11/4/2015 PoorPerformance|LabourGuide

PoorPerformance
Apoorperformanceisusuallysomethingyouseeinamateurtheatrenotintheworkplace!Manyemployersif
notmostconfusepoorperformancewithnegligence,incapacityandevenmisconduct.Thisisbecauseofalack
ofunderstandingofthecleardistinctionsthatseparatethevariousconditionsinotherwords,theemployerdoes
notknowwhatthechargeshouldbe.Heonlyknowsthatwhatishappeningisunacceptabletohim,andthe
employeemustbedismissedasquicklyaspossible.
Theresultofthisuninformedactionisthattheemployeeischargedwithnegligence,poorperformance,
incapacity,misconductand,asifthatisnotenough,thechargesheetalsostatesthatthetrustrelationshiphas
irretrievablybrokendownandthattheemploymentrelationshiphasbecomeintolerable.Thepooremployeegoes
intoacoldsweat,issostressedaboutallthisthathe/shedoesnotevenprepareadefense,andinfacthasnot
thefaintestideawhatheisbeingchargedwith,norevenwhyheisbeingcharged.
Basedonallthis,thefinaloutcomeisthattheemployeeisdismissed,he/shegoestoalabourlawyeror
consultant,who,uponhearingthefactslaughsgleefullyandsendstheemployeraninvitationtohaveteaatthe
CCMAandbringalonghischequebook!!Lets lookatexactlywhatpoorperformanceis,andtheremedyfor
it.PoorPerformancedoesnotlookatthebehavioroftheemployeeatworkProblemsofbehaviorareaddressed
undermisconduct.PoorPerformancelooksatwhetherthejob,whichtheemployeeisbeingpaidtodo,isbeing
doneproperly.
Therefore,inestablishingwhetherpoorperformanceexists,onemustaskthefollowingquestionsinrelationto
theemployeeandthejob:
[a]istheoutputsufficient?
[b]isthequalityacceptable?
[c]arecompanyoperatingproceduresbeingfollowed?
[d]arecostskeptwithinbudgetoristheamountofrejectsunacceptablyhigh?
[e]istheeffortputinbytheemployeesufficient?
[f]Isitperhapsinabilitytodothejobattherequiredlevelcantheemployeeperformsatisfactorilyatalower
level?
[g]isjustplainincompetence?I.e.notinsufficienteffort,butaclearlyalackofabilitytodothejob?
[h]isitcarelessnesslackofattentiontodetail?
[i]isitaformofnegligencebutnotmisconduct?Inotherwords"Idon'tcare."
Fromtheabove,itnowbecomesclearerwhatthedifferencesarebetweenmisconduct(behavior)andpoorperformance(
ability)Misconductdeals withbehaviorperformancedealswithability .

Misconductorunacceptablebehavioroccurswhenaruleisbroken,orsomeotherunacceptablebehavior
happens.Assault,swearingatacustomer,thatsortofthing.Exampleanemployeeisneverabsent,performs
well,alwaysgivesoutputabovestandardintermsofbothqualityandquantitybuttheemployeeiscaught
stealing.Thisisclearlymisconductnotpoorperformance.Misconductusuallyresultsinimmediateandsevere
disciplinaryactionperhapsevendismissal.PoorPerformanceresultsininvestigation,counseling,meetingand
discussionwiththeemployee,trainingandsoon,beforedismissalisevencontemplated.
Theproceduresforhandlingpoorperformancearecompletelydifferentfromtheproceduresforhandling
misconduct.Performanceisallabouthowtheemployeedoesthejobi.e.quality .Misconductisallaboutbehavior
orconductoftheemployeeonthejobinrelationtocompanyrules,policiesandprocedures.Now,beforewego
anyfurther,youmustclearlyunderstandthattheemployerMUSTensurethattheemployeeisfullyawareofthe
CompanyStandardsforthejob,andthattheemployeeisfullytrainedtodothejob.
Theemployeecannotmeetstandardsofqualityandquantitywhenthosestandardshaveneverbeen
communicatedtohim/her,andlikewisetheemployeecannotperformifnotraininghasbeengiven.Ifthe
requiredstandardshaveneverbeencommunicatedtotheemployee,andyouhavenevertakenstepstoensure
propertraining,yourcaseofpoorperformancegoesoutthewindowandendsuponthecompostheap!!!
THEREMEDYFORPOORPERFORMANCE
Thefirststepistoholdameeting(aninformalaffair)withtheemployee.Youexplainwheretheemployeeis
fallingshort,whatstandardisnotbeingmet,anddiscussthematterfullytoseeifthereasonforthepoor
performancecanbeestablished.

