How do you deal with an employee who doesn't honor his/her own commitment often? If you have faced a similar situation before, share your success story dealing with such an employee.
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I would start with a direct 1:1 conversation to discuss the specific issue and align on expectations. Be prepared with specific examples that include the behavior/situation and the resulting consequence. I'd also be sure to approach this initial conversation with a mindset of curiosity vs. judgment since there may be other issues at play that you're unaware of (personal setbacks, unsustainable workload, communication obstacles). Using language that demonstrates compassion and concern ("I care about your professional growth and have noticed something getting in your way recently. Can you help me understand your perspective?") can go a long way toward helping someone open up about what's really going vs. becoming defensive.
I tend to believe, for the most part, that people do well when they are able to, so it's a matter of finding the right tools/resources/coaching/role, etc. to enable their success.
I get very specific with detailing out their accountabilities and then meet regularly to check on status. If that doesn't work then I put them on a performance improvement plan which is an official process that if not followed and achieved can lead to dismissal. It's so important to ensure you are truly managing and keeping people accountable because if not it tends to frustrate and poison the team culture if one is not meeting their commitments.
If none of the above ideas work, then assign a coach and make the person sign the contract with commitment goals :)
1. Communicate: Have a one-on-one conversation with the employee and discuss the issue. Ask them why they are not able to honor their commitments and if there is anything you can do to help them.
2. Set clear expectations: Make sure the employee understands the importance of meeting their commitments and set clear expectations for what is expected of them.
3. Follow up: Check in with the employee regularly to see how they are progressing and if they are meeting their commitments.
4. Provide support: Offer support and resources to help the employee meet their commitments. This could include additional training or coaching.
5. Hold them accountable: If the employee continues to not honor their commitments, hold them accountable for their actions. This could include disciplinary action or termination if necessary.
Prashant, I think this is exactly the right framework. The one thing I would add is that you need to consider culture as well. Particularly if the issue seems to be persistent, it could be a lack of common understanding, or the forum of how the task is being assigned. For example, in certain cultures it could be considered disrespectful to push back on a manager in a larger meeting forum such as a staff meeting. Follow up 1:1 is the most critical in all cases to make sure expectations are clear.
Being a firm believer in being a mentor before being a supervisor, I will start with understanding whether employee has good understanding of their role and how does it contribute to overall department/company goals. Making a trust based initiative first, i will then delve into employee's performance in next 1-1s and notice improvement if any. Putting an employee on a PIP is a last but necessary resort if mentorship and trust based management doesnt show any improvement.