Delivering bad news is one of the most difficult things to do when running an organization. The conversation can be awkward, stilted and quite simply terrible when it comes to disciplining staff, delivering negative performance reviews, or the worst – having to let someone go.

Whatever the reason for delivering bad news, initiating this type of conversation would be hard for anyone. Here we offer a few tips on how to navigate through difficult situations when disciplining an employee, and steps that should be taken prior to sitting down and starting the conversation.

Step #1 Prepare

The first step is to make sure you prepare for the conversation.  Before you approach the employee, make sure you have all the information you need. Most importantly, you need to have all the facts. You need to know and understand the situation. Ask lots of questions such as: how the decision was made, who was consulted, what other possibilities were discussed, and the rationale behind the final outcome. If anything seems remiss or you’re unsure of the facts, seek further information. You want to make sure you approach the situation confidently and correctly.

Step #2 Communicate

The next step is to approach the disciplinary action as an opportunity to improve performance. Be positive and take the time to discuss what the employee is doing right and clearly outline areas of improvement. Some examples that may require improvement include: communication skills, leadership ability or even personal hygiene. Clearly explain the issue, next steps on how to make it better and what the consequences will be if performance and/or behaviour does not improve.

Step #3 Document

The last and most important step is to leave a paper trail. If an employee continues to exhibit poor performance after receiving a verbal warning, managers should issue written documentation. This document should detail all previous attempts to improve or change behaviour. By the time this step is reached, the employee should understand that they may face termination if the behaviour continues, but should still be given a chance to meet the expectations.

Eventually, every manager will find themselves delivering bad news to their staff. Overall, a difficult conversation has to be just that – a conversation. Both parties should have the opportunity to state their case. Give employees an opportunity to explain and vent. It should not be a debate. Once you’ve delivered the news and explained the decision-making process, always ask the individual or group for a reaction. It’s part of your role to absorb some of the emotion and to empathize with the situation. Once this is done, it’s easier to move on to next steps to improve the situation.

This month’s topic is an interesting one, as we look at identifying the characteristics of a top performing employee. Working in this industry for so many years, our consultants have developed a checklist to help us identify potential top performers. 

However, before we can venture into that, we must first decide on a clear definition of what a top performing employee is. Is it someone who shows up on time, excels at communication, or is a natural leader? All of these are great skills to have, but certain skills are valued more depending on the role of the employee.

For our purposes, let’s agree that a top performer is an ideal combination of the aforementioned indicators – equally smart, capable and enthusiastic, with the ability to become an influential leader. Working in this industry for so many years, our consultants have developed a checklist to help us identify potential top performers. That list includes a variety of traits that easily define a top performer; and here they are:

Four Traits Top Performing Employees Share

Work Ethic:

Having a strong work ethic is a characteristic that every employer would want in a future employee. A valued employee is not simply the person who is willing to work hard; they are the employee who searches out ways to contribute most. A person with a great work ethic would have a history of demonstrating their willingness to contribute, as well as a desire to lead and come up with ideas on their own.

Skills development:

A clear sign of a good employee and one you can identify simply by looking at their resume is someone who has and continues to improve their skills to become even better. These employees continually look for ways to learn and grow personally and professionally, in a way that helps the growth of the organization.

Cool under pressure:

Confidence is a great trait that translates positively into any potential role or career path. Having confidence gives top performers the ability to clearly analyze situations and solve problems – especially in roles that involve tight deadlines. Having the ability to be cool as a cucumber even in the stickiest of situations – is a quality someone on your team should always possess.

Good people skills:

Top performers tend to have larger professional networks than your typical workers. They realize the importance of “who you know” and how it can often help advance a career. When necessary, they will call on their contacts inside and outside the company for knowledge and insight into how to approach a problem or for general support. They don’t necessarily have to be an extrovert, but they should understand the value of nurturing professional relationships.

These four traits top performing employees share are just a few of the traits we look for when seeking out candidates, however, it’s not always easy to identify these traits simply by looking at a resume or conducting an interview. So it’s very important to have the ability to pick up clues from a resume, such as length of service, and to craft your interview questions accordingly. Working with a seasoned human resources consultant to develop a strategy will give you the advantage and knowledge you need to recruit top performers for your team.

To understand the secrets behind employee retention, you have to figure out what will get your employees excited to come to work in the morning.

It could be anything from friendships with coworkers, the abundance of snacks and coffee in the communal kitchen or great perks such as an annual bonus strategy or a flexible work from home policy. These small things are all very important aspects of your organizations employee retention strategy, because there is no one thing that will keep your best employees for years to come.

In helping our clients develop a formal employee retention plan, Fusion Career Services asserts that it should be built on these guiding principles:

1.  Have Strong Leaders and Managers

It doesn’t matter how many perks your organization has, in order for your employees to stay successful, they’re going to need strong leaders. A strong leader will not only motivate their employees but will also encourage their growth and cultivate loyalty.

2.  Illustrate Growth Potential

Never stop offering your employees the opportunity to grow. It’s not enough to simply have a great employee culture and perks, they want the chance to move up – so give it to them. This is especially true when hiring recent grads. They may start a new role full of excitement, but don’t expect them to stay after a few years if a clear career path has not been developed for them.

3. Always Acknowledge Achievements

Outside of monetary rewards, employees want to be recognized for their work. In recent years, the existence of rewards programs for employees has become very popular and is something that many people are looking for when considering new employment options. The amount of effort put into a program like this does not have to be large, but the constant recognition ensures that employees feel appreciated and helps to promote loyalty.

4. Hire Well

This may seem like an obvious recommendation, but it bears repeating over and over again that employee retention starts with hiring. The consequences of a bad hire can have a negative ripple effect across the organization and could cause some of your best employees to leave. It is also a waste of valuable resources that could be used to train an employee that has long term growth potential at your company or someone who could be a valuable part of succession planning.

5. Give your Employees a Voice

Listening to your employees and what they have to say can help to strengthen employee relations and encourages a better, more respected work environment. A company’s executives should not be the only ones leading and a part of the conversation. Involving the rest of the organization will result in more buy-in and more ideas. These types of conversations can happen during a formal review period or informally during weekly team meetings.

Truly, there is no real secret to retaining your employees. The best approach to take is to always consider what you can do to keep your best people and then make it a priority. Putting some thought into whether your employees are happy and how you can facilitate even more job satisfaction will always be time well spent in retaining the best employees.