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cp%20style%3D%22margin%3A%200px%3B%20padding%3A%205px%200px%3B%20color%3A%20rgb(51%2C%2051 1/4
11/4/2015 PoorPerformance|LabourGuide

Itmaybeadomesticcrisisthattheemployeehas(pendingdivorce,sickchild,financialproblem,etc )oritmay
evenbeaworkrelatedproblem,suchasasupervisorwhoisvictimizingtheemployee,harassingtheemployeein
someway,andsoon.
Theimportantthingistoestablishtocauseifyoudon'tknowthecause,youcannottreattheproblem.Treating
thesymptomsisauselessexercisetheproblemwillnotgoawayunlessyoutreatthecause.Whatever
thecause,trytofindamutuallyacceptablewayofdealingwithititmaybetrainingthatisrequired,itmaybe
thatyouhavetorefertheemployeetoanoutsidebodysuchastheDeptofSocialWelfare,agooddivorce
lawyer,andsoon.Perhapsyouwillhavetoassisttheemployeefinancially,orhelpthemobtainaloanfroma
financialinstitution,
Butitisvitallyimportantthatalltheproceedingsarerecordedindetail.Theserecordswillberequiredifyou
eventuallyhavetodismisstheemployeeandthematteristakenupwiththeCCMA.Youwillhavetoprovethat
correctandfairprocedureswerefollowed,andyouneedwrittenrecordstodothis.Rememberthatinacaseof
unfairdismissal,theemployeeonlyhastoprovethatadismissaltookplace.Theemployermustprovethe
fairnessofthedismissal.
Attheendofthecounselingsession,theemployeemustbewarnedoftheconsequencesoffailuretoimprove
wheresuchwarningisappropriate.Bearinmindthattheaimofthecounselingsessionisnottopunishthe
employee,buttoassisthim/hertorecognizeandovercometheproblem.Thereisnoruleofthumbregardinghow
manycounselingsessionsarerequiredbeforedismissal,norhowmuchassistanceortrainingmustbegiven
beforedismissal,ordemotiontoalowerpositionwhichtheemployeecanhandle.
Itwilldependonmanyfactors,suchaslengthofservice,howlonghastheemployeebeendoingthejobbefore
he/shestartedscrewingup,thenatureofthejob,theextentoftheemployee'swillingnesstocooperateandhelp
solvetheproblem,whateffectthepoorperformancehashadontheCompany,andofcoursethenatureofthe
poorperformanceitself.Forexample,ifitisavitalfunctionthatisnotbeingdone,thenthatisserious
immediateimprovementisrequired.
Inthecounselingsession,youmustbespecificitisnotacceptabletostatethattheemployeeis"notmakingthe
grade"or"isnotdoingthejobproperly."Thespecificproblemareamustbedefinedanddiscussedindetail.Itis
nogoodtellingtheemployeeto"pullhissocksup"or"gethisacttogether."Bespecificaboutwhatimprovement
isrequired,whatstandardisrequiredtobemet,inwhatareaandbywhen.Thecounselingprocessistermedas
"evaluation,instruction,trainingorguidance."Makesurethatthisiswhatyoudo.
Ifthemattercomestodismissal,thentheCodeofGoodPracticeDismissalmustbeapplied,aswellasyour
ownproceduresifany.Youareobligedtoconsiderwhethertheemployeedidinfactfailtomeetaperformance
standard,ifheorshecouldreasonablybeexpectedtohavebeenawareoftherequiredstandard,whetherafair
opportunitywasgiventotheemployeetomeettherequiredstandard,andmostimportantlyyoumustassess
whetherornotdismissalisanappropriate(andperhapstheonlyavailable)sanctionunderthecircumstancesof
thecase.
Generallyspeaking,andconsideringallthefactsofthematter,youshouldspendasmuchtimeasisreasonably
expectedtoshowthattheemployeewasaffordedallreasonableopportunitytorectifythematter.Obviously,if
thepoorperformanceiscausingmajoroperationalproblems,youwillhavetoinformtheemployeethathehas
onlyalimitedamountoftimetorectifythematterbeforeactionistaken.
F.A.Q
Whatdoyoudowiththeemployeewhoisalwaysbusybutisunproductive?
Thisisdifficult.Thisistheguywhoisalways"busy",butdoesnotgetthejobdone.Heiseagerbutinefficient,as
opposedtobeingopenlylazyoruncooperative.Thosetypesareeasytoidentifyanddealwith.Thebestwayis
frequentandfirmcounselingmakeitquiteplainwhatstandardisrequired(asifhedoesnotalreadyknow)and
bywhen.Setdeadlines,andinformhiminwritingwhattheconsequenceswillbeisthereisnoimprovement.
Whatifthepoorperformanceiscausedbecausetheemployeewaspromoted,butlaterfoundthathe/shecan't
handlethejob?Letstakeitfurthermanagementgenuinelywereundertheimpressionthattheemployeecould
handlethehigherpositionandtheresponsibilitiesthatgowithit.Hispreviousrecord,albeitinalowerposition,
wasexcellentheworkedwellandshowedpromise.
Ataprepromotioninterview,theemployeeassuredmanagementhewouldbeabletocopewiththeadded
responsibilities.Managementwereconvincedthattheemployeewascapableofbiggerthingsanddecidedtogive
himtheopportunity.Nowthepromotionhasbeendone,hehasgottheextraperksacellphoneorcompanycar
butithasnowbeenrevealedthatthenewjobisinfactabovehis/herlevelofcompetenceandcapability.This
"overpromotion"isnotuncommonbutitisasensitiveissue,becausemanagementhavecontributedtothe
problembypromotingtheemployee.
Itisclearthattheemployeepossessesthenecessaryskillsandexperienceandcanmakeacontributiontothe
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cp%20style%3D%22margin%3A%200px%3B%20padding%3A%205px%200px%3B%20color%3A%20rgb(51%2C%2051 2/4
11/4/2015 PoorPerformance|LabourGuide

