There are two types of situations you have to deal with as an owner-operator, or manager, when it comes to employee performance. One situation is recognizing when one of your new hires is just not making the grade. It’s when you realize this person does not have the attitude, desire, skills or whatever to sell Candles of Eden or other product lines for you. The other situation is when a productive employee who has been with you awhile becomes an unproductive drain on your business. This is the employee who treated your SoyLuscious® Soy Candles customers like royalty, but now treats them with indifference. Or, it’s the employee who’s sales numbers have dropped significantly.

Now, I’m not talking legal issues here. You must have just cause to fire anyone and you must abide by the applicable labor laws in all areas leading up to and including termination of an employee. What I’m talking about here is recognizing the signs that show you an employee is not working out and when you need to make the decision to let them go. The legal stuff represents the mandatory requirements as pertains to situations regardless.

The three main signs that an employee is not working out are inability to develop necessary skills, poor productivity, and poor attitude towards customers and/or fellow employees. An employee who has lost interest in their position, for whatever reason, will exhibit one or more of these things. They may gradually show less and less interest in promoting your Candles of Eden candles and other products. They may give off a “don’t bother me” aura to customers. Other staff members may find them increasingly difficult to deal with. It all adds up to trouble for your business and a situation you must confront and deal with as soon as possible.

The inability to develop necessary skills: This situation is the most uncomfortable to deal with. This a case where an employee applies his or herself diligently to learning the skill sets necessary for your type of business but never makes sufficient progress to become valuable to your enterprise. Of course, there are those who slip through the hiring process and then proceed to not care about anything, including whether they improve. These are easily recognizable and dealt with accordingly. They don’t belong in your business and you take the necessary measures to get them out. It’s different with those who try and cannot cut it. When you, as a business operator have a training program with evaluation criteria as part of it you measure performance and progress. People learn at different rates, and many will eventually learn the skills necessary for your position. Some never will because they are in the wrong business as pertains to their personality and proclivities. Therefore, upon recognition of this you have to make the decision to let them go – for their and your own benefit. If you do not, you hinder your business. You also hinder them from being where they truly should be.

Poor productivity: As I’ve said in previous postings, you are in business to sell. You need your personnel producing. That means continually selling and learning to be better sellers. Those who do not produce consistently so that you remain viable should not be part of your business. This isn’t harsh; this is the reality of business. You are not running a country club. Trained employees who have gone through your grace period to learn selling skills need to utilize those skills on a daily basis. Having proven themselves in the interview process, the training process, and in the early weeks or months of their job, they now need to progress to new heights as sellers of SoyLuscious® Soy Candles and other products. As the weeks and months pass and their productivity remains stagnant, or falls, you have to take the necessary measures to spur them on. When they do not respond to these measures and continue to produce unfavorable sales numbers you have to let them go. If you do not, you are getting no return on your investment in them.

Poor attitude towards customers and/or fellow employees:  Here the people-focused factor comes into play. Your employees need to always treat customers and their co-workers, as well as you, with respect. They need to be courteous, helpful, congenial, and to go the extra step to make sure customers’ needs are met and their concerns are dealt with favorably. Your employees have to maintain positive working relationships with those they share shifts with. Negative feedback from customers and other employees about an employee need investigation. Everyone has bad days and one instance is not usually grounds for ending your employer-employee relationship with a person. However, repeated complaints, as well as your own witnessing of uncouth behavior, are definitely signs that someone should no longer be part of your team. If reprimands, warnings, offerings of counseling’s, as well as probationary periods and the like, fail to produce attitude improvements then it’s time to let the employee go. If you do not, you risk customers avoiding your business, and fellow staff members refusing to work with an employee.

Take heed to the three signs that an employee is not working out. Offer solutions to them for overcoming their problems, difficulties and attitudes. Work with them so they can see the benefits of improving as employees. Let them know the consequences of not responding to your advice, correction, and counseling. Let them know their future with you depends on them taking corrective action.  With the ball now in their court they will make your “keep or terminate” decision for you.