Question

Hi, fellow HR practitioners,

How do you handle an underperforming senior employee who also happens to be a friend?

Thank you.

Robert

Reply 1

Will handle in accordance to company guide, any staff with performance issue it should be deal with the proper performance review process, each review must be documented and need to serve the employee with Performance Improvement Plan with a specific target and timeline to review. It should also be clear to the staff that if he/she couldn’t meet the set expectation, their service with the company might be terminated. Such an arrangement is made across all employees.

Karen

Reply 2

The senior employee used to be a friend and underperformer should be treated as HR department should not talk to him directly as it will hurt him while respecting his feelings and integrity let the message of warning/termination come from his line manager to him.

Daudzai

Reply 3

Your question is vague. For example, senior here is it senior in age or position in the company? Examples of underperforming in the job? Last but not least, although the employee is a friend, as an HR practitioner, professionalism and logic need to overrule emotions.

AL