There’s often a problem employee who sucks a disproportionate amount of energy from teammates and the person responsible for supervising them. Whether due to poor performance, a toxic attitude, drama, or indifference, much time is spent trying to “manage” this person and help them comply with organizational norms.
Of course, a good supervisor will coach the employee and candidly discuss where changes in output or mindset are required to succeed. But if the person is still not contributing at an acceptable level after a valiant effort to course correct, the supervisor needs to reduce the amount of their time spent on the issue.
Struggling employees eat up time — working with human resources, documenting issues, meeting with the employee, listening to complaints from others, fixing the implications of their non-performance, venting to a confidante about the stress the employee is causing, and strategizing about what to do next. If no progress is being made, it’s non-productive time for the supervisor who could (should) be working on other things.
If you are managing someone who is challenged, you have two paths: first, attempt to maximize the gain (by helping them succeed), and if that fails, then strive to minimize the drain on you and your team. Rehashing the issues over and over gets you nowhere.
