 |
||||
|
Issue #39-2.19.08
|
The Employee Just Doesn’t Get It! You Need a Plan
The scenario isn’t new. The circumstances are all too familiar. An employee just doesn’t seem to get it. You tell her that she has to do a better job, yet little changes in her performance. You tell her that she’s not measuring up. She says she’ll try harder, but you just don’t see the results, and you note the concerns in her personnel file. Is there something, anything you can do to get this person on track with the team or is it time to cut your losses and let her go?
According to Mike Moore, Human Resource Director for McKenzie Management and author of Employment Policy and Handbook, it may be time for a Performance Improvement Plan. “This step in employee discipline and coaching has several purposes. The primary objective is to document that there are one or multiple performance issues that must be addressed. The secondary purpose is to lay out the specifics of a performance issue so that the employee and the supervisor have a clear understanding of what the issues and areas of concern are. The third objective is to set clear timelines and goals for improvement to ensure there is no confusion or uncertainty as to what is expected. And the final objective is to identify what happens in the event that the plan succeeds or fails.”
Performance improvement plans are most effective in addressing problems that are more objective in nature and weaknesses in systems that can be measured, notes Mike. For example, two hygienists work in Dr. Smith’s practice. One is highly efficient and turning over patients effectively while maintaining quality care. The other is very slow and able to treat only a minimum number of patients. In this case, Dr. Smith has observed a clear difference in how these two are working, and it can be objectively measured. Dr. Smith needs her number two hygienist to increase her efficiency and improve patient turnover. She has counseled hygienist #2 several times and the situation has not improved.
Dr. Smith needs to formalize this process. That’s where the performance improvement plan can be used most effectively because the hygienist’s performance can be measured objectively. Dr Smith is able to document a specific standard in the plan that the hygienist must meet and within a set timeframe.
In some cases, the plan can be a wake-up call for an employee who has potential but doesn’t seem to understand the importance of improving specific areas of his/her job performance until a formal document is in front of him/her.
However, Mike cautions, “you want to make sure you have a standardized practice form that you use any time this type of situation arises. And you want to pay close attention to the tone of this document. I strongly recommend that it not be highly critical or punitive in nature. Conventional performance improvement policies almost always say, ‘If you do not meet the goals of this plan within the specified time, we reserve the right to terminate the employment relationship.’ I consistently find that this type of language is counterproductive because employees almost always react very negatively to this approach. Employers are much better served if they rely less on punitive language and more on encouraging improvement.”
Additionally, Mike notes that performance improvement plans are not well suited for addressing employee behavioral and attitudinal problems because these tend to be very subjective. “I have seen employers try to use these plans to address insubordination, nastiness between employees, bad attitudes, abusive language, and the like. But they are ineffective in those circumstances because they can’t measure improvement. It’s too subjective. I do not recommend performance improvement plans in those situations.”
The objective of the document is to address measurable shortcomings in performance that the employee needs to address. It is not to fuel animosity between the employee and the practice or, worse yet, encourage litigation.
For further information on human resources issues such as this contact Mike Moore at 888-777-6151 or email at HRSolutions@mckenziemgmt.com.Sally McKenzie is CEO of McKenzie Management. A nationwide dental management, practice development and educational consulting firm. Working “on-site” with dentists since 1980, McKenzie Management provides knowledge, guidance and personalized systems that have propelled thousands of general and specialty practices to realize their potential. Sally can be reached directly at 1.877.777.6151
Interested in speaking to Sally McKenzie about your management concerns? Email her at Sally@thedentistsnetwork.net