companythisiswhyhewasselectedforpromotioninthefirstplace.However,managements decisionhas
backfired.Thepoorperformanceand/orincapabilitycannotbeignored,especiallyintermsofoperationalneeds,
theneedsofthecompany,andtheneedsoftheemployee.Ifitispossibletodowngradetheemployee,withacut
insalaryand/orbenefits(withtheagreementoftheemployee)thentheproblemissolvedjustputhimbackto
wherehewas.
Ornegotiatesomethingelseademotion,withnocutinsalary,butremovalofthefringebenefits(thecellphone
andcar)Butiftheemployeeobjects,isnotwillingtoacceptasalarycutorthelossoffringebenefits,norwilling
toacceptademotion(lossoffacetohisfellowemployees)thentheproblemismoreserious.Thebottomline
isthatclearly ,theproblemisincapacity,andequallyclearly,theemployerhasnoobligationtocontinuewithanon
performingworkingrelationshipwiththisemployee.Thatisthe"toughbottomline."
Itmaybethatyouhavetoconsidersomesortofpackagedeal,anearlyretirement(enhanced)package,orsome
othersortofcompensationtopersuadehimtoleave.Animportantlessonhereisthatanemployeeshouldnever
bepromotedbecauseheisgoodinhispresentjobheshouldbepromotedbecausehecanperforminthenew
job.Whatifthepoorperformanceiscausedbysomechangetothejobitself?
Yes,thiscanhappen.Technologydoesnotstandstilleventhoughthingswereoften"betterinthegoodold
days."Theemployeemaysuddenlyfindhimselffacedwithhavingtodoajob(whichhehasbeendoingfor
years)withnewmachines,newmethods,whichheissimplyincapableofdoing.Wecangothroughthewhole
gambitoftrainingetc ,butperhapsitisjustsimplybeyondhiscapability.
Thistypeofpoorperformanceisnotthefaultoftheemployeehehasbeenmadetoperformpoorlybecauseof
changestohisjobspecification.Itwouldbeunfairandunacceptabletoignoretheemployee'spastrecordofgood
andcompetentservicebytellinghimtoeitherperformorfacedismissal.Thisisnotastraightforwardcaseofpoor
performanceorincompetence.Initially,theemployeemustbecounseledtotryandestablishwhetherheisunable
orunwillingtodothejob.
Insomecases,itisfoundthattheemployeehassimplybeenoverwhelmedbytheenormityofthejob,the
increasednumberoftaskswhichfacehimdaily,therealizationthatperhapsforthefirsttimeeverhenowisfaced
withveryrealresponsibility andaccountability,andhewithdrawsintoasortof"safetyzone"bynotperformingandin
factharboringasecrethopethathewillbetakenoffthejobandplacedbackinhisoldposition.
Thisyouwillonlyestablishbycounselingandskilfulquestioninginsomecasesbyaskingsomeverydirect(and
perhapsembarrassing)questionsoftheemployee.Youwillfinallyhavetomakeadecisioneitherputhimback
wherehewasorretrench.
Offerhim/heragoodpackage,andcallitaday.Whatiftheemployeeperformso.k.butsuddenlythelevelof
performancedrops?Consistentlevelsofperformancearenotthenormeverybodyhastheir"offdays".There
alsomaybeafamilycrisisofsomesort,orevenahealthproblem,sotheirwillbeoccasionswheretheemployee
willperformbelowtheacceptablelevel.Again,itiscounselingtimeestablishtheproblem,andaddressit.What
abouta"goslow"?Howdowehandleit?
Thisisusuallyadeliberateactofslowingdownproductioninordertoforcetheemployertoagreetosomeor
otherdemandhigherwages,perhaps.Itisveryseldomanindividualthing,butrathercollective.Youmayhave
toconsultwithShopStewardstoestablishthereason.Thisisofcourseindustrialactionandshouldbedealtwith
inthesamewayasastrike.Isitessentialtogivetheemployeetimetoimprove?
IntheinterestsofstayingoutoftheCCMA,yesitisthebestway,evenwithawellexperiencedemployee.
Obviously,youmaynotgiveawellexperiencedemployeeasmuchtimeaswithalesserexperiencedemployee.
Butthecounselingprocess,thecarefulexplanationofthestandardsrequiredandthestandardsnotbeingmet,as
wellassettingofdeadlinesforimprovementtotakeplaceisvital.HowmuchtrainingamIexpectedtoprovide?
Thereisnoruleofthumbhere.Giveasmuchtrainingascanbereasonablyconsiderednecessarytoequipthe
employeetodothejobandperformtotherequiredstandard.Newtechnology,anewmachineandsoonmay
requirefairlycomprehensivetraining.
Ifanewemployeejoinsthecompanyandgivestheclearunderstandingthatheknowsthejobandprocesses,but
thislaterprovesnottobethecase,thenobviouslyyouwouldnotspendasmuchtrainingtimehereaswithoneof
yourotheremployeeswhomyouknowhashadnotraining.PoorPerformanceduetoillhealth.Iftheillnessisof
atemporarynature,youwillhavetolivewithituntiltheemployeerecovers.Iftheillnessispermanentorlikely
tobecomepermanent,thenitisaproblemofincapacityduetoillhealthratherthanaproblemofpoor
performance.Youwouldthenhandleitaccordingly.
CanIdemandthattheemployeebemedicallyexaminedifIsuspectillnessorthathemaybeondrugs?Ifyou
doubthisclaimthatthepoorperformanceisduetoillhealth,thenyoumayinsistthattheemployeeundergoan
independentmedicalexamination.However,youwillhavetopayforthisnottheemployee.Isdemotionan
optionincasesofpoorperformance?Thisisdefinitelyanoption,providedtheemployeeagreestothedemotion.
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cp%20style%3D%22margin%3A%200px%3B%20padding%3A%205px%200px%3B%20color%3A%20rgb(51%2C%2051 3/4
11/4/2015 PoorPerformance|LabourGuide

