6 STEPS TO DEAL WITH EMPLOYEES WHO DO NOT WANT TO WORK
So the excitement of Christmas has passed and we are all now back into the swing of work, well, most of us are! But what if you have team members who seem to have no interest in working? My article will investigate what potential reasons behind their lack of work motivation could be down to, and show you how to deal with employees who do not want to work. Top tip: Don’t take any action until you reach step 5!
Step 1 – Don’t jump in
Before you jump in and accuse your team member(s) of being lazy or useless you should first ask why you think they aren’t working as they should be? Is this your perception of the situation, or is there some factual basis you can pinpoint their behaviour on? Emotion can run high when tasks aren’t being completed in the way you want them to be, or by when you want them finished. This is particularly common if you are under a lot of pressure as well!
Step 2 – Start to investigate what the root cause could be.
Did the employee start off well and had been doing a good job and there has been a change in behaviour? If so, you need to understand what has changed in their world either in the work or home environment. It could be that a new employee is taking up lots of their time, they dislike someone or they could be being bullied. On the other hand, it could be stress from home, a split from a partner, or lack of sleep due to specific factors.
Also, consider whether or not they could be feeling challenged enough in their role.
Step 3 – Look at how are you measuring their output
Before you decide if they aren’t doing the work they should, have a look at how you are measuring their output and how you are delegating to them. This will help you ascertain if they not working, not doing what you want them to do, or have too much on their plate. By this stage, you should be on the way to knowing what the situation is and defining the solution.
Step 4 – Look at your own management skills
Before you blame the employee, look at yourself first. It is quite common for managers to become complacent and stop managing team members because they know they are good at what they do, and do not need to be told or ‘managed’ or things get so busy you haven’t spent much time with your team. The trouble is, this can result in reduced communication and gives time and space for problems to build up unchecked, that is until issues suddenly smack you in the face!
Step 5 – Address the problem
Now you’ve done some investigating, now is the time to talk to the employee and encourage them to share what is going on.
One way to start the conversation is to ask them how they plan their day (in fact I would recommend that for everyone). If they have lots of tasks to do, find out how they are prioritising and how they are managing their workload.
It could be that they simply have too many things to do, dislike particular tasks (so leave them until last and then they never get completed) or maybe they need more training to do something quicker. There’s a great section on where to focus your time on our blog ‘Prioritising your time in your business’
If the problem has been going on for quite a while, and you’ve had the above conversations and there are no specific reasons for their lack of output or motivation, then it’s time to dig out their job description and look at KPIs.
Going over their job description is a great way to refresh their memory (and yours) of what is expected of them. This is a good exercise to do every 6 months with the whole team as job roles may also need revising.
Have clearly defined Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in place so they know how they are measured by the business. Your team may well be working hard on things that they identify as being important, when in fact they are outside of what you want them to do. So many managers complain that their team is not doing what they expect yet have not told them what is expected of them!
During all of the discussions with the employee, use constructive language. If they don’t know what they are not doing or what you expect, you need to explain it based on the tasks and business focus to avoid comments becoming personal, and never ever get angry with them no matter how frustrated you might feel.
How to deal with employees who still do not want to work?
It might be you’ve tried all of the above and much more, if all else fails, you can always resort to the disciplinary route. My advice is always to get guidance from an HR Consultant first!
Step 6 – Don’t neglect your team
When we are busy, our teams can often get neglected. The problem is, over time a minor issue has a chance to fester, so the key is to nip niggles in the bud.
Make sure you schedule a time to have regular catchups with each of your team members, and not just when you want them to do something! Ensure to include time to have a general chat too. The idea is that in this regular meeting, your employee will feel comfortable telling you what is on their mind. This way, you have an opportunity to discuss and resolve any problems before they become a big issue.
In summary
When it comes to poor performance within a team, my default is always to look at the 6 steps to deal with employees who do not want to work, and also what I (as the manager) need to do better for example making sure I have been very clear on what I expect from each team member. Remember, no one is perfect and we all have off days and experience situations that can impact our mental state and thus our motivation in work.
The key is to have a good relationship with your team and regular communication is the best route to this. Always personally investigate a situation thoroughly before making assumptions about a team member; particularly if it’s other team members are saying that “so and so, is not doing their job,” This ensures you are being fair and being a great manager, after all, it’s a good leader who gets the very best out of their team!
My specialist coaching area is team performance, so if you need professional support please contact me at 07771 544 072 or email rupertturton@actioncoach.com
