I have never had this happen before. I have an employee who is very nice and a hard worker. BUT he takes forever to do anything.

27 Comments

1. AnonymousFebruary 6,2025 at 8:37PM UTC

   If you are a manager, you manage. You manage the person, the work and the deliverables.

   That means you lay out your request in writing and you followup in person. You are clear with the deliverable, date and expectations.

   That means you write this person up when requests are not followed through per your detailed instructions, you deliver your corrections in both writing and person and you deliver consequences. That means you re-assign the task for a re-do.

   You, as the manager, are clear, concise, consistent and swift with feedback. You follow through by tying raises, bonuses and incentives to performance. You set clear performance goals.

   This is how you address things that are not meeting set expectations.

2. AnonymousFebruary 7,2025 at 9:15PM UTC

   It sounds like he is not being managed or supervised in any way. He makes up his own rules because there are no consequences.

3. AnonymousFebruary 9,2025 at 9:25PM UTC

   No direction or check ins then no consequences as well. Managing people is a responsibility to develop them as well as get the work done. If anyone feels annoyed by training and coaching then maybe an individual contributor role is better.

4. AnonymousFebruary 8,2025 at 2:10PM UTC

   I have this with one or two colleagues.

   Most need detailed, clear written instructions and then multiple verbal follows and check ins.

   One, I’ve noticed, cannot process procedural and conceptual information at the same time.

   I’d like to task out 5 things to do in order but I’m back to tasking a single thing, then feedback, then tasking the second thing, then feedback.

5. AnonymousFebruary 8,2025 at 2:30PM UTC

   Hmm...Seems like you have "dead weight" on your Team. As part of your leadership role, sometimes it's necessary to put a PIP in place. Based on your post, this pattern hasn't changed using the previous correction methods - and it's time for the next step. Be sure to clearly document/discuss everything with the EE, and keep your HR Team looped in as part of the process.

6. AnonymousFebruary 8,2025 at 2:42PM UTC

   Wow moved right past coaching the employee and straight to destroy their livelihood. I hope I never work for you.

7. AnonymousFebruary 9,2025 at 6:54PM UTC

   The Poster said (1) I'm at a complete loss and (2) This happens all the time with him...

   Implying that she's past "encouraging and coaching" - The EE controls his own performance behavior...This isn't daycare

8. AnonymousFebruary 9,2025 at 9:19PM UTC

   Yep, obviously. I worked with a manager who said to me “I don’t know what else to do” about an employee but because she wasn’t a manager previously her tool kit was not well stocked with options on how to communicate for change specifically she did not use active listening which is what one of the other responders recommended. Do they know what coaching is and isn’t. Employee success starts out as a 50/50 partnership. If you give orders and don’t help how do either of you learn how the other thinks to get on the same page. You never will and then it’s change the players until someone else sees it’s time to change the coach. Lead with compassion. Most people want to do good!

9. AnonymousFebruary 10,2025 at 6:50PM UTC

   If a leader is “past encouraging and coaching” they probably shouldn’t be a people leader.

   Some organizations require much more of a case be built up before putting someone on a PIP. Not because the manager is “at a loss.” Almost every org I’ve been at HR would ask me as a manager “have they intentionally maliciously violated company policy” and if the answer’s no, they would tell me to keep trying to work it out with the employee.

   I don’t know, pick up a book about empathy? See the situation from their point of view. Seek resources about adapting communication styles. Authoritarian communication style doesn’t always work for everyone.

10. AnonymousFebruary 10,2025 at 11:52PM UTC

    Yes. A lot of people are 'nice' and 'hard work[ers]' but that doesn't make them right for a specific role. Trying a few different techniques is kind and constructive but I read the 'at a complete loss' th same way you did.

11. AnonymousFebruary 9,2025 at 9:11PM UTC

    So how do you determine when coaching and training is over and the heavy hand of a PIP is used. PIPs can change dynamics and respect/trust on both sides as well.

12. AnonymousFebruary 9,2025 at 10:27PM UTC

    Respectfully disagree with a PIP at this point.

    Sit down with the employee and lay out specifics on your instructions. Be clear of what you want/expect, and reiterate that you do not want him to redo the wirk. Ensure you stare the importance of this being done by or before your deadline.

13. AnonymousFebruary 8,2025 at 2:56PM UTC

    Before jumping straight into “No this is not what I wanted” take 10 minutes to ask the employee their train of thought into why they did it this way. Give them an opportunity to defend why they did what they did.

    Then, you can say “ok I see your point. Yes, and… I think we could make this even better (list and write out instructions, pause for feedback and questions)” Allow them time to understand why doing it in steps is better. Hand it back to them to redo.

