and caring manner, you decide!