Mark had a history of being a problematic employee at the advertising agency. He consistently showed up late for work, missed deadlines, and had a habit of leaving early without permission. Despite numerous warnings from his boss, he refused to change his ways.
One day, Mark was called into his boss’s office for a performance review. He had been expecting it and was ready to defend his work, but what happened next caught him off guard.
As his boss began to discuss Mark’s poor performance, Mark interrupted him and began to speak rudely and insolently. He dismissed his boss’s feedback, telling him that he didn’t care about his opinion and that he was only interested in getting paid.
The boss was taken aback by Mark’s attitude and told him that this kind of behaviour was unacceptable. Mark didn’t seem to care and continued to argue with his boss, showing no remorse for his lack of effort and disrespect.
Eventually, the boss had had enough and told Mark that he was fired. Mark shrugged and walked out of the office without another word, leaving his boss to pick up the pieces of his mess.
As the weeks went by, the boss realized that letting Mark go was the right decision. The team’s productivity increased, and they were able to meet deadlines without the added stress of carrying Mark’s workload. In the end, Mark’s irresponsibility and insolence had only hurt himself, and he was left to deal with the consequences of his actions.
Now let’s examine the circumstance from a different angle:
Boss: “Hey Mark, thanks for coming in today. I wanted to talk to you about your performance at the company.”
Mark: “Sure, what do you want to know?”
Boss: “Well, as you know, we’ve had some concerns about your work lately. You’ve been missing deadlines, showing up late, and leaving early without permission. We need you to be more responsible and accountable for your work.”
Mark: “I understand your concerns, but I’ve been dealing with some personal issues that have made it difficult for me to focus on my work.”
Boss: “I understand that, but we need you to be a reliable member of the team. We can’t have you holding us back.”
Mark: “I know, and I’m sorry about that. But I still think I can turn things around and improve my performance.”
Boss: “That’s good to hear, but I need to see some concrete changes. Can you commit to meeting your deadlines and being more punctual?”
Mark: “Absolutely, I’ll do my best to improve my performance and make sure I’m meeting your expectations.”
Boss: “Great, I appreciate your willingness to work on this. Let’s touch base in two weeks and see how things are going.”
Mark: “Sounds good, thanks for giving me a chance to prove myself.”
Boss: “No problem, Mark. We want you to succeed here and we’re willing to work with you to make that happen.”
What, then, did the Boss do correctly in dealing with the employee who doesn’t work responsibly? The Boss was certainly a little challenged by it. Let’s take a more detailed look at the situation to figure out the issues.
1.The employer gave Mark a clear explanation of what was expected of him in terms of job responsibilities, established a deadline for feedback on his work, and, where necessary, offered constructive criticism.
2.In order to solve the issue, the boss also tried to determine its underlying cause.
3.In order to keep up his focus and finish his work on time, he also set goals and deadlines for Mark.
4.The Boss also expressed his support for the employee and reminded him to complete his job on time.
Dealing with problematic employees is critical to sustain a productive and efficient workplace, but it is a challenging task. By speaking openly, identifying the root cause of the problem, establishing objectives and deadlines, providing support and resources, and holding people accountable, you can help them improve their performance and contribute to the success of your organization.