Why You Don't Need To Fire Your Under-Performing Team Member Yet, and What To Do Instead
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What should you do if your team members aren't meeting your expectations?
Do you let them go and start the process of looking for a replacement?
Host a performance review?
Take away the bulk of their responsibilities?
Wait for them to get frustrated and quit?
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend ANY of these strategies.
Sometimes, it's not that simple. Firing someone who doesn't seem to "get it" seems like the easier choice, but is it really?
If you're the owner of your business, there's a few things you need to consider before ending a relationship with a team member (which could actually cost you more time and effort in the long run).
So when you're feeling frustrated about a team member, ask yourself:
What did you do to train them for the role they're in?
Do you have documented processes they can easily reference?
Are there any other resources you can provide to support them?
You'd be surprised what you'll learn from answering these few simple questions! Sometimes it's not about them — it's about you.
In this blog, we're covering a topic I'm super passionate about: Deciding when to re-onboard team members and exactly how to do it.
If you run a team, or even if you plan to in the future, this is for you!
One major sign that a team member needs to be re-onboarded
Now, this could go a few different ways, but when you notice a team member isn't living up to your standards, it's helpful if you evaluate whether or not you even communicated your standards to begin with.
Because how can you expect them to meet expectations if they haven't been given clear, direct benchmarks to meet and SOPs to follow?
And I get it, processes change and evolve over time as your firm grows and you go through different seasons of business.
But it's important to remember to document the imperfect process and then UPDATE it as you go!
It's not realistic to expect your team to read your mind, or that they should just know how to do the job, even if they're an incredible bookkeeper. They still need to be told how to do the job for YOU.
If you notice someone going off track or letting things slip through the cracks, you might need to set aside your ego and evaluate how you can better support them, not the other way around.
What to do when your team member's performance is a little meh
Once you decide that this team member is a good fit, but needs a refresher (or finally get proper training) on how you'd like them to do their job, it's time to do some prep work!
Schedule a meeting with them to talk about your decision to re-train them. Keep in mind that this conversation could come as a surprise to them, so it's best to give them space to take it all in and respond.
Bring your KPIs and metrics to the meeting. This is super helpful for giving them a visual to say "Hey, this task isn't meant to take more than two hours, but your time tracking report says it takes three hours each time. The expectation is two, so how can we help you get there?"
Let them know they'll have the opportunity to be re-trained for their position because YOU failed to set them up for success in the first place. I know it's hard to admit when you're wrong, but it’s important to recognize this. Especially when you're the boss! But it's the right thing to do if this team member has been struggling due to a lack of information/systems/training.
Put them through an onboarding program and set timeframes for a post-training evaluation. We do 4 weeks for the training and assess the KPIs after 90 days. This onboarding situation doesn't have to be fancy. You don't need to create a full program with video trainings and workbooks and bells and whistles. At least, not right away 😉
Schedule a check-in a few months after they've been re-onboarded. If they're still not meeting your expectations, they might not be a good fit. And that WILL be the case sometimes, but it's usually worth the effort to go through the process of giving them the right tools for the job first!
I've personally seen success from following these exact steps with a team member here at Workflow Queen. And it's something I recommend to our Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants students on the regular. I can't tell you how many times I've coached other firm owners on creating an internal training program to revive one of their team members! I'm such an advocate for this method, I have several lessons dedicated to it in the program.
How to create a positive re-onboarding experience
Ready to create an internal training program, or at least give some more structure to your current onboarding process?
In order for this to be a success, it's all about information and accessibility.
Create SOPs for as much as you can (but remember, you can also build these out over time)
Store resources, tools, and guides in one central hub, like Notion
Provide your team member with a private way to contact you with questions, we do this in Slack
Keep track of their progress and document mistakes that happen along the way
Take note of any questions that come up as they go through the training (so you can add the answers in for next time)
It's truly up to you to decide whether or not this approach will work for you and your team member. If your gut says that they're just not the right fit, then you might be right. But if this team member IS a culture fit, they’re go-getters and ambitious, chances are they can be successful once they get their hands on the right resources.
Information is power, amiright?!
And if re-onboarding your team members sounds like an aligned solution for you OR if you'd love to get ahead of the game and create a training program for your future team members...
Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants might be the right place for you. It's not for everyone, but it IS the most high-touch group coaching program in the industry. Because it's PACKED with resources, training, and templates for firm owners who need to make a shift in how they're currently running their firms. Based on my own experiences running a six-figure bookkeeping and tax firm, a seven-figure education business, and starting another bookkeeping and consulting firm from scratch, I've learned a TON along the way. Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants is my way of helping you skip as many headaches and roadblocks as possible, so you can focus on creating the balance between work and life that we all deserve!
Yes, even as a bookkeeping firm owner, you can have a kickass team that knows exactly what needs to get done and when. So you can take vacations during tax season, seriously!
