| Not quite sure if your employee is really that bad or | | | | themselves, their work and their job?b. Pretty |
| you are being impulsive? These 16 questions will tell | | | | middle-of-the-road?c. Negative about themselves, life in |
| you what's in your heart. | | | | general, your products, and/or their job? |
| 1. When getting ready to go to work and reviewing my | | | | 13. Is there a change in the way they work from when |
| schedule to see if I am working with them, do I:a. Look | | | | you first hired them?a. Do they still seem bright and |
| forward to it?b. Grin and bear itc. Hate the thought of | | | | shiny and glad to be there each morning?b. Have they |
| working with them | | | | lost some of their enthusiasm but are still engaged?c. |
| 2. When I get to work and I have to give the person | | | | Are they burned out? |
| instruction are they:a. Listening attentively?b. Distracted, | | | | 14. Who has power over who?a. They need the job |
| looking around the room?c. Asking me to repeat | | | | more than I need themb. It's evenly split, they need the |
| myself with the same points I've gone over time and | | | | job and they perform it well.c. I need them more than |
| time again? | | | | they need me. |
| 3. When taking orders from customers do they:a. Get | | | | 15. Have you given them at least one written |
| the order right?b. Occasionally have errors but they | | | | performance review with a deadline when you want |
| catch them?c. Frequently have errors that a | | | | specific changes made that they have had to sign to |
| supervisor or customer notices? | | | | acknowledge the consequences of their actions, |
| 4. Their attitude is frequently:a. Positive and upbeat?b. | | | | attitude or performance?a. Yesb. Noc. Should I? |
| Hit or miss?c. Hit-and-run? | | | | 16. If the role they were doing for you were a 60's |
| 5. When talking to customers or other employees do | | | | cartoon character would they be:a. The Road Runner, |
| they:a. Try to get to know them with the | | | | from Looney Tunes, always running and running and |
| back-and-forth of sharing their own experiences while | | | | successfully staying out of troubleb. Underdog from |
| inquiring about the other person?b. Talk only about | | | | the cartoon of the same name, a contestant not |
| themselves?c. Generally ignore them or clam up? | | | | expected to win with an innocent, weak demeanor.c. |
| 6. Whether they punch a time clock or on salary are | | | | Schleprock from the Flintstones, something is always |
| they:a. Usually on time?b. Occasionally late, maybe five | | | | wrong, bad luck is just part of their life and they'll tell |
| or 10 minutes once or twice a month?c. Rarely on | | | | you about it |
| time? | | | | This is just guidelines to help you become aware of |
| 7. When a customer asks one of the five most | | | | your feelings. There is no grading scale - you know the |
| common questions customers ask at your business, | | | | decision you want to make. |
| does the employee:a. Answer it politely?b. Roll their | | | | Remember, if you are feeling this way, they probably |
| eyes and answer it?c. Point them to a sign or not | | | | already know it. Sometimes people need to be pointed |
| answer? | | | | to a new way. People often say to me, "What if I train |
| 8. Is the way they talk to a customer or other team | | | | them and they leave?" I always answer with, "What if |
| member usually:a. Friendly and courteous?b. Just the | | | | you don't train them and they stay." They thought they |
| facts ma'am?c. Rude or cynical? | | | | could do the job when you hired them, just like you did. |
| 9. If they work the sales floor, how are their sales?a. | | | | Don't put it all on the employee, you both failed. |
| About the same as everyone elseb. Significantly higher | | | | It is no crime to fire someone for not doing their job. It |
| than the restc. At the bottom | | | | is a crime to put up with slackers who are losing you |
| 10. Is there a sense of urgency in their | | | | money every day. To avoid throwing away all the |
| communications?a. About average, if I leave a | | | | money you paid to train them and possibly opening |
| message they get back to me that day, if the | | | | yourself up for a wrongful termination case you MUST |
| customer needs to be called, they get around to it, | | | | give them a written chance to correct their behavior. |
| they answer e-mails in a day or so.b. Better than | | | | Once you fire them you may find out they were |
| average. They call me back quickly if I have to leave a | | | | already looking, that they were giving away free |
| message, they get right back to a customer, they | | | | product or they told others they never liked their job. |
| answer e-mail promptly.c. There is no sense of | | | | Management means you need to make the tough calls |
| urgency. They don't always call me back; they put off | | | | early. Don't hang on to someone just because they |
| calling a customer to someone else, e-mail stacks up. | | | | are a warm body or because you are afraid of them |
| 11. If they aren't performing as you had hoped are | | | | or unemployment. |
| you:a. Making excuses for them to others?b. Covering | | | | Otherwise, you'll end up one day with far fewer |
| for them and letting them know?c. Constantly having | | | | customers and make the excuse that they all went to |
| to talk to them about some correction? | | | | a competitor when in fact, those customers just didn't |
| 12. If you think about them as an individual, would you | | | | want to have to deal with your employee who should |
| see them as someone who:a. Is positive about | | | | have been gone long ago. |