One Bad Apple.

1st July 2010

One thing I often find when I start working with a new business, is that there is invariably at least one employee who is not pulling their weight, and who is hoping that so long as they maintain the status quo, no-one will notice. They realise they are on to a cushy number, and are being paid, often quite well, to do essentially very little. The trouble is, that on the face of it whilst they may appear to be hanging on to a key role within the business, probably more because they have been with the business for a long time (and therefore must know how it works), than through actual merit. In fact they are avoiding the key issues that need to be dealt with, and blaming other people and other events for their own shortcomings.
In my experience, the business owner is often aware of this situation, but is afraid to face up to it and sort it out, because it seems easier to leave things as they are. Furthermore, to justify this to themselves, they often find excuses and reasons for why this person is not performing, thereby justifying their decision not to confront the issue.
One bad apple can bring an entire business down. These things need to be faced up to and resolved. Often it is the fear of having to explain to someone that they simply are not up to the job which stops the owner from sorting it out, that and the obvious need to fill the vacancy with someone new.
The simple facts are that unless you deal with these situations you are simply allowing a problem to grow and possibly ultimately explode in your face. In fact by removing someone from a position for which they are not suited more often than not you not only benefit your own business, but you allow that person to find a job to which they are suited, and where they no longer feel the stress and strain of being someone that they are not.

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