Employee relations can be the single hardest part of a small business owners’ job. After all, you got into business because you were passionate about a product or service, not because you wanted to babysit—so when you find an A-player, you hold on tight.
But imagine your A-player isn’t performing up to par lately…coming in late, leaving at 5:01, and no longer putting forth extra effort. In a word, they’re stale.
How do you nudge them back to top-dog status?
Schedule a one-on-one meeting
Go to an off-site location, recommends Ann Rhoades, co-founder of JetBlue Airways and author of Built on Values: Creating an Enviable Culture that Outperforms the Competition. (Check out this recent story: Employee Engagement Tips from JetBlue Co-Founder Ann Rhoades.)
“Sit down with them and say, ‘We’ve noticed that you aren’t performing at the same level lately,’ give them facts, tell them that you want to get them back to where they were, and ask them what is causing them to lose their excitement and focus in the job,” she suggests.
Personal issues may be at play here, so try to be sensitive. An employee may do well when their marriage is healthy, but lag when going through a divorce. Rhoades says this is normal and should not be confused with a bad hire. “Bad hires are people who’ve never been able to do the job right and are the wrong person, in the wrong place, at the wrong time,” she adds.
If personal issues are the problem, offer to give them help through Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). Rhoades says she recently encountered a personally-troubled worker. She offered him EAP counseling to help keep problems away from work and saw an improvement in his performance immediately, just because someone showed they cared.
But don’t be pushy and sit them down and tell them that you know what happened; it isn’t your business, she says. Instead, ask them if there is something you can do to help them get back to where they were. Of course, small business owners hate having this talk. “Managers are afraid of what they will hear, but the ones that are good at these conversations have high performers; it is the responsibility of a leader,” says Rhoades.
At the end of your one-on-one meeting, get down to business. Tell them that you need to see an improvement in their performance—the quicker the better, Rhoades advises. That way, they won’t confuse the meeting with a friendly-boss therapy session.
Jack Zenger, co-founder of Zenger Folkman, a consulting and leadership firm based in Orem, Utah, and author of The Extraordinary Leader, agrees, saying communication and candor can go a long way.
“Tell them, ‘Let me be really candid with you. We have valued what you have contributed and you have the potential of a great career here, but if things continue as they are now, that will not happen. We do not want that to happen and that is why I’m having this talk with you,” he suggests.
Ask about career goals
During the one-on-one session, ask them about their career goals and aspirations, Zenger advises.
“If they say that they like working at your company and would like to grow and expand, you have a chance at transforming them; but if they say they’d like to work somewhere else, you have a different situation on your hands,” he says.
According to Rhoades, job boredom can lead to a decrease in motivation, especially for the Millennial generation. Solution: put them in a cross-functional team. Tell them you would like them to see another part of the organization.
“Employees can get really excited and engaged when they have more responsibility and are offered a variety of roles,” she adds.
Engage
Employee engagement is the key to low turnover, Rhoades believes. “High performing organizations have engaged workers—workers that are committed to results.”
How do you know if they are engaged? She recommends paying attention to employee behaviors to see how they work and to gage their level of enthusiasm.
Here are a few stories to help you engage your team: Top 6 Rules of Employee Engagement and How to Create a Peak Performance Team.
Give them a stretch goal
Lofty (but attainable) goals can inspire even the most lackluster employee, Zenger says. He recommends announcing a goal for the company (i.e. a 25 percent increase over the next month, a product launch sooner than planned, etc.), then telling the employee what they need to do to help make it happen.
“That is very motivational; if you have everyone going for the same goal, you bring out the best in each employee and there is a good chance that they can transform,” he says.