Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

One of the more challenging aspects of management is the handling of employees that aren't performing up to the company's standards. It is our jobs as managers to not only deal with it but to recognize that it's there in the first place. It is this recognition that determines the starting point of the process. I can't emphasize the importance of this enough.

So once you realize that there is someone that isn't doing their job up to standards, how do you handle it best?

Here are 4 steps to take to ensure that it is taken care of:

1. This is the most tricky and important part, as an employee will usually go defensive and attempt to talk their way out of the problem with you. The strategy to use here is to quickly move to an understanding between you and the employee that the problem exists. The key is to ask questions that can only be answered with a yes or no. This interrupts the employee from getting into that discussion of talking their way out of it.

2. Look at what was the cause or causes of what went wrong.

3. Have a plan that will correct the problems in the future.

4. Don't just let things take their own course. You must follow up and check to make sure that the steps of the plan are being implemented. This can be done through any communication channel that you have at your disposal, from face-to-face meetings, phone or e-mail exchanges. If you go with the e-mail solution, have them write back to you the main point of what you interacted about to ensure that they're understanding what is happening and are learning and following through.

These are simple but very effective steps that can take a mediocre employee and help them to be a valuable resource for your company.