Work It Out

Dealing with deadbeat employees.

After interviewing about a thousand applicants who looked andacted likebusiness-school rejects, you finally found an assistantwith the necessaryqualifications. But you're realizingshe's not quite as career-minded as youthought. She shows uplate almost every day and makes hour-long calls to herboyfriendevery time you turn your back. When you confront her, she grinsandasks if she can take a vacation next month. Welcome toBossLand.

What's the best way to deal with Ms. Broken Alarm? Beforeyou fire her andstart from scratch with someone new (who may end upmaking your vacation queenlook like Employee of the Year), try towork with what you have, usingmotivation as a tool.

Motivated employees are productive employees, says RichardHadden, aJacksonville, Florida, professional speaker, employeerelations consultant andco-author ofContented Cows Give BetterMilk(Williford Communications,$30, 800-339-6778), a book thathighlights the human resources successes of sixprofitableorganizations. According to Hadden, itispossibletomotivate your staff into productivity. In fact, it's as easyas one, two,three.

1. Equip and empower."Create a setup in which youremployees cansucceed," says Hadden. Don't blame SusieShow-Up-Late for lack of motivation ifyou haven't trained herproperly. She should feel comfortable asking questions.Be patient,since she'll probably ask a lot of questions while she'slearning.Watch her work, and praise her for each task completedcorrectly.

If you take the time to train your employee to be proficientfrom the start,you'll feel more comfortable delegatingtasks--and your employee will be moreproductive and satisfied.

2. Show you care."In successful companies, theemployees work hardbecause they know their bosses really care aboutthem as individuals," explainsHadden. Great pay, whileimportant, is not what keeps employees happy andproductive, hecontends; it's the satisfaction of being appreciated thatgetsresults.

"Find out what your employees need. Ask ´What can I doto make your lifeeasier?' " says Hadden. "Then doyour best to provide it." Walking the walk isanother key rulehere. During crunch times, when you're asking employees toputin long hours, are you doing the same? Your presence speaksvolumes whenworkloads are heavy and deadlines loom.

3. Tie employee pay to company performance."Theemployee should bearsome of your company's risk," saysHadden. Even the smallest companies can setup a profit-sharingsystem in which you pay a percentage of company profits forworkwell done. Profit-sharing is the best way to avoid paying forlowproductivity. Be specific about dollar amounts, and provideperiodic financialreports, making sure the employee understandsthere's a direct connectionbetween the completion of theassigned task and the reward. "Your employee willquicklyrealize his [or her] level of income depends on the success ofthisbusiness," Hadden says. Bingo. Instant enthusiasm, fromwhat looked like a lostcause.