You've given a written reprimand and an improvement plan has been signed by both you and the employee. Now, you sit back and wait for improvement, right?
Actually, a manager may work harder to help an employee succeed during the improvement timeframe.
In Bringing Out the Best in Others, Thomas Connellan coaches managers that in order to change an employee’s behavior, a manager might have to change his or her behavior. When we place someone on a disciplinary probation or development plan, managers often make the mistake of focusing solely on documenting positive or negative employee behavior rather than continuing to coach the employee. Although documentation is necessary when the behavior is not changed and a further step in the discipline process is needed, in most cases managers should hope that their employee can successfully improve.
Identify the Behavior For Change
In the employee discipline meeting, the behavior for improvement should be well identified for the employee, according to guidance from your human resource staff. Quite often, the problems with an employee’s performance are identified as a need for improvement of a competency (i.e., organization, communication, attitude, team work) or a task-related skill (i.e, data entry, written communication, public speaking, relationship management).
Provide Specific Examples
Once the behavior has been clearly identified for improvement, it’s important to provide specific examples of poor past performance and positive future expectations. It’s difficult for an employee to know what positive attitude looks like, for example. First, show a specific example of poor performance. “Last week when you told the team that the project was not worth working on because it would just be rejected by upper management, your attitude was not supportive of the hard work of the staff or the goals of the department.” Then, describe your positive future expectations. “In your interactions with team members, I expect that you will support decisions made by me, by the team and by executive management by focusing on creating and implementing a work plan.”
Focus Your Feedback
Frustration, anger, disappointment or sometimes the tension of the disciplinary meeting can change the personal relationship between the manager and employee. Many times a barrier is constructed where the two feel that conversations are not allowed outside of the scheduled performance discussion meetings. But, if successful improvement of the behavior is your goal, it is crucial that you continue the relationship with the employee in addition to documenting, as needed. You may even increase feedback during the improvement period. For example, provide positive feedback to reinforce any improvement in behavior. “I appreciate that you listened and were engaged as the project was presented to the team and that you immediately led the team in brainstorming ideas to get the project started.” It’s important to reflect the employee’s positive changes in your documentation, but, more important, do not neglect to communicate positive reinforcement to the employee. This assures the employee that you are interested in his or her success and are providing specific direction on how to successfully change behavior.
In the event that discipline problems are more serious, documentation and direction from your human resources staff is critical in any employee intervention. However, for most employees, the process of pointing out problem areas, providing specific examples of negative and positive behavior, and supporting efforts with appropriate feedback will help improve performance. As their manager, with a little dedication and effort, you more than anyone have the power to help employees succeed.
