What should I do when I'm having performance issues with one of my team members?

Best Practices

Document Specific Examples
Instead of “bad attitude,” cite the actual behaviors (e.g., “rolled eyes at supervisor when assigned a task” or “spoke in a hostile tone to team members”).
Use dates and specific examples plus supporting evidence like who was there as a witness or screenshots if possible. We want to use evidence to support what we're saying.
Link to Policy
Our handbook’s Standards of Conduct section covers a lot of topics.
Focus on Improvement, Not Just Punishment
State the impact on the team and expectations moving forward. The employee has the opportunity to improve.
Keep it Progressive
A verbal warning is the lowest formal step and signals the need to improve before written warnings or suspension.

Documenting and coaching employees is really important for our business! If you are unsure of what to do in a certain situation, contact HR (Makayla Plummer) or Margo Guevara.

The performance improvement and disciplinary processes may include one or more of the following elements:

Have a conversation. You and your employee will discuss their performance—what they do well, and where the employee can improve if there is a problem.
Coaching and Verbal Warning. If the problem continues or if a new issue or problem arises, you will discuss the problem with the employee in a coaching session and offer appropriate assistance needed to correct the situation. We have a Coaching Form to complete about the situation. The manager will follow up with a Verbal Warning document that outlines what was discussed and agreed upon during the coaching session.
Second Coaching and Written Warning. If the problem continues or if a new issue or problem arises, you will meet with the employee again. This discussion is referred to as disciplinary counseling and is documented with a Written Warning document and action plan for performance (also known as a Performance Improvement Plan, or PIP) that is given to the employee and included in their personnel file. The employee will be provided with an opportunity to comment in writing. While working on the action plan, the employee may not be eligible for job posting. While an employee is on Written Warning, they will not be eligible for favorable personnel actions such as salary increases or monetary incentive programs such as a yearend cash bonus program.
Probation, if needed. If the problem continues or if a new issue or problem arises, the employee could be placed on Probation. This discussion is documented in writing and will be included in your personnel file. Probation is only offered to employees with one or more years of service. As a manager, you will discuss a plan of correction with the employee and a specific date or period of time for your compliance with the plan of correction. The employee will be provided a copy of the probation notice. While on probation, employees are not eligible for favorable personnel actions such as salary increases.
In extreme cases, One-Time Warning. In some cases when a performance issue or misconduct is especially severe, you may issue a One-Time Warning, without prior coaching or disciplinary steps, indicating that if issues occur in the future; your employment could be immediately terminated without further warning.
Termination as needed. If the problem continues or a new issue or problem arises, employment is subject to Termination.

In serious cases situations of unsatisfactory performance or misconduct like theft, misuse of customer information, physical threats or violence, drug/alcohol abuse, etc., employees may be terminated or suspended.

If you have decided to document an employee, please send a copy of the document to the employee who is being written up and also to HR. It is really important that we have these documents on file with HR.

Below are the forms for each underlined document.

¡Documentar y entrenar a los empleados es realmente importante para nuestro negocio! Si no está seguro de qué hacer en una situación determinada, comuníquese con Recursos Humanos (Makayla Plummer).

Los procesos disciplinarios y de mejora del desempeño pueden incluir uno o más de los siguientes elementos:

