Nigel Girling says:

When a normally dedicated and effective team member experiences performance problems it is the job of the leader to achieve the best outcome for the employee, the team and the organisation.

In this case, the employee needs support. Yet it is not reasonable to expect that his colleagues bear the strain without an adequate explanation. The team has the right to expect your assistance. An effective leader should encourage those experiencing personal problems to be as open as they can with their colleagues. Without having to reveal details, a simple request for the help of their colleagues in a difficult time will usually suffice to turn resentment into a stronger team.

If the situation takes more than a week or two to resolve, the leader may need to reorganise workloads to achieve the best result with the minimum disadvantage to the rest of the team. Temporary cover or extra staff might be needed.

In the wider sense, performance issues are always a key challenge for a leader. You need to be broad in your thinking and not simply focused on solving the immediate problem. Policy and procedure provide guidance, but you need to ask why this is happening – is it just personal issues or has commitment deteriorated for other reasons? What can be done to increase the resilience of the individual and the team? How will you manage the return and reintegration of the individual – should it be a phased return or straight back in? Both he and the rest of the team have a stake here and their needs and views should be considered.

Nigel Girling is founder of the National Centre for Strategic Leadership.

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