Bad employees: What if I found one worth saving?
By Rob Jones
As a leader, one of our most important responsibilities is to help our team members grow and develop. This can be a challenge when we have an employee who isn’t meeting expectations. Maybe they lack production, or maybe they simply don’t care about their work. Whatever the reason, mentoring a bad employee can be a challenge. These are the team members that can negatively affect the whole work unit if left unchecked.
I have had my fair share of bad employees. More times than not, the employee wasn’t worth saving or didn’t want to take ownership of their career.
However, it’s important to remember that everyone has the potential to be a valuable asset to the team.
With the right approach, we can help even the most struggling employee turn their performance around. I have even had one or two employees turn out to become key contributors to the team.
A few years back, I had a gentleman that worked for me that struggled to find his place in various other work units within our department. My work unit had become sort of the landing spot for employees that needed a little extra push, or so it seemed to me at the time.
After spending some time getting to know this young man. I learned he was a disabled veteran and had served in several prominent leadership positions before his injury.
He had come to accept that he wasn’t the same man that he was when he joined the service. Active-duty military service seems to take a little from each of us.
As a service-disabled veteran myself, and one that has worked with many service members after they leave active duty, I felt I could relate to and understand this employee more than some of the other members of the leadership team.
First, I sat down with him and talk about what was not working. I was very specific and gave the employee examples of what he did wrong, and what he did right!
When coming up with a plan to help an employee improve, the plan should be tailored to the individual. I knew exactly what I had with this employee I was trying to help.
He had his limitations, but he was not a bad employee.
We sat down and established new goals for him. I set aside time to give him additional training and support. He struggled with time management, so I taught him how to better prioritize his tasks.
Above all, I remained patient and kept an open mind.
I continued to check in with him regularly to see how he was doing. He turned into a valuable member of our team, and the team was always there to support him. He found a home in our work unit when he needed it most.
While it is important to hold people accountable for their performance, it is also important to allow them to improve. Don’t be afraid to encourage a bad employee with a little mentorship and guidance. By taking the time to lead and develop them, you can help them improve their skills and understand what is expected of them. It also means being patient and offering constructive feedback. By taking the time to mentor bad employees, you can encourage them to improve and help them develop into valuable members of your team. You may also find out that the employee was not a bad employee after all.
With the right approach, it is possible to encourage and develop even the most challenging employees.
