What do people say? – “Please give me a second chance”, or “I deserve a second chance”, but in some circumstances, it can take more than a second chance. This may be due to a number of reasons and can include how efficient we are as an employer in following the right processes and produces when engaging our staff.

Most of the time we recruit new staff, and everything works out well, they deliver a really good service and keep our customers happy as well as enjoying working for the organisation.

But on occasions, a new member of staff, or an existing member of staff, for some reason is not working to their full potential, and this has a knock-on effect on the team and the business.

This probably sounds familiar. We then start to think about how we can solve this situation and may even seek support from other employers, managers or colleagues.

But the question remains – how many chances do we give our employees if they are not delivering?

This is hard to answer, as we want all our staff to succeed and it is always difficult to have a conversation with a member of staff that is not performing to the required level. It is imperative, though, to have this conversation sooner rather than later.

As an employer, we may look for a quick solution – like terminating the member of staff’s contract. But before we can do anything like that it is our responsibility to think very carefully about how this situation has occurred.

We need to consider whether, as the employer, have we done everything in our power to put in place the necessary support and guidance the member of staff needs to fulfil their duties. Have we actually taken the time to ask what the problem is and why the mistakes are occurring?

As an employer, we are held accountable as to why these problems have occurred, and we need to think about whether there was anything else we could have done earlier to put this right.

It is critical that we learn what works well and change what doesn’t to ensure our processes and procedures are in place to support our staff going forward.

So – everyone deserves a chance

It’s how the member of staff deals with the second chance and how we help our employees to ensure that they do learn from this new opportunity.

A few points you may want to consider ………..

• Learn from previous issues
• Be aware of conflict in the workplace that may need to be addressed
• Share the concerns and problems you have as soon as possible
• Sit down with the member of staff and assess the situation
• Listening to why the problem/situation has occurred
• Ensure staff have the tools and knowledge to succeed
• Enable them to improve from this opportunity
• Help the employee – play to their strengths

Employees can only perform to our expectations when they know what we expect

• Set up a plan
• Set clear and realistic goals
• Clear accountability objectives
• Arranged to meet up on a regular basis
• Monitor the work and give/ask for feedback
• Encouragement is so important
• Tell staff their role matters
• Provide advancement opportunities if possible

To ensure we and our staff do not experience the problems above………

There are so many factors that come in to play when employing staff but I thought I would highlight the main ones.

To ensure our staff are productive and deliver to our required standard, we need to consider the following things:

Recruitment

Recruitment is one of the biggest outlays for our business, and we need to ensure that it is carried out to the highest level.

When we are recruiting a member of staff, we not only have to look for someone who we feel can carry out the duties outlined in the job description but who will also fit in the team. The more in-depth the interview is the clearer we will understand the candidate’s background and their future plans. We need to understand their previous work history, whether they have worked on their own or in a team, why are they looking to change jobs now, and is this role something they think they will enjoy and why.

If the recruitment process is conducted correctly, there should be fewer problems, allowing the business to thrive.

Induction

There needs to be a plan in place when a new member of staff arrives, so they feel valued from the start.

An induction plan shows exactly what they will be doing each day for the next week/two weeks, the members of staff they will be taking to, and the work they will be undertaking during that time.

Time needs to be allocated at the end of each day or at the end of the week to review how they have found the induction, answer any questions and to explain what will happen moving forward.

Training

Training is so important to ensure the new member of staff has the necessary tools and knowledge to carry out the role.

When we recruit new staff, it normally takes them about three months to settle into their role and for them to ask questions, etc. The following three months will be about consolidating what they have learnt and actually putting things in to practice and showing they are willing to take on more responsibility.

By setting time aside for training, it gives managers an opportunity to share new things that are coming up, things that are working well or changing, and for staff to share their knowledge and expertise. Training sessions can also be used as a brainstorming exercise, and it shows staff that the business is interested in them.

Reviews/Appraisals

Reviews are important for both the employer and employee.

Reviews should ideally be conducted with new members of staff on a regular basis during the first six months, and then moved to half or yearly appraisals.

During the first six months, the reviews enable the employer and employee to sit down together to discuss how the role is working out. The employee will be able to discuss their role, how they are finding the work, and talk about any issues they may have. The employer will have an opportunity to give feedback on what is working well or if there are any areas that need to improve. The process will help identify any issues on either side so they can be dealt with quickly.
So how many chances do you give your staff? I would be interested to hear how you manage this situation.

I hope you find the information useful and if I can be of any assistance please do contact me – Maureen Hallett 07866 427 923

[social-bio]