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Poor Work Habits and Job Performance Concerns
her that you know the basic functions that you’ll need to use on a day-today basis. If there’s not enough substance there in terms of what you’ve learned, we’ll send you back to training. Fair enough? [Yes.]
This may sound like a heavy response on your part, but it’s important that Lois understands that she could be terminated for cause for not mastering the material presented during training. The alternative would be for her to return to work, fail miserably in her job, and then claim that the company was negligent for not training her adequately in this new role.
Special Note If you need to send her back to a second workshop, you could make that a disciplinary event in terms of issuing a written warning. It’s one thing if an employee doesn’t grasp the materials the first time—that’s reasonable. In Lois’s case, however, she resisted the new training material, arguing that she shouldn’t be held accountable for it, and didn’t even bother to take notes. That’s an attitude problem, and a written warning outlining your expectations in terms of taking training seriously, taking appropriate notes, and asking necessary questions may be a reasonable response.
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Scenario 27: Acts Resulting in a Loss to the Employer
Have you ever had employees who break things? It’s particularly frustrating when workers act irresponsibly or in a negligent manner and damage company property by shear thoughtlessness. Although repetitive breakage should be addressed in the form of a written warning, the first time an accident occurs, it’s important to address the situation swiftly and in a supportive manner.
The Solution Let’s assume a lab tech assistant in a pharmaceutical laboratory has difficulty managing the autoclave process. (An autoclave machine is a steam sterilizer for laboratory instruments.) As the lab head, you notice that an