One of the biggest challenges to running a small business is employee management. If some of your employees are not performing up to your expectations, or their potential, here’s what to do.
Motivating Under-Performing Employees
Make priorities and policies very clear without resorting to micro-management. Try these tips:
- For the consistently late or absent employee: Make sure expectations are clear for work hours and sick days or PTO (paid time off). As with any other employee deficiency, be sure to document all violations of your attendance policy, so that you have support for decisions to discipline or fire the individual. (This also helps ensure fairness to all employees.) If the employee is valuable, consider allowing alternate arrangements, such as allowing remote work from home, video meetings or non-traditional work hours, as long as productivity remains high.
- For the employee that always has excuses: Being accountable for your work quality, productivity and timeliness is crucial in any industry. Document excuses given so that you’re aware if the same relative passes away twice, and so that you can give proper warnings. Establish and explain consequences for continued lateness, inaccurate work, etc., and take action if needed.
- For poor time management: If a staff member consistently wastes time at work, then starts projects immediately before they’re due, they can bring your business down (and sink office morale). It’s likely that their work is typically late and its quality won’t be the best since they’re rushing at the last minute. Be very clear about priorities and deadlines, putting these in writing if possible. This way, your employee knows what s/he should be working on at all times. You may decide to fire the individual for poor performance or disrupting the team.
- For office drama creators: Gossips and even bullies are common in many workplaces. Don’t let your office end up this way. Foster teamwork among the whole group of employees. Try bonding or team-building activities inside or outside work, such as sports or another activity all can agree upon. This helps build an all-for-one attitude, with employees learning to depend upon and respect each other. Try to praise, reward and discipline all employees equally, so that no one is incentivized to throw co-workers “under the bus” or sabotage them.
- For shirking work duties: If your employee is pushing work off onto others, or causing others to pick up the slack, they’re a drag on your business. Be clear that assignments are to be completed personally, without delegating (especially if that person has no supervisory role). Â
When you need funding for business management, training programs or growth, contact the team at Rotay Capital Finance.
