Letting the wrong people hang around is unfair to all the right people.
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This week’s question comes from Tracy:
All but one person on my team is a rock star. I've been a strong advocate since becoming their manager 18 months ago. But I have one employee who is underperforming. Despite my efforts to coach, train and remove barriers, he is still missing deadlines, delivering sub-par work, and constantly rehashing old problems rather than focusing on solutions. He's at retirement age but hasn't indicated he plans to retire. He receives a good salary and excellent benefits, and it's clear to me (and others) that he is coasting. My next move is to engage HR and put him on a formal performance improvement plan. But he is beloved by many, including his former manager who is now my boss. I'm not sure I have the support to go in this direction, and I'm not sure it's worth the consequences for me. Any advice?
Tracy, you've clearly done a lot of work here.
Before you go to HR, I'd ask one question.
Is he underperforming, or does he just not want what you want?
Those can look similar. They're not.
Some people don't want to grow, advance, or become top performers. They do the job well, contribute, and go home at 5.
And that’s just fine.
Now, missing deadlines and consistently delivering subpar work is clearly a performance issue that needs to be addressed.
What waiting actually costs you
I've managed people who were genuinely holding the team back.
They weren't delivering. They created friction. They made everyone else's job harder.
Ignoring it is worse than taking action because it shows your team that kind of behavior is allowed.
My best people noticed first. They wondered why they were being held to a standard someone else wasn't. Resentment grew. Sometimes, good people left.
So I learned not to wait too long.
Sometimes you have to lose one person before you lose the people you most want to keep.
4 actions before you file anything
1. Have the frank conversation first
I know you’ve already mentioned coaching and training him. If you haven’t already, ask him:
Do you still want to be here?
Is something getting in the way of your best work?
What support do you need from me?
Then listen.
A 2022 UK Civil Service workplace trial found that training managers to have more developmental, supportive performance conversations made those conversations more purposeful and constructive.
You may uncover something important. Or you may confirm what you already suspect.
Either way, you'll know more.
2. Agree on what changes, and by when
Now, this is the important part:
End that conversation with 3 specific commitments.
The deadlines he needs to hit.
The quality bar he needs to clear.
The old problems he needs to stop relitigating.
Put a date on all 3. Send it to him in an email the same day.
Then follow up.
You'll know whether you have a coaching problem or a willingness problem. Those need different answers, and right now it sounds like you're guessing.
3. Bring your boss in as an advisor
A 2023 Academy of Management study found that supervisors who actively sought others' opinions were more likely to hear people speak up.
Don't start with:
“Can I put him on a PIP?”
Try:
“This is what I'm seeing. This is what I've tried. You managed him for years. What am I missing?”
You're not asking your boss to choose sides. You're looking for context.
4. Ask HR about your options
A PIP is one option. It's not automatically the only one.
Ask about a role change. Redesigned responsibilities. A phased retirement or exit, where appropriate. A negotiated departure. And a formal performance plan.
A 2024 meta-analysis covering more than 20,000 employees found that changing aspects of a job was associated with better well-being and more positive attitudes toward work.
Try this today
Open a blank page.
Write down three expectations of his role he's currently missing, with a date and specific example for each.
Don't send it anywhere.
Bring it to your next 1:1 with your boss and ask:
“What would you do?”
You may not get the answer you want.
But you'll find out where you stand. And that's the information you're missing right now.
Until next time, keep being brilliant,
Justin
P.S. Physical alarm clock or phone alarm? Hit reply, I'm curious.
Keep leading forward,
Justin