Tener una conversación. Usted y su empleado discutirán su desempeño: qué hacen bien y dónde puede mejorar el empleado si hay un problema.
Coaching y Advertencia Verbal. Si el problema continúa o si surge un nuevo problema, discutirá el problema con el empleado en una sesión de entrenamiento y ofrecerá la asistencia adecuada necesaria para corregir la situación. El gerente hará un seguimiento con un documento de Advertencia Verbal que describe lo que se discutió y acordó durante la sesión de coaching.
Segundo Entrenamiento y Advertencia por Escrito. Si el problema continúa o si surge una nueva cuestión o problema, se reunirá nuevamente con el empleado. Esta discusión se conoce como asesoramiento disciplinario y se documenta con un documento de Advertencia por Escrito y un plan de acción para el desempeño (también conocido como Plan de mejora del desempeño o PIP) que se entrega al empleado y se incluye en su expediente personal. El empleado tendrá la oportunidad de hacer comentarios por escrito. Mientras trabaja en el plan de acción, es posible que el empleado no sea elegible para un anuncio de trabajo. Mientras un empleado esté bajo advertencia por escrito, no será elegible para acciones favorables para el personal, como aumentos salariales o programas de incentivos monetarios, como un programa de bonificación en efectivo de fin de año.
Libertad condicional, si es necesario. Si el problema continúa o si surge una nueva cuestión o problema, el empleado podría ser puesto en un Periodo de Prueba. Esta discusión se documenta por escrito y se incluirá en su expediente personal. El Periodo de Prueba solo se ofrece a empleados con uno o más años de servicio. Como gerente, discutirá un plan de corrección con el empleado y una fecha o período de tiempo específico para su cumplimiento del plan de corrección. El empleado recibirá una copia del aviso de Periodo de Prueba. Mientras están en período de prueba, los empleados no son elegibles para acciones de personal favorables, como aumentos salariales.
En casos extremos, Advertencia Unica. En algunos casos, cuando un problema de desempeño o una mala conducta es especialmente grave, usted puede emitir una Advertencia Unica, sin capacitación previa ni medidas disciplinarias, indicando que si ocurren problemas en el futuro; su empleo podría ser terminado inmediatamente sin previo aviso.
Terminación según sea necesario. Si el problema continúa o surge una nueva cuestión o problema, el empleo está sujeto a Terminación.

En casos graves, situaciones de desempeño insatisfactorio o mala conducta como robo, uso indebido de la información del cliente, amenazas o violencia física, abuso de drogas/alcohol, etc., los empleados pueden ser despedidos o suspendidos.

Si ha decidido documentar a un empleado, envíe una copia del documento al empleado que se está redactando y también a HR. Es realmente importante que tengamos estos documentos archivados en Recursos Humanos.

A continuación se muestran los formularios para cada documento subrayado.

Verbal Warning.docx.pdf

Verbal Warning

Written Warning.docx.pdf

Written Warning

One Time Warning.docx.pdf

One-Time Warning

Termination Notice.docx.pdf

Termination Notice

Write-Ups

If you are writing up an employee and have a question, please send an email to Makayla Plummer and Margo Guevara.

Basic Information
Employee: Enter the full name of the employee being written up.
Supervisor: Enter your full name as the manager issuing the warning.
Date: Provide the date the warning is being issued (the date you will talk to the employee and have the employee sign the form).
Indicate Reason Code for Notice
Misconduct concerns the employee's behavior and requires fault in the form of intention or negligence- examples would be clocking out from home or theft. Unsatisfactory performance is a species of incapacity and relates to an employee's capacity to perform a job function up to the standard required by the employer. "UNS - Unsatisfactory Performance / Behavior" - this will be the most common issue.
Document Specific Performance Issues (Under "You Are Being Placed on a Written Warning For the Following")
Provide specific examples of the employee’s underperformance with dates of occurrences. These should be within a reasonable timeframe.
List Required Improvements
Clearly define the actions the employee needs to take to improve. This should be detailed and measurable so both the employee and the company have clear expectations.

Example: "Follow all instructions provided by your supervisor without resistance or refusal. Ensure that all assigned tasks, such as ___, are completed thoroughly and promptly. Demonstrate a positive and professional attitude when receiving feedback."

Set Expectations for Immediate and Sustained Improvement
Use the standard language on the form to emphasize that the employee is expected to demonstrate immediate and continuous improvement. Make it clear that failure to meet these expectations may result in further disciplinary action or termination.
Employee Comments
Allow the employee the opportunity to share their thoughts on the warning and expectations outlined. This section is for the employee to voice any concerns or provide context.
Signatures
Both the supervisor and employee should sign and date the form to acknowledge the conversation and understanding of expectations.
Form Distribution
Once complete, distribute the form as follows:
Send the original to HR for official records or provide a copy to HR.
The employee should also have a copy of the document.
Provide a copy to the employee for reference.

Let me know if you need any additional support while completing the form, or if you have questions on how to handle this process!

If for some reason the employee refuses to sign the form, note that on the form and continue to provide them with a copy.

This process is intended to be positive- we want our communication to give the employee the opportunity to fix unacceptable behavior and guide them to our standards.

Terminations

If you are terminating an employee, please send an email to Makayla Plummer and Margo Guevara.

We will need: Employee's Name, Employee's Last Day, and Reason for Termination/Leaving.
Additional information that is helpful: Would you rehire this employee? Anything we should remember about this employee in the future?

Please send this ASAP!!

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