The Case of the Well-Meaning Manager

Leaders are responsible for providing honest and accurate feedback along with coaching to help the person understand how to get back on track if they are underperforming. Leaders are also responsible to make sure employees are adequately trained. Make sure you look at skill-gaps as part of your background work in assessing the situation.

Progression techniques include documenting deficiencies and coaching over time. Though these processes may take longer, they are the fairest and most effective when dealing with performance issues. Progression techniques also provide facts for a successful legal defense if needed. Progression techniques include the following types of actions:

Verbal Reminder

This is verbal coaching letting the individual know they are not performing the way they should. Provide objective context and provide specific suggestions on how they can up their game. Be positive and schedule a follow-up time to meet again. Document in your notes that you held the meeting and then document the results you have observed. Frequently, a verbal reminder is adequate to move someone into higher performance.

Written Reminder

When the deficiency continues, you may want to formally provide the individual with a letter that informs them in writing that you have observed deficiencies. Provide objective examples. Provide suggestions on actions they should take. You may express in the written reminder that they could be subject to further disciplinary action, or even termination if the deficiency continues. You will want to keep a copy of this letter for your records. At this point, it is also a good time to begin to involve your HR partner.

Performance Plan or Final Reminder

If the deficiencies are not remedied by the individual, you may opt to a final written reminder in the form of a performance plan. A performance plan gives a specific timeline for when you expect the deficiency to be corrected. It also gives specific actions you expect the individual to take, which could include regular check-in meetings and status reports. A performance plan may end in termination, in reinstatement, or in an extension of the plan. You should make it clear that you have all three of those options at your disposal.

Sample Performance Plan

Sample Performance Review

Sample Termination Letter

These samples are provided to give you a starting point only and are not valid legal documents for your organization until you have consulted with HR and/or your legal team.

Be Professional and Think Ahead

When issuing a corrective behavior document or conducting a corrective coaching session make sure to be empathetic. You will also want to create plenty of time for the event. Avoid scheduling meetings right before or after the event. You never know if you’ll need more time and with these types of activities you do not want to feel pressured to leave the meeting early.

Manage the Atmosphere

Create an atmosphere where the person will be able to digest what you are saying. Is your office clean? Are you using a conference room? Will those places allow for a non-distraction meeting.

Be Direct

When dealing with performance issues be direct, be honest, be empathetic, be objective. Err on the side of kindness. When the time comes to terminate an employee, give them as much as you can in terms of benefits and severance. Too many organizations want to give the minimum – that creates a deeper wedge in the relationship and it also puts the manager and HR partner in an awkward position. Employees today may be customers, advocates, or stakeholders tomorrow.

Think about Risk

Sometimes a leader who is well-meaning may find themselves in a hostile or negative situation when delivering negative news about personal performance. This is why it is always wise to counsel with your HR partner and to roleplay the scenario. Roleplays are exceptionally useful and will help you anticipate negative situations that could escalate.

A best practice for delivering negative performance news is to make sure there is another manager or someone from security discretely located close by. You may also want to coordinate with the Information Technology department to have all of their system’s credentials turned off during your meeting. Although, there may also be a case for leaving their credentials on. That is a conscious decision you’ll need to make in advance.

Choose the Timing Wisely

When termination is inevitable, choose the time to deliver the bad news carefully. Friday afternoons are the worst time to terminate someone – they then have a long weekend where they cannot take any action to move forward in a new direction. Monday or Tuesday are the best days. Mornings or right before lunch are preferable to the end-of-the-day times. Again, when someone is terminated in the afternoon they have a long night ahead of them where they can take no real action.

Think about the Rest of the Team Too

When you terminate someone, if at all possible, arrange to have the rest of the people in the organization that work close by them to take a break or be somewhere else so the individual can collect their belongings in a dignified way.

There will be members of your team who will be glad you finally acted. There will also be members of the team who will be mortified that you delivered bad news to someone about their performance, and/or that you terminated them. Conduct a team meeting after you let someone go. Do not go into specifics. Simply explain that _[name]_ does not work here any longer. Reinforce the value of the team and your commitment to them and to the company. Ask for questions, but don’t discuss specific details of the case as this will violate confidences. While you will not be able to cover lots of detail in the meeting, your team will appreciate that you’ve held the meeting and it will increase the esprit de corps in general.