*Based on the average Canadian salary of $51,000
Intuitively, we know that having a poor performer on your team will result in lower productivity, interpersonal conflict, and increased supervision costs.
Shockingly, a poor performer who is enthusiastic and is personally likable stays employed on average 18 months longer than if they were not liked.
Imagine taking $76,500* and lighting it on fire just because you enjoy the enthusiastic warmth it gives off.
That is what you are doing by paying someone for 18 months just because you like them.
What do you do?
You can follow the Servant Leadership model or the Netflix model.
The Servant Leader Model
Recently, Ken Blanchard of the Greenleaf Centre addressed the problems leaders face when employees won’t do what is expected of them.
Blanchard defines “won’t won”t do” problem as one when, despite being given the tools, the pedoesn’t have the desire to change their behaviour and that there is a cost to your organization.
Read my thoughts on servant leadership.
In the Servant Leader model, you give your poor performer every opportunity to improve, and when you know that they understand what you expect but won’t do it, it may be time to share them with the competition.”
The implications of the Servant Leader approach to ‘ won’t twon’t do’ employee means taking time to assess the employee’s mindset and skill set correctly, developing performance management plans and managing the risk in letting someone go.
All of this costs money, time and opportunity costs when you are focused on the poor performer when your time could be better spent with your higher-potential employees.
The Netflix Model
When Netflix has someone who cannot or will not perform their job as expected, they choose to limit the cost quickly.
Like pulling a Band-Aid off.
In a recent podcast interview with Alex Blumberg and Patty McNetflix’s past Chief HR Officer, she explained: Once they recognized they weren’t a fit, they would knock on the door and “ay, “I tyou veou’ve gotten kind of the vibe I’m not particularly happy about the way things are g” ing.”
Suppose the employee disagrees and isn’t expecting the conversation. In that case, they”say “Okay, haven’t been very clear about that, here’s the team I’m trying to build, and I need to have people that understand the technical people and understand they’reey’re. Unfortunately, you are not a good fit.
Read about having tough conversations.
The Netflix approach is to let you have three months of severance already in your pocket, instead of wasting those three months for you, the person, and the rest of the team.
McCord recommends that, instead of developing a 90-day performance improvement plan, she is going to sit down with the poor performer once a week and prove that they are incompetent in writing. So not only are the employee and the supervisor miserable, but we both think it’s a farce.
Conclusion
When dealing with poor performers, you need to do what is right for you and your organization.
And I understand that you may face HR policies or collective agreements that may trip you up.
Read about spending the right time in the right place
But do you want to waste your time, employees’ lives and all that money when you already know the right thing to do?