Dear Kathleen

Human Resource Insights from Kathleen Weiss

Dear Kathleen


Q – How do we help our managers provide performance guidance without destroying the moral of the employee?

A – Negative feedback is difficult for anyone to receive, especially if it is delivered in an abrasive or discouraging way. The purpose of feedback – whether coaching, mentoring or discipline – is so the employee will rise to the level of performance needed for the success of that position. Conveying the employee's weakness, while keeping the employee motivated, is an essential part of being a good leader.

Try these basic steps:

  1. Take a deep breath. It's often difficult to give criticism, especially when you work closely with your employees. Realize that providing constructive feedback is part of management's job on behalf of the company to improve operations. It's not always comfortable, but a necessity of any business.
  2. Step back from the situation for a moment and approach it from a perspective of curiosity. Many managers make the mistake of pouncing too quickly without asking questions. Did the employee perform poorly because s(he) needs additional training? Has the performance been great and suddenly faltered? Think about the entire situation and performance history of the employee.
  3. Just the facts. Keep your discussion strictly fact based. Point out specific situations. This is not personal; it's business and it's best to keep it that way. Here are some examples:

    4. Bad Feedback Good Feedback
    You are always late. Sandy, you have been late 6 times in the last month.
    Your work has been sloppy. Your attention to detail needs improvement. In the last several reports, you've made "these" mistakes (Have a copy of work, if possible).
    You can't get along with others. We've had complaints from 3 companies regarding your personal interactions, and they have conveyed that….
    You have not followed procedures. On the AAA project and the YYY project, standard procedures were not followed. You did X when the procedures said Y.

  4. Listen! Don't forget to ask the employees about their thoughts. This will allow you to gauge if they are aware or completely unaware of the issues. Do they feel they need additional training? Is there something in the workplace hindering their success? Are there any disability issues where an accommodation is necessary? Open communication can offer tremendous insight.
  5. Document-Document-Document. Be sure that all discussions are documented. If a performance issue that has come up several times, the first few entries may just be a conversation with a note to the file. Certainly, after two conversations, a formal documentation process should be started. If you don't have a standard form, get one. This way, everyone is treated the same.

    The form should include the basic employee information, previous discussions and/or warnings, facts of performance issues, consequences to company/clients/co-workers of the poor performance, what is expected to improve and consequences to employee for no improving, any training needed to help improvement, and the date of next meeting. In addition, it's always a good idea to have a section for the employee to respond and add his or her thoughts or plans for improvement.
  6. Good and Bad. Don't forget to tell the employee what he or she is doing right, how important that is and what the employee can add to your organization. Your employee could be the janitor or a VP – and the same will hold true. People like to know when they are doing well.
  7. The wrap up. End your discussion by letting the employee know you have his or her best interest at heart, you want them to succeed and that is why you are taking time to meet with them. This allows the person to exit the meeting with value, instead of feeling like they just got a tongue lashing. Everyone wants to feel valued and respected. That's the way to keep your employee's motivated.
  8. The follow up. Keep in touch with the employee on a regular basis. It does not have to be a formal sit-down every time. Make sure to point out when he or she does something well and when coaching is needed. A tried and true book for any manager is The One Minute Manager. It's a short, powerful read.

"Dear Kathleen" is a monthly Human Resources advice column written by Kathleen Weiss, SPHR, Human Resources Manager for SWK Technologies, Inc.

SWK's HR Advisor services provide cost-effective human resources solutions to small businesses. If you want more information on how to change your current vacation and sick policy to a PTO policy, or have an outdated employee handbook that needs to be revised, please contact Kathleen Weiss, SPHR, at 973-758-6122, e-mail hrdept@swktech.com or visit www.swktech.com.

Our services include:

  • Employee Handbooks
  • HR Audits
  • HR Hotline
  • Performance Management and goal setting to increase productivity
  • Job Descriptions
  • Staffing
  • Employee Relations

Disclaimer: Information provided is not intended to be and should not be considered legal advice. As always, please consult your attorney regarding your company's legal matters.