The Best “We Need To Talk” Tactics

It’s never easy to ‘have the talk’ with the one employee that just doesn’t seem to fit into the workplace. TalentManagement.com author Charles Sujansky shines some light on how to avoid ‘we need to talk’. Sujansky notes a few scenarios where a manager might have to talk with an employee who is under-performing. It’s nerve-wracking for any manager to be in this position. How can you deal with it?

Sujansky provides seven suggestions to help deal with the often-dreaded situations that occur when an employee needs to boost their performance levels. Here’s how to start:

Decreasing Dread: Few phrases carry a greater feeling of dread than the words, “we have to talk.” After all, that’s usually shorthand for “you’re in trouble.” Talent managers dread these discussions as much as employees do. Focus on positive and constructive feedback.

After realizing that all confrontations in regards to performance do not have to be negative, there are several steps that supervisors can take to ensure that disciplinary interviews forge ahead in a positive and constructive manner, such as:

Set the stage: The first and most important step is to make sure the discussion is carefully planned. Talent managers need to do their research. If the employee’s performance is falling short, it needs to be supported with as many tangible examples as possible.

Get to the point: Beating around the bush is not the way to begin a disciplinary interview. This is not the time to chat about football of family.

There are four more pointers for dealing with a disciplinary interview, with include describing the problem, make the course correction, after the talk, and effective feedback offers advantages to everyone involved. To read more in depth about how to effectively deal with not-so-fun conversations with your employees, click here for the full article.

 

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