Avoid having difficult conversations with problem employees.
You’ve probably been there before, knowing that a difficult conversation needs to be held but dreading the actual moment of confrontation when they take place. They happen in business for all sorts of reasons – poor performance, missing targets, lack of capability or even bad attitude. As the boss it falls on you to address it or face on-going problems with that employee.
But are these conversations the only way to deal the problems? The simple answer is no!
As the good guy in the old Westerns used to say, “Let’s head ‘em off at the pass!”
So what does that mean in practice? Well no dynamic new-fangled approach, just common sense forward planning. By avoiding the causes of the problem in the first place you tend to avoid the problem itself.
The best way to do this is consider how you can avoid bringing in the ‘wrong’ employee in the first place. Using good recruitment practices should mean that you get the right person for the job, rather than someone who is going to cause you headaches.
The key thing here is to think really carefully about your requirements. Ask yourself what does the business need? Undertake a full review, listing all of the tasks that this new role will need to do.
From this list you should then be able to identify the skills, experiences, characteristics and personal traits needed. In HR-speak we call this a Person Specification. It lays out these requirements and then divides them into those that are Essential and those that are Desirable.
From that point you can base all recruitment on this Person Specification document – the advert, shortlisting, interview and selection decisions become far more objective and avoid the problem of offering someone a job just because they seem ‘nice’!
Bring in the right person who has what they need to do the job properly and you should avoid the need for difficult conversations.
If you want a free copy of a Person Specification template, then just contact us or give me a call on 07841 068 727.
If you need extra support to bring in new staff then Lumine offer low-cost recruitment services that save you time and money.