Did you ever talk to someone about a problem you were having with one of their employees?  You tell them something like, “He always comes in fifteen minutes late.” Or, “She doesn’t respond to my emails until I’ve sent two or three of them.” Or, “He has a terrible attitude.”  Then you hear those magic words that cause immediate frustration and send your head spinning, “Yeah, but…….” “Yeah, but he does a great job.”  “Yeah, but we would never be able to replace her.”  “Yeah, but she’s been here forever and is very loyal.”  Somehow managers think that is sufficient justification for this behavior, and that we will be satisfied with that kind of answer. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Do you want your organization to be the one that holds on to employees who are either a bad hire or are poor performers just because it’s easy?  There are lots of people who do a great job, are irreplaceable and are very loyal employees, and that don’t bring negative attitudes to the work environment. Many of them are waiting to work for a great company like yours. It’s amazing to me how managers will allow themselves to be blinded by the fact that an employee does a good job, when in fact their attitude is terrible and impacts others in the company.  It needs to be recognized that part of doing a great job is also having the right attitude – fitting in with the corporate culture, being a team player, cooperating and having a strong work ethic. These are all great reasons to hold on to an employee.  There is no reason to keep a poor performer, no ifs, ands or buts.