When you have an underperforming employee who you know you need to move on from, which dynamic best explains how you handle the situation?

Our reader poll today asks: When you have an underperforming employee who you know you need to move on from, which dynamic best explains how you handle the situation?

• I act quickly and decisively (sometimes a little too quickly, perhaps) – 7%
• I act after careful deliberation, but I don’t wait to take action – 43%
• I hold out hope and keep them for longer than I should but then I act – 36%
• I delay way too long on taking action until it’s clear I’m acting too late – 8%
• I never take action and simply ignore the performance issue – 6%

The cost of inaction. More than half of respondents say they’re too slow to act when taking required action with an underperforming employee who needs to move on. While it can be hard to fire, demote, or move someone to a different role, the cost of that delayed action can be significant. They’ll continue to underperform in their role, be dissatisfied with their work, drag down and frustrate their colleagues, and cost you more time trying to manage them. It’s best for everyone involved to move quickly once it’s certain the person won’t be successful in their role. That lets you move someone into the role who will perform better and helps the underperformer move on to a different role where they can hopefully be more successful. All delays come with a cost. It may feel easier to avoid the situation but you’re simply creating new problems by not taking decisive action.

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.