Delivering bad news

         In this week’s assignment, we are asked to evaluate a given situation. In this situation, there is an employee who is underperforming. Complaints are coming from both coworkers and customers. This is especially concerning because this particular company prides itself on excellent customer service. We are to evaluate the situation and decide how we would approach the situation. We were also asked to anticipate the employee’s response as well as analyze which conflict resolution techniques would be applicable.

            My first step in approaching this situation would be to do my research. I would review every complaint that had been made by both customers and coworkers. If applicable, I would categorize them into two groups. One could be for general lack of professionalism. If the employee was rude or unprofessional in any way, that would fall into one category. The other category would be company specific. This is where the poor performance would come into play. Any company policies that the employee violated would fall into this category along with failures to meet departmental or company goals. All performance under achievements would be categorized as company specific. Hopefully by doing this I would be able to rank the complaints in order of severity. This would be helpful in my attempt to avoid some of the minor or nit picking complaints that would inevitably be included. With the help of the categorization and the ranking of complaints I would create a plan. I would be sure to lead off with the most serious complaints that are company specific. I would do this in an attempt to avoid any he said she said conversations. Frankly, there is no need to specifically discuss any complaints from coworkers. A generalized and anonymous summary presented to the employee will suffice.

I would need to be familiar with their entire performance at the company. I need to be centered in my opinion of the employee and comfortable in my perception of their professional routine. This is especially helpful in determining how hard I should fight for this employee. If they have a history of bad behavior, I might approach the situation with a less sensitive and less understanding tact.  

            I would expect a few different responses from the employee. One of which may be a complete deference. Something along the lines of “I wasn’t feeling well that day” or “But that customer was so rude” might be some of the statements. Another possibility is the denial of knowledge. The employee could claim that they were not aware of the departmental or performance goals. If this were to happen, I would remind the employee that we all have days that we are sick or don’t feel well and that it is never the customer’s fault. If we are unable to reign in our emotions on day that we do not feel well, we should not be at work. In reference to a rude customer, we would spend a few moments discussing the fact that the employee’s position is in the customer service field and that the importance of delivering excellent customer service in all environments in paramount. If the employee claimed to be unaware of the departmental or performance goals, I would not waste time debating it. I would review all appropriate goals thoroughly and be sure that they leave our meeting very aware of the company’s expectations.  Another response might be in light of the employee’s tenure with the company. For some companies, two years is a significant amount of time. This is another area where research on my part would be beneficial. I would need to have an accurate interpretation of the employee’s cumulative performance. Acknowledging the employee’s accomplishments and success in the past could help build a level of comfort during the meeting. This could help to alleviate an elevated conflict later in the meeting.

            I would start the meeting with a hand shake and by asking if everything is ok. A generalized question including spouse, kids, family and friends would be presented. I would do this because the explanation for poor performance could be as simple as “I’m going through a divorce and a custody battle.” Obviously in that situation, I would try to be sensitive to their personal problems. If my company offered any type of family support I would make sure to inform them of that. I think that a very brief synopsis of the complaints should be relayed to them. After that, I would reassure them that they have company support but that we do need to still meet our company goals. I might offer a late arrival or early dismissal when needed to help alleviate some stress. Through our discussion, I would find out when the divorce was expected to be finalized and create a game plan with the employee about getting back on track.  This game plan could be very informal but could be vital when explaining the situation to my own management. We would schedule a follow up meeting a few weeks later to evaluate the situation again. If no improvements had been made by that point, I would be forced to deliver the ultimatum. I think that when an employee is struggling in their personal life, they sometimes need extra consideration and support from their management.

Assuming this is not the case and the answer to the question was, “No, everything is great!” I would proceed with the meeting. I would start off my acknowledging the two years they have been with the company and then briefly mention any success or achievement from earlier in their tenure. My transitional statement would be something along these lines, “You have been with the company for two years and we appreciate your loyalty however we have a few concerns about your recent performance. We have received numerous customer complaints and are concerned that you haven’t been delivering the high level of customer service we demand of our employees.” At that point I would allow them to respond with thoughts, feelings and explanations. If further explanation of complaint type or subject matter is warranted I would obviously do so, but remaining cautious about coworker complaints. I really don’t want to go that route in this scenario. At this point in the meeting I would cut to the chase and make a clear statement such as, “I want you to understand that if we do not see an immediate improvement in your delivery of customer service and your professionalism, I will be forced to let you go.”  In this scenario, I would also set up a follow up meeting with the employee. The purpose of this meeting will be to establish whether or not things have improved or if we need to begin the paper work for employee dismissal. From there, we would review company policies about customer service, professionalism and anything else that is relevant to the complaints. After giving the ultimatum I want to be sure that I have provided all of the tools and resources for their impending success.

            Delivering bad news in any scenario requires the consideration of all the facts. Delivering bad news in a tactful and effective manner demands that we do our homework and have a true understanding of the situation. That same consideration is just magnified. There is no fool proof way to delivering an ultimatum or bad news. Each situation is unique and requires its own approach specific to its encompassing details.