Fire 'em up - motivating unproductive employees

Entrepreneur, March, 1996 by Robert McGarvey

Motivating unproductive workers

DAY IN, day out, the work gets done--but what if it doesn't? What if suddenly an employee just stops performing?

"That's the classic personnel question," says Alan Weiss, an East Greenwich, Rhode Island, human resources consultant. And, he adds, it's a question most bosses hate dealing with because "few know how to."

Mind you, this isn't a question that arises with a new hire. If that worker hits an early stumbling block, termination is probably the best solution. But where bosses lose many nights of sleep is when a once-dependable employee sud- denly stops cutting it. Is termination the wise decision here, too?

Not so fast, urges Dennis LaMountain, a Richmond, Virginia, human resources expert who does considerable consulting with "problem employees" at major cor- porations. These workers aren't doing the job, but many have been on board for years, and in lieu of termination, these mammoth companies call for help from LaMountain. "Often there are much better options than termination," he says.

Kindness isn't the only motivation here. A worker with time on the job represents an investment--you've put money into training him or her. Plus, the worker may get severance pay, the costs of hiring (running ads, taking time to interview) quickly mount, and any replacement will need on-the-job training to learn his or her way around, meaning more of your dollars get spent without meaningful productivity in return. So the smartest management technique is seeking to salvage a once-reliable worker.

Pinpointing Problems

The textbook move when faced with such an employee is to first decide if this is an issue of inadequate skills--the person cannot do the job--or an attitude problem, where the person could do it, but won't. "The beginning point is simple," says Weiss. "Could he do it if his life depended on it? If not, this is a skills issue. If the answer is yes, then you're dealing with an attitude problem. Those are very different issues."

Of course, you shouldn't put the life-or-death question directly to the worker, but think about what his or her answer might be--and think hard. "Don't jump to conclusions," warns Weiss. "Most companies dump training on employees with attitude problems and tell employees who are slow because of skills issues that they have bad attitudes. Either way, these businesses are wasting money."

For starters, though, consider a still more difficult question: Have you been clear about what you want from this worker? "Workers often don't know what they are supposed to do. That's the most common reason for nonperformance," says Ferdinand Fournies, author of Why Employees Don't Do What They Are Sup- posed to Do and What to Do About It (Tab Books) and a Bridgewater, New Jersey, consultant who surveyed thousands of workers before coming to this conclusion.

LaMountain agrees. "Many times, the chief problem I find is the employee simply doesn't know what the boss wants," he says. "Entrepreneurs may have a clear idea in their own heads but are too busy to explain it to the worker in terms he understands. It's hard for most bosses to face that they themselves are part of the problem."

The next step, then, is to talk to the employee. "Ask, 'Are you aware there's a gap between what I want and what you're doing?' The only way you will know what's going on in this worker's head is to get words coming out of his mouth," says LaMountain. Perhaps the worker didn't even know there was a problem--in that case, awareness alone may effect the cure.

What if the worker recognizes there's a gap between what you want and the per- formance he or she is delivering? Explore the "why" with the employee--and don't expect easy answers. "Too many bosses," LaMountain cautions, "want simple, black-and-white answers to what usually are complex problems."

Training Time

Isn't a bad attitude always at the root when a once-productive worker stops doing good work? That's a prejudice shared by many bosses who just cannot believe there could be any other cause. But face it: Technology is changing the way virtually all work gets done and, increasingly, employees honestly need coaching to do today's more sophisticated jobs.

"Training isn't a luxury today; for most companies it is a necessity," says Cal Wick, a Wilmington, Delaware, business consultant and author of The Learn- ing Edge (McGraw Hill).

But won't a veteran worker resist training? "Workers generally react very favorably to anything that helps them to do their jobs better. For the boss, the key is to prescribe training but preserve the worker's self-esteem, too," says Weiss. That means don't treat this worker like a dummy who needs cod- dling.

You'd never say that? Of course not, but "many managers communicate it anyway," says Weiss. Watch your tone of voice and facial expressions when telling workers they need a class, coaching by a peer or whatever training you prescribe.

What if, after training, the worker still doesn't get it? "Move him to a dif- ferent job that is more commensurate with his skills. If there is no such job, you'll have to let him go," says Weiss. "If you don't, it hurts the motivation of those who can do the job."