Staff not performing? Constantly calling in sick? These frustrations can cause business managers and owners to want to take drastic action, but there is a better way.

Staff issues can be a frustrating and time consuming part of running a business, particularly when you have so many other things to do and sort out. Check out our tips, which are focused on saving you time, money, stress, and getting the outcomes you want.

1. Deal with issues as soon as they start

We often hear that an employee hasn’t been doing their job for the past 3+ months, and managers want them out. If the issue hasn’t been dealt with to date, under employment law, it’s not that easy, nor fair.

Deal with issues as soon as they start - the issue may be resolved if you jump on it right away! If a staff member starts to show signs of not performing, then have a chat with them about it as soon as it starts. Example: “Hey Chris, I’ve noticed in the last few weeks that when you send me the weekly reports, it has a number of errors in the financials section. And I’ve had feedback from the warehouse manager that over the past couple of weeks his reports aren’t being sent on time. Can we talk about how to fix this going forward”?

2. Ask questions

Often there is a simple explanation for why things aren’t going well (systems, technology, misunderstanding of a process, lack of training, workload, personal issues etc). Ask questions to try to find out the problem, and then work with the staff member to fix it. For a performance issue you could ask questions, such as:

Why do you think this is happening?
What can I do to help you fix this?
Would you like to go over this process again?
How are you going to approach that task moving forward?

3. Follow up

After your chat, you might also like to send an email or provide a memo to the staff member outlining what you discussed, and reminding them of the expectations. Then, follow up a week or two later to see how they are tracking. The ideal situation is that they improve and you can go back to business as usual. But if there’s been no improvement, we can assist you with other options.

4. Document everything

To be able to deal with situations formally (i.e. disciplinary meetings) it’s important to have details of what you’ve done to try and fix the problem. Even a few bullet points are enough.

Note down the dates you meet, and what you discuss.
Note down the issues that arise, including dates, and details about the situation.

5. Get HR help

If you’ve had an initial chat with the staff member, and things aren’t improving, then get some specialist HR help. Involving us early can help save time, money, stress, and get the outcomes you want.

There are strict employment laws around how performance/absenteeism processes must be dealt with. Some of these processes can actually help reduce the issues you are experiencing, so you get better performing staff as a result. Not following a legally compliant process can put your business at risk of an expensive personal grievance. Want more info? Get in touch with us!

This information is general guidance only, and you should not solely rely on this information; specific advice should be sought for your situation.