6 Proven Consequences for Employees Who Do Not Meet Expectations

Jul 13

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Introduction

Consequences are vital to the success and the culture of a functioning workplace. Consequences, or incentives, surround us constantly in the modern world. However, the line between positive and negative expectations is thin, and for many managers, giving effective negative feedback can be daunting. Some may not even know what negative consequences they have at their disposal, short of firing an employee.

This article aims to outline a few approaches managers can take to improve Managers can punish as they see fit but hold the responsibility to give out consequences appropriately. A workplace with too many negative consequences is driven by fear, not the want to do better; this results in workers doing “just enough” to not be punished. Workplaces with too few. It is crucial to ensure that the negative consequences you give out are not punitive but productive; consider how your employee will be more successful. For example, underperforming employees should be put on a performance plan, not have their salaries cut.

Setting Clear Expectations

Employees must clearly understand what you expect from them in your workplace. Ideally, these expectations would be communicated when an employee is first hired; however, it is never too late if that understanding is not established. Talk to your team, make clear how you expect your workplace to be run, your employees to act, and work to be done. Without this, an employee can not be expected to meet a standard they are unaware of, even if the expectations are self-evident to you.

Listed below are 6 consequences, in no particular order, that managers can use to bolster the productivity of struggling employees.

6 Consequences for Employees Who Do Not Meet Expectations

Informal 1:1 Conversation

It seems obvious, but a direct private conversation can influence team members greatly. Asking employees for 1:1 meetings shows them that you are paying attention and caring about their performance. Even mentioning the potential for a private conversation can have a noticeable effect on an employee as it suggests that their productivity is less desirable. An informal discussion should always be a manager’s first step when confronting an underperforming employee.

Formal Warnings

Formal Warnings are another effective way to try and improve performance in employees who continue to perform poorly. The content of the warnings varies case by case; some may bring into question future performance benefits, mention performance improvement plans, or even threaten termination. No matter what you decide, the effect is to show your employee the severity of the situation, but make it clear that you are available to help them improve.

Closer Management

If an employee has been struggling, a simple fix is to take a more personal approach to your management of that employee. Check-in on them regularly and closely follow the work they do. It may feel like micromanagement, but your presence will help motivate them and ensure they are doing everything right.

Work Allocation

When employees are struggling with the tasks they are currently assigned, it may be beneficial to change the difficulty of their work. Allocating them to more straightforward, mundane, and repeatable tasks will show that you are unsatisfied with the work they were doing with higher levels of responsibility. Make it clear that their assignments will become more complex and diverse if they show they can perform at a higher level.

Performance Improvement Plan

A performance improvement plan is another effective way to improve employee performance. An employee performance improvement plan is a basic with a timeline and benchmarks that employees must meet. It is essential that employees fully understand that failure to meet the expectations outlined in the plan will result in their termination.

Impact Future Performance Benefits

If an employee has continued to perform below standard even after continued efforts to improve their performance, managers can cut or reduce some benefits. This may come in the form of a reduction in salary, loss of a bonus, demotion, etc. Regardless of the consequence, it is important to make clear that if performance still does not improve, you will have no option but to terminate the employee.

Conclusion

These 6 consequences aim to assign consequences to employees that help them improve their performance. However, as mentioned before, consequences are ineffective in a workplace that does not have clear expectations for employees to meet. They also cannot be used too frequently. Managers need to know when and when not to punish employees. Employees can commonly have home or non-work-related difficulties you may not know about. A workplace run by negative consequences promotes fear of those consequences and does not nurture productivity.