Thisappliesparticularlyinthecaseoftherecentlypromotedemployeewhocannothandletherequirementsand
responsibilitiesofthenewposition.Hecannothandlethedemandsofthenewposition.Rememberhowever
thatcounselingandfollowuparestillimportant.

Ispoorperformancealwaystheemployee'sproblem?Thefirstthingtodoischeckthattheemployeeisfully
awareofandunderstandsthestandardsthatarenotbeingmet.Ifheis,thenlookforothercausesthataccount
forthefailuretoreachthestandardsforexample,histoolmaybesubstandardorwornout.Thus,thepoor
performancemaynotnecessarilyalwaysbethefaultoftheemployee.Itisvitalthateveryemployermustensure
thateveryemployeeisfullyawareofandfullyunderstandsthestandardsrequiredinhis/herjobprocesses.For
thatmatter,allemployeesshouldbefullyawareofandfullyunderstandallCompanyrules,regulations,
proceduresandperformancestandards.
Itisequallyimportantthatworkprocessesaremonitoredtoensurethatstandardsarebeingmet.Ifanemployee
doesnotmeetstandards,andyoudonothingaboutit,youareineffecttellinghimthatthestandardsdon'tmatter
anditisofnoconsequenceifhe/shefailstomeetlaiddownstandards.Thismeansthatyouaretellingthe
employeethatsubstandardperformanceisacceptable,Andbeforelongthesubstandardperformancebecomes
thenewstandard!!

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cp%20style%3D%22margin%3A%200px%3B%20padding%3A%205px%200px%3B%20color%3A%20rgb(51%2C%2051 4/4