Fire or Mentor: The Employee Who Isn’t Cutting It

You’ve hired somebody who looked great on paper, came across as friendly and knowledgeable in interviews, and showed interest in joining your team. Reality tells a different story: their work is suffering and not achieving the desired results. What is your smart move?

First, look at four main groups of employees and how they affect your practice.

MULTIPLIERS: The best employees, the ones that make you feel like you hit the jackpot. Multipliers are exponential growers who foster productivity and energize the work environment. They inspire the people around them to do even better work and to grow the practice. Everyone benefits.

ADDERS: Excellent employees you might describe as “workhorses.” They consistently do quality work, sometimes even exceeding expectations. Adders may not be as dynamic as multipliers, but they bring value and can be trusted to do their best.

SUBTRACTORS: Employees who may not do significant harm but take more than they contribute. A subtractor is worth less than he costs and isn’t “giving back” enough substance of value to the team.

DIVIDERS: The worst headache for a BV leader. Their destructive attitude can bring the whole team or even practice down. They gossip, manipulate, and foster conflict among the team. They do the bare minimum required to earn a paycheck, which will cost your company profits and morale.

What does that tell you about what you should do with your less-than-stellar employee?

If you see that you have a divider, there is no option but to fire immediately. A divider has already shown that he will bring the company down. The only option is to cut your losses and move on.

A subtractor can be a quandary. Is this someone with decent character, good temperament, and trying hard but not doing her best work? Remember that almost all employees start as subtractors until their feet are under them. The problem could be an issue of fitting the person to the project rather than a lack of work ethic.

Mentoring can be an intelligent approach. Perhaps pair your subtractor with a meticulous peer who can lead by example. Try a different project assignment or switch to a different direct supervisor. Enable some outside professional development.

Suppose you message that you value the employee and expect great things. In that case, a subtractor can turn into an adder or multiplier, given the right circumstances.

Perhaps the best benefit is that a well-mentored employee will often become your most loyal employee, providing your BV practice with years of beneficial performance.