One of the things I find it hardest to handle as a boss is giving negative feedback. By that I mean telling a student or employee that they are not performing to par. I have a crew of three – one rock solid employee, one student who is in every sense of the word a sophomore, and a grad-level tech who is inconsistent. The student and my master’s tech have enhanced each other’s bad habits to the point where they’re both driving me nuts. How do you deal with employees who are not meeting your expectations? How do you motivate them to perform better? How do you handle it if they don’t and you have to ask them to move on?

 My response:

All-righty then! As always, you ask the BEST questions and as always, I can only give it my best shot!! Here are a few suggestions:

1. Excellent book: Tell Me How I’m Doing: A Fable About the Importance of Giving Feedback. Part of what I like about this one is that it’s not just about giving the ‘fun kind’ of feedback, which still needs to be done and done well….he also clearly addresses the ‘corrective’ kind, etc. It’s a fairly short book and I think it’s worth reading.
2. Use the 3 x 3 idea. That is, Here are 3 things that you are doing well and here are 3 things you need to improve on (you can change the wording however you need to).
3. Have a discussion with the two of them (individually or separately) and find out what they think their jobs are. And what standards they think you have in mind. Let them know where the match and mismatches are coming from. Their sense of ‘consistent’ is VERY different I would guess from yours & my sense of consistent. Just like being on time. On time to me means essentially early, and on time to a lot of people means anywhere around the designated time (anywhere after, usually). I think you have to let them know that they are expected to perform at a certain level and that you know it may not work for them – and there are other jobs for which they may be more suited. You want people working on your projects who WANT to be there and want to do the kind of work that you expect and you would understand if they had found this wasn’t the best job for them. No hard feelings….I hope you can hear me saying this…
4. Depending on the kind of contract they have, it’s not that hard to let someone go-or it can be a nightmare. Usually it’s secretaries who are the hardest to get rid of…easier to get rid of professors than it is secretaries from my experience. But I digress. Since you are the PI, you have discretion, I would think, over who is working there. If they don’t meet the standards, you give them time to improve and then you let them go. A big part of what you have to consider is not just the research that could be compromised if they don’t work at the level you need them to, but also, your rock solid employee. You don’t want to have that person lose heart…or move on.

It is the hardest part of being a boss, I think…really do check out that book and see if it helps some.

I would like to start delegating things like going to the store, either for personal or business purchases. If we want to use a credit card for these purchases, how can the people who work for us use the credit card if their name is not on the card? Also, some stores only allow “members” to shop. If I am a member at one of these stores, how can I get access at this store for the people who are working for me? 

I have several possible answers (all of which I have used) to this series of questions:

1. For someone who is a “new” person in terms of just starting to work for you, just give them cash and then they can give you the receipts. I have found that this works fine for purchases under $100 or so. For the people who are long-time independent contractors, I have them keep petty cash on hand.
2. If the person you are delegating to is going to make a larger purchase for you, then make arrangements at the stores to have them charge your credit card or to have the store bill you. This is part of why it’s nice to have relationships with people you do business with. For example, I have worked for at least 15 years with my local printer so when I make requests about handling the bills, there is no question about it because they know me.
3. Once you have found someone who will be working extensively with you, I suggest getting a credit card for this person. I don’t do that right off the bat, needless to say, but once I know someone and know that she will be working for me for some time (and is trustworthy, etc.), then I get her a credit card on my account. This allows that person to go to stores and make purchases and to go online and do some of my ordering for me. So I love this option. It’s not one to rush into, but it’s been fabulous to know that I have a few people that are trusted at this level and they can take care of more tasks than if they didn’t have a credit card that was billed directly to my account.
4. Most of the “big box”/membership stores, like Sam’s and Costco, will allow you to get another card, especially if you have a business account with them. So one possibility is to do that. The other is to check with the people you’re hiring to see if they have a Sam’s or Costco (or whatever) kind of card. Sometimes, they already have a membership and they can get into the store with their card.

Remember, to grow your business, delegate out as much as you possibly can so that you can focus on your primary functions. Finding others you can trust with cash and credit cards is worth the effort (and the checking out!)