Can a bad employee get better?

Earlier this week on BNet Evil HR Lady answered a question on the topic of ‘fixing’ bad employees:

Dear Evil HR Lady, Do good managers really have the ability to fix bad employees? In my experience, the only person I have the power to change is myself. This happens to be the same person I least want to change.

Evil HR Lady is a genius at answering…well HR questions. She hits on some relevant problems and always has helpful advice.  I am sure this is a topic that most people, managers and employees, are interested in. So here is the most important lesson I got from this post:

You can’t change others but you can change what they are reacting to.

Now this may sound obvious but this is something that I regularly forget. You can only change yourself and if you think you can change someone’s behavior, you are going to be terribly disappointed. Suzanne explains that by changing the rewards or criticism these people receive, you can have a big influence over someone. It really is all about the carrot, not the stick.

Here are the key points:

• Identify what behavior you want to fix
• Identify what motivates the person
• Change your behavior to reflect their motivation structures.

Everyone is different and has different motivating factors. Suzanne even gives you specific examples of bad behaviors and tips on how to help fix them.

To read the full article and more, check out BNet.

Photo of woman looking at clock by alancleaver_2000. Licensed under CC.

About Alanah Throop

Alanah Throop is a student at the University of Toronto working towards a degree in Political Science and English. Alanah was previously a full time member of the Rypple Marketing team before returning to finish school last fall. Now, she is focusing on student life as well as a few part-time experiences including Rypple and a Children’s Program to help kids get the self-care skills they deserve.