Employees Who Lack of Skills
Posted in Management & Leadership
When dealing with an employee whom you think is lacking the necessary skills to do a good job, consider if he really lacks the skills or is there another issue which undermines his work performance.
Most managers assume that an employee can't do a job because of lack skills. The real problem according to BusinessTown.com is "centered on sloppiness." And sloppiness, BusinessTown says, can be rectified.
What can be done
Think of what the company can do to improve the employee's skills. Consider the following:
- Having a coworker help bring the problem employee "up to speed"
- Having the employee attend training or a seminar
- Providing the employee with materials and references such as manuals or books
Weighing employee strengths and weaknesses
Managers should ask themselves how essential that deficient skill is within the scope of the job; how the employee fares in the other aspects of his job. BusinessTown gives this example: A shop floor manager may not be great at giving performance reviews but absolutely terrific at scheduling and maintaining production runs and inventory management.
Obviously, his or her strengths far outweigh the weaknesses in effectively carrying out the primary responsibilities of the job. Basically, it alright if your employee is not that efficient in one area, "as long as you are aware of the problem area employee compensates for one skill deficiency with super skill strength."
If all else fails...
If after considering the employee's strengths and weaknesses and providing him with tools to improve his on his skills you still feel that the employee should not keep his post, think about moving him to another department, another area or another level of responsibility.
The upside of this strategy is that first, you already know, or at least have a good idea, about the employee's strengths and weakness, and where he might perform satisfactorily; and second, "it is demoralizing for other employees to see a coworker fired, especially if that employee was trying hard at the job."
Source: BusinessTown.com
