You’re the manager, boss or owner and a particular employee has been costing you through poor performance… again.
It’s hard not to lose sleep when your bottom line is on the line, but the most important thing you can do is take action.
Here, we set out an example so you can learn how to nip this issue in the bud:
Judy is an accounts receivables clerk at AZY Builders, owned by Bill. She works the same 3 days a week, and has been there for 2 years. She started as a casual and still calls herself a casual. She doesn’t have a contract.
Bill has recently been concerned by the quality of Judy’s performance. She is also never at work on time.
- Judy is NOT a casual, but rather permanent part-time
- Judy is entitled to annual leave
- Judy should receive a warning
How JFM Law helped AZY deal with poor performance
- We prepared a script for Bill to read to Judy.
- We constructed a warning letter for Bill to give Judy. Judy told Bill she was a casual and left.
- We prepared a letter for Bill to give to Judy, saying she had abandoned her employment.
- There was no response from Judy. A week later, we prepared a letter from Bill to Judy confirming her employment had been terminated.
Important lessons
- All employees MUST have a contract
- Performance meetings must be recorded properly
- Always follow up a meeting with a letter or email
- Act promptly and fairly
- Provide the employee with time to respond
If you follow these important points, you will find that you can deal with, or even avoid, poor performance efficiently and with the least repercussions.
Contact JFM Law on (02) 9199 8597 for a no obligation chat. If you would rather get in contact through email, send your question through or by email at wehelp@jfmlaw.com.au.
The information contained in this post is current at the date of editing – 19 January 2024.