    Coaching.

    Also, make an effort to understand their list of priorities vs. what you think their priorities should be.

    You say you want a revised SOP back in 3 days, they get it back to you in 6. Day 2 you restate why the employee should prioritize this. And not “because I said so” what if the employee is working on something more important that you don’t know about? Or needs help with a different project?

    Not a dig but maybe read/listen to an audiobook on Coaching Management Style.

14. AnonymousFebruary 9,2025 at 4:57PM UTC

    Make your requests in writing only. Then review them with him and ask him to explain in a brief 15 minute conversation what you expect him to do. Set a midpoint for reviewing where he is at between the start and finish. For example if you give it to him on Monday and it is due on Wednesday meet for 15 on Tuesday and redirect if he is off course. Only worry about how he does with you for now but after he course corrects then give him the feedback that others also have issues with. his deliverables. Put the deadlines and check ins on calendar and don't redo his work after he does it wrong. Get him to redo it. Managing others is not always easy but you can get him to align with what your needs are with direct feedback and more interim check ins.

15. AnonymousFebruary 11,2025 at 5:17PM UTC

    Maybe what’s missing is that this employee needs the reason behind each assignment. With the example you provided, he seemed to think there was a different end game in mind… or maybe it’s the opposite: you’re telling him why you need something, and he jumps to conclusions about what would work best as the solution. My third guess is that he overcompensates for technical inabilities with his strengths. Is it possible he’s too proud to admit that he can’t figure out how to attach comments to a PDF and thinks that reworking the whole layout in Canva, Word, or InDesign is the best way to showcase his skillset and willingness to help? If any of these are true, I would recommended breaking down your requests into a (brief) written statement each time of: “What I Want”, “Why We’re Doing This”, and “What Process to Use”. So, in this case, it would be “What I Want: a PDF we can send to customers that will allow them to access their accounts”, “Why We’re Doing This: The Customer Service department is getting too many calls and e-mails about basic account access questions that this FAQ, step-by-step guide already seems to cover, and we’re looking for ways to make it easier for the clients to understand so that Customer Service has time to address escalations and other complicated issues.”, and “What Process to Use: sticky notes in Adobe Acrobat — get with Sally on how to do this efficiently if you’re struggling. She’s a pro.”

16. AnonymousFebruary 13,2025 at 3:25PM UTC

    I have to wonder if there's some underlying condition behind this. Speaking as an employee who has one. I wouldn't know how to address that as a manager but getting a proper diagnosis and treatment improves my performance by leaps and bounds.

17. AnonymousFebruary 13,2025 at 3:43PM UTC

    I also think that this person may have neurodivergence or the hyper focused ADHD

18. Colleen HansonFebruary 13,2025 at 3:50PM UTC

    I'd like to speak on this from the opposite side. I once worked with a manager that would give out tasks with little to no instruction. It was basically "I need a review of this document by xyz". Did she want "redlines", hand written revisions, suggestions for more efficiency, etc.? She was never clear with exactly what was needed and the "xyz" was never set in stone and often times would sit on her desk for several days past the date before she would look at it. A co-worker struggled greatly with the lack of instruction and the exact expectations. There was always a lot of gray area, so I told her to just ask specific questions regarding the expectations. The one time she did ask the managers response was "I don't have the time to coddle you, figure it out on your own and if it is wrong we will go over it." This set the co-worker up for failure every time, because ultimately everything she did was "wrong". I would suggest looking at your managment style with regard to this employee and setting clear and precise expectations with an exact explanation of what you want/need done. If timelines are strict and being adhered to by all, this employee should be warned that further missed deadliness will result in a write-up. If there are other managers involved is it possible that this persons plate is so full that it is literally impossible for him to meet each managers specific deadlines without having to put other projects aside in order to do so? Maybe communicating with other managers would be helpful to see what projects are currently on his plate, when the deadlines are, etc. Working for several managers who need projects completed ASAP or by the same date can be very challenging, I've been there. I had one manager who felt like her projects were always the priority, no matter what. It was impossible to meet other managers deadlines, and I was constantly caught in a tug-of -war between four different managers. Maybe this is an issue you can look into and develop clear boundries amongst all managers involved with regard to work product, length/size of projects, deadlines, etc.

19. AnonymousFebruary 13,2025 at 5:23PM UTC

    Have a conversation with him about it, share the examples and ask him why he didn't follow your instructions. If you gave him a deadline to complete, ask him why he didn't complete by the deadline. Set expectations with him going forward and explain to him any further concerns may result in disciplinary action.

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