Managing the Problem Employee
Your assistant operations manager, Ken, is truly a great guy. Everybody loves him. He’s funny, very social and good-looking. He also seems to be a great source of support for other employees. Indeed, several fellow employees would claim Ken among their best friends. Ken seems to have everything going for him. There is only one problem Ken does not get results. In the two years Ken has worked in your store, he has never once met a single goal. You’ve met with him on numerous occasions about his performance, and each time he tells you the same thing, I’ll work on it boss. You don’t have to worry about me. After these conversations, Ken puts in a few good weeks and sometimes shows improvement. Shortly thereafter, however, his performance slides again.
Respond to the following questions.
1. What steps should you take to deal with Ken’s sub-par performance? What needs to be done first? How strict or harsh should you be? Should you be concerned about damaging the positive employee feelings toward Ken?
2. One of Ken’s peers, Armand, is very quite and reserved but has had exceptional performance over the last year in what ways should you manage Armand differently than you do Ken?
Source: Baldwin, T., Bommer, W. & Rubin, R. (2008). Developing Management Skills: What Great Managers Know and Do. McGraw-Hill, p. 158