Can this Cleaning Technician Be Fixed?

When a new hire doesn't turn out as expected or an ideal employee's performance suddenly goes astray, what do you do? Can the cleaning technician be fixed? In some cases, additional training or coaching may turn things around; other times, it's beyond repair.

Many owners of residential cleaning companies wrestle with this dilemma and, very often, delay making a decision. Have you let any of these excuses keep you from taking action? I know I have and have lived to regret it.

• You let the issue fester because you like the employee personally
• You are uncomfortable with confrontation
• You don't have time for training or replacing an employee
• You hope the performance issue will work itself out

Avoiding the problem, though, only adds unnecessary stress on you, your staff, your customers, and company revenues.

Can this employee be fixed?

Let's examine how to decide whether a problem cleaning technician can be fixed.

First Things First
Employees need to know what's expected of them. Do you have written policies that outline your employees' roles, your expectations of them, and how corrective/disciplinary action will be handled? Do you regularly provide every employee with performance feedback?

If you answered no to either question, you have work to do. Your first task is to create an employee handbook that includes such information. You'll also want to begin offering regular employee performance evaluations.

Good recordkeeping of everything involving employee performance is also key. Not only will it help in your coaching efforts, it is vital for protecting yourself in case of a lawsuit following a termination.

Finally, routinely train all management and supervisory staff on how to handle problem employees. Everyone should be following the same procedures, so discipline is being applied consistently across the company.

Is the Employee Worth Saving?

To diagnose whether an employee should receive coaching or dismissal, start by conducting a performance appraisal. Assess how well the worker is performing based on the benchmarks established in your employee manual.

To take it a step further, consider rating all employees. Create a graph with the X-axis for skills/performance and the Y-axis for cultural fit. Plot each staffer on the graph to get a clearer picture of your stars and those who may need coaching or to be fired.

Once you've identified a weak employee, do some research. Ask the person's direct supervisor, co-workers and clients for specific examples of problems. Then talk to the employee, face-to-face, to discuss where they are falling short of expectations and how it affects the company as a whole. Ask them to explain why they're having problems. Is there a good reason for what's going on?

With all the facts in front of you, ask yourself whether you'd want to keep this person on your team if their performance improved. If yes, would an investment in training or coaching potentially resolve the issue?

Unless you're dealing with a blatantly fireable offense such as theft or harassment, you may want to start with coaching. Problem employees can become star employees if they have the skills or potential to do the job well, and if they have a desire to succeed.

Coaching Employees for Success

For those employees who you feel are worth fixing, shift into coaching mode. Start the process using the right tone. Don't punish or threaten; coaching is about motivating an employee to improve their performance. Praise in public; correct in private.

In a neutral manner, explain what led to the need for coaching. Avoid generalities (“bad attitude,” “poor performance”) and instead get specific and provide facts.

• Has the employee been late multiple times?
• Have customers complained about work quality?
• Did the employee use inappropriate language with her supervisor or co-workers?
• Include dates, times, and anything you've personally observed.

Ask the employee if they agree there's a problem. If they don't see it after hearing the facts, they may need time to process what they've heard. Only after manager and employee are on the same page about the problem should coaching begin. If they refuse to agree to the issues, they are not coachable.

Next, ask the employee to explain the problems and be receptive to the feedback. Are there procedures that need improvement, inadequate resources, or problems with team culture? If you remain open, you could discover organizational issues that go beyond this individual employee.

This process may also uncover personal problems your employee is facing. By learning about outside factors affecting their performance, you may be able to offer a helping hand—a gesture that could create long-lasting loyalty from the employee.

Whatever the reasons, coaching is also about getting the employee to own at least some responsibility for improvement. Don't tell them what to do, but instead ask them to come up with an action plan. They may offer that they need to—and will—do better, or perhaps you'll agree to a joint solution that involves additional training and some ongoing support from management.

Finish the coaching session by summarizing the discussion and outlining the agreements made for resolving the problems. Define expectations and set timelines for meeting those goals. Keep a written record of the coaching session, signed by the cleaning technician, in the employee's personnel file.

Repeatedly check in with the employee as they work through the agreed-upon action plan. Document all performance-related conversations—what you discuss and what you agree on. If the employee shows steady gains, even if they are small, then continue the coaching process.

[Click here for more about improving poor employee performance]

When to Cut the Cord (The Employee Can't be Fixed)

If improvements are smaller and slower than you'd like, analyze the return on investment on coaching. How long are you willing to invest in correcting the problems? It may be worthwhile if they show potential to become a reliable, long-term staffer, or could grow into a management role.

On the other hand, if it becomes clear the employee simply isn't a good fit for your needs, then termination is necessary.

There are some cases where immediate termination is warranted without coaching. These may include violent behavior, stealing, sexual harassment, racial discrimination, selling or abusing illegal drugs on business property, creating safety risks for employees or customers, insubordination and falsifying legal documents.

No matter the reason for firing an employee, consistently follow your company's policies. If you're in a right-to-work state, you can fire at will, but it's always smart to follow best practices, including progressive discipline. In all scenarios, thorough documentation can provide a solid defense against lawsuits.