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Most managers would
rather immerse their hand in boiling water than give an employee
feedback about poor performance. Yet most managers will comfortably
discuss those issues with a sympathetic ear, either an HR contact, a
peer manager or even someone at home. What is clearly uncomfortable
for the manager is having a direct conversation with the employee
who has the performance issue. Often managers ultimately become so
frustrated with the employee’s performance they seek HR support to
begin the process of terminating the employee. Upon questioning the
manager and reviewing the personnel file, HR will often find that
the employee in question was never provided any information
regarding the seriousness of their performance deficiencies. The
manager may admit they have not raised the issue with the employee
or at best hinted at the issue in the past. In other words, the
employee has no idea they are in danger of losing their job.
The traditional
method in which managers provide performance feedback to employees
is often the ultimate cause for why feedback is not always
provided. Most managers believe they need to create a bullet-proof
case revolving around a list of the employee’s shortcomings. This
approach usually results in a defensive reaction from the employee
which makes it difficult to gain agreement on what needs to change.
Once a manager has been through this process once or twice it
becomes easier just to avoid addressing employee performance issues
altogether. Let’s just say there is no real mystery for why
managers tend to steer clear of giving feedback about poor
performance!
The good news is
that managers are able to recognize and describe performance
problems, but that usually means using language that feels like
discipline. Sometimes we refer to this as constructive criticism.
However this approach still feels like criticism. A better,
more productive approach is to use positive words that describe the
desired performance rather than off-putting words that describe the
current underperformance. For example, if the employee lacks
finesse when dealing with fellow employees and behaves like a “bull
in a china shop” the manager would ask for the employee to develop a more polished and professional style. When an
employee makes frequent mistakes the manager would talk in terms of
developing more accuracy. For the employee who chronically
complains that everything is a problem the manager might ask the
employee to develop a problem solving approach. As these
behavioral descriptions are broad it is important to further explain
what the manager is looking for by providing specific positive
examples of what they mean by a “more polished and professional
approach”, “more accuracy” or a “problem solving approach”. Again,
these examples should demonstrate positive behavior examples.
Lastly, it is
useful to explain to the employee the benefit of developing the
performance area. The manager must simply ask themselves, ‘Why do I
want the employee to make this change?” In the case of the employee
who makes frequent mistakes the manager may reason that in the
finance environment accuracy is essential, therefore the month end
reports must represent complete and correct data.
This approach makes
it easier for managers to address performance issues by talking in
terms of the “desired performance” versus the “undesired
performance’. It also specifically describes to the employee what
the manager expects in terms of performance. Because it by-passes
the negative descriptions and resulting negative reaction the
employee is more likely to respond positively to the feedback. A
simple rule of thumb is to provide the employee with the opportunity
to receive the feedback and make progress on the issue. Only when
it is clear that the employee is unwilling or unable to make
progress should more extreme measures be used such as disciplinary
actions or documented performance plans.
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