A few weeks ago I terminated two entry level employees in one weekend. Before that it had been a couple of months without any termination meetings. Over my 14 years with Chick-fil-A, I certainly have never fired multiple individuals in one week, and often not even in a month.

One blessing of managing a high-performing Chick-fil-A restaurant is the quality of employees. Most team members on the roster are hard-working team players who seek to give their best in the job each day. Diligent usage of effective talent tools certainly makes a tremendous difference for this! But even with all these advantages, my hiring success rate stays at about 75%. On the one hand, for the quick service industry in a college town with naturally high turnover while hiring more than 75 new employees each year, this is pretty good. But on the other hand, saying that we miss on 1 out of every 4 hires is terrifying. 

What should bosses do when they turn around and find an underperforming employee on their team? What perspective should a leader take in these scenarios?

Addressing Underperformance

Just two weeks ago, author Robert Glazer wrote that “The next time someone isn’t performing, ask yourself: Is this a what problem or a how problem?” WHAT problems occur when employees are simply not producing the quality and/or quantity of work that is required in their job role. HOW problems occur when employees dodge responsibility, fail to communicate, resist coaching, or interact with coworkers in a way that does not match up with the organization’s culture. In the end, neither “what” nor “how” problems are better or worse. They both are clear misses that will cause damage to an organization, and they both must be addressed. Oftentimes underperforming employees display BOTH “what” and “how” problems. 

After clarifying if we are dealing with a WHAT or a HOW problem, the next question to ask is, “Has this person been given clear feedback on how they are underachieving, changes that must be made, and what the consequences will be if they do not course correct?”. If this has not already happened, it must be done immediately! Put the ball in the person’s court. Give them a fair opportunity to change course. When this is done, some will hear the message and immediately begin showing effort and improvement, and their employment can be salvaged. Others will ignore or even argue with the feedback while continuing straight down the wrong path. 

When employees choose to ignore the clear feedback given to them, it’s the perfect time for a boss to meditate on some perspective-setting questions. For example, “Is this person someone who we would collectively breathe a sigh of relief if they were no longer working here?”. This is one of the 19 questions to ask that I have compiled in my Talent Toolbox. These types of thoughtful questions help to paint a clear picture of the reality of the situation. If able, pulling in other trusted people in the organization for their perspective can be extremely helpful as well. 

If it is clear that the person is not making the organization better, the writing is already on the wall. This employee should immediately be fired! Now let’s be honest…NO ONE likes to fire people. But do not make excuses. Do not rationalize why this situation is unique. If an employee is inhibiting the organization and they are not improving at an acceptable rate, terminate them! 

Keep in mind that you always have the option of exiting the person without firing them right then and there. I call this “The Reverse 2 Week Notice”. Employees usually resign by giving an employer a heads up of a few weeks or even a few months. As an employer, you can follow this same type of process by articulating to an employee that they will no longer be employed by your organization, but that you are choosing to allow them to stay in their role for 2 or 4 or 8 weeks while they look for their next job. Give them a deadline date that will, at the latest, be their last day. Make it clear that you could and even should have today be their last day, but that you are trying to help them as they exit. Articulate to them clear expectations for the remainder of their time. Give expectations surrounding the work that they produce and the way that they speak about you/the company to other employees. Ensure that they know that if you catch wind of any shenanigans, you will be forced to end their time working here right then and there. 

To recap:

1. Identify “what” vs. “how” vs. “both” as the root problem
2. Ensure that the employee has had the issues/repercussions clearly pointed out to them
3. Ask perspective-setting questions to yourself, others
4. Terminate the employee
5. (Use The Reverse 2 Week Notice, if desired)

The Kindest Decision

TOO often a low performer who is draining the life out of coworkers day in day out is allowed to linger around for years. Why does this happen? It is almost always because the leader does not have the courage to take the clearly needed action. I know this because I myself have made this horrible mistake, and I’ve seen others make it as well. In thinking back over this mistake from my past, I find that at the time I would rationalize the person’s performance (“He’s not great, but he’s not really THAT bad”) or just hope that given enough time the person would magically start to improve. 

At its worst, keeping underperformers around can and does cause high performing coworkers to leave a job in search of a place where their great work is not being bogged down by underperformers. At its best, other high performers will decrease their effort and stop going above and beyond. Coworkers have a SIGNIFICANT impact on the work satisfaction of others, and underperformers pull everyone else around them down.

But isn’t firing people unkind? Isn’t this something that a good boss should choose not to do? I, along with many, would argue that removing underperformers from your team is actually the KINDEST thing that can be done! It’s showing kindness to you as the boss, so that you can more effectively do your job without inhibition. It’s showing kindness to customers, so that they can receive better service. It’s showing kindness to other employees, so that they can be rid of this anchor that is creating unnecessary drag that pulls against them each day. But just as importantly, it’s showing kindness to the underperforming employee. The person cannot stay and win in their current job role in the current organization. They need to go somewhere else with a different standard where they will fit in and have a chance to thrive. Exiting someone who is not performing up to standard is the KINDEST thing that a boss can do, for everyone!

In Closing

Author Daniel Pink says that every employee can be put into one of two categories: Those who make the bosses’ jobs EASIER and those who make bosses’ jobs HARDER. Do you have employees that are making your job, and everyone else’s jobs, harder? If so, have you done steps 1-3 that are listed above? If so, do step 4 or 5! You will not regret it.