On the Brink of Failure: HR to the Manager’s Rescue

Falcone, author of a number of SHRMStore best-sellers, including 101 Tough Conversations to Have with Employees and 101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems, is senior director, Human Resources , at Grifols BioScience. He offered his tips at SHRM’s Annual Conference and Exposition, held recently in Chicago.

Falcone set up a scenario of a sales manager, Wilma, who works behind closed doors, arrives late, leaves early, holds few if any group meetings, brings her children to the office, gives little if any feedback, appears overwhelmed, appears fearful, avoids confrontation at all costs, and …

Bills the company for her lunches and tacks on salads that she brings home whenever she orders a pizza for the sales team.

She has a boss (Fred) who uses foul language constantly, is described as abrupt, rude, in-your-face, and confrontational, manages by fear and intimidation, believes he should have his boss’s job, and …

Told an older sales rep (new hire) that he wanted her Depends so that he could watch a football game without having to get up off the couch.

Here’s how Falcone recommends proceeding:

Day 1 (AM): Conduct the Internal Investigation

• Interview the director with the VP present.
• Interview the Fred with the director present.
• Interview each supervisor including Wilma with the director present (not Fred).
• Interview several key sales reps with the director present (not Fred or Wilma).

Day 1 (PM): Share What You Find

HR and the director then provide feedback individually to Fred and Wilma and learn their side of the story.

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Day 1 (PM): Broker a Truce for the 1-on-1 Meeting

Next, you gain agreement from Fred and Wilma as to how you plan on handling the group meeting the next day, and explain your expectations of that individual’s role in being part of the solution.

Message to Manager (Wilma):
This is what the group believes is happening, this is what it feels like to them, and this is what some of them witnessed …

I want to hear about what you believe is occurring between you and Fred, but bear in mind that I’ll be telling him everything you tell me later this afternoon when he and I meet.

I’ll then meet with him to hear his side of the story in detail and will share all of his specifics with you before the end of the night.

This way, both of you will know what the other’s issues are, and you can sleep on it and prepare to resolve this in our group meeting tomorrow.

Tomorrow, the director and I will be holding two meetings: The first will be only with you and Fred, and the second one will be with you, Fred, and the whole team.

In the one-on-one meeting, I’ll remind you both that you already know the “what” of his issues; in this meeting, we’ll simply be focusing on the “how” of making things better.

As such, there won’t be any need for attacking or defending. We’re simply coming together as adults to solve this problem.

We’ll also be sharing with Fred tonight how things look from your perspective, what you’d like to see change in his behavior, and what you’re willing to change about your own conduct to improve things dramatically and establish a successful turnaround.

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Note that we still haven’t decided how to approach your specific performance and behavior, or Fred’s, and I’m guessing that there will be serious corrective action involved.

What I’d like you think about tonight is …

• What do you want to share with Fred in light of the issues he’s surfaced regarding your leadership and the problems plaguing you?
• How serious are you about your role at our company?
• What are you willing to commit to in order to engage in a total turnaround of both group performance and individual communication?

Remember, Wilma, I want to be supportive here, but this is going to take a tremendous effort to turn around. In addition, your job could be in serious jeopardy if this doesn’t work.

And you don’t want to get terminated after 5 years with our company—not in this job market. A resignation may make more sense so that you could launch your job search on your own terms.

Please give this all some serious thought. I’ll be available in the morning if you want to meet with me before the 9 a.m.. meeting with Fred.

Message to Supervisor (Fred):
Hold this same type of one-on-one meeting with the problem supervisor following the identical structure and format.

In tomorrow’s Advisor, Falcone’s next steps, plus an introduction to the guide specially tailored to the small—or even one-person—HR department.