Over the years I've decided that one of the most difficult (and certainly the most vexing) things every manager will deal with is what I call the “no man's land” employee.  This employee is that person who performs at a level low enough that you really don't want to keep him, but not low enough where you feel justified letting him go.  In short, he's in that “no man's land” of not good enough to keep and not bad enough