Benefits and Pitfalls of Providing Second Opportunities to Underperforming Workers

Many times, businesses are faced with a difficult decision when addressing performance or behavioral concerns with an employee: Do we take the time, investment, and risk in providing the employee with a chance to redeem themselves, or do we cut ties. Depending on the circumstances,  choosing to provide the employee with a second chance can be a huge investment to the company in the form of time and resources used in coaching and developing the employee, and there is no guarantee that the employer will be successful in correcting the problematic behavior. At the same time, if employers are too soon to dismiss employees who have made mistakes, they run the risk of losing employees with a lot of potential, lowering team morale, and incurring additional time and costs to find and train new talent. So it’s important that employers recognize situations where providing an employee with a second chance would be most successful.

Here are some things that employers should consider in determining whether or not to provide underperforming employees with a second opportunity:

• Consider whether the poor performance or conduct was due to an “honest mistake” or if it’s the type of behavior that is likely to be repeated.

• Similarly, consider whether the behaviors are “coachable” as well as the employee’s ability and willingness to accept constructive criticism and feedback.

• Consider the employee’s reaction to the situation. (For example, do they take accountability and suggest methods for improvement, or do they make excuses and place blame?).

• Consider the seriousness of the conduct. (Things like stealing, violence, lying, etc. are behaviors that may be serious enough that a second opportunity is unwarranted.)

Where second opportunities are appropriate, the way that companies go about coaching the employee and correcting the negative behavior are just as important, if not more important, than the decision to provide it in the first place. If a decision is made to work with the employee to correct their performance, employers should be prepared to put in the time to have follow up discussions, coaching, and training sessions for the employee where appropriate. There may be situations where the company may have to cut ties with an employee who still continues to underperform. However, if the company is able to successfully help the employee turn the performance problems around, they just may gain an engaged, productive, and loyal employee who appreciates the time and investment the company put into helping them improve.

If you would like more information or have questions regarding how to address underperforming employees, please contact us at Renewed HR and see how we can help!