Demotion or reassigning position
mamhradm
65 Posts
I've been asked to consider demoting a 'lead' employee. This employee was hired as a lead technical person a few months ago. The manager doesn't believe the skills are there and would like to change that (demote, lower pay) - the employee is good worker, but there are no 'supervisory' skills.
What issues should I consider before doing this?
What issues should I consider before doing this?
Comments
Hopefully you may find yourself in the same position one of our managers was in when he had to demote an employee from a lead position. The employee was so relieved that she was removed from the stressful position her attitude and performance increased tenfold. It was just a bad match -- right employee, wrong position.
>was hired as a lead technical person a few months ago. The manager
>doesn't believe the skills are there and would like to change that
>(demote, lower pay) - the employee is good worker, but there are no
>'supervisory' skills.
>
>What issues should I consider before doing this?
If I were you, I would consider the following:
1) What expectations, job requirements and pre-requisites were rolled out to the ee during the interview process and at the point of hire? Were they written and did he have a copy? Who presented them in the process and what was his response to having an ability to accomplish them? Did he mislead you or were you just anxious to hire and did that without full exploration?
2) What evidence in the form of multiple documentations do you have that these are not met? Surely there must be more than a manager's 'feelings'.
3) What evidence do you have that an adequate training period with adequate training has taken place? What does 'a few months ago' mean?
4) What does "manager doesn't believe the skills are there" mean?
5) What coaching has been given to the manager and has he/she been required to go another step or beef up training or employ some sort of evaluative tools other than intuition (he believes)? Is he/she a good mentor to begin with? Does he/she have any prior history of this type of failure? (and that's what it is).
6) Are specific ommissions on the part of the new ee recorded well? Are they serious? Has he been told more than once to correct deficiencies?
7) Have you consulted with other managers or is that appropriate in your case?
8) Have you personally observed the new ee in action for a fair evaluative period of time?
9) Has counseling occurred? If so has the ee failed to perform still? Failed to perform what? Still working to achieve? Unable to progress? Doe eyed?
10) Has the ee been given an opportunity to reduce to writing his own plan of action for improvement or has he failed in a performance improvement period?
11) What is the ee's reaction to being coached and has he been told that his performance is not meeting expectations? What was his reaction? Who was present?
It costs a lot of money to recruit, hire and train a new employee. Lastly, I know I would be asking "How could this happen?" "How did our interview/selection process fail us and this new ee?"
There won't have been much documentation. The facility was 'manned' with contract workers that would roll to full-time employees when a new owner was decided.
These are good points, however in this situation, there would have been no training, minimal documentation (this is the first I've heard of it and the manager isn't in the office much to document situations - more of a 'hands-on' person), or coaching/counseling.
I'll try to reinforce why this move would not be a good thing (due to lack of documentation, training, coaching, etc.) and see what happens.
I've been in your situation. Try this with the manager, 'how do you expect the next person to succeed if there are no procedures, documentation, etc. in place?' This doesn't have to be said in a rude way - just asked in the form of a question. Also try, 'if we demote this person, what are we going to say to that person and everyone else they work with?' This is important because the employee will go to all of their co-workers and say, 'what did so and so expect - I never received any coaching/mentoring/guidance - in fact, I never knew they were going to demote me - it came out of left field....'
Demotions are a fact of life - not everyone performs at the 'next level' and it's always hard for the employee. It's easier on the employer however, if the employer knows that they had set policies/procedures and coaching advice a long the way. It's easier because you can say, 'we, as a company, did everything we could to see to it that you succeeded...'
He agreed with me and will move forward with documenting and explaining the criteria expected of the position.
Whew! Thanks for coming thru!!!!!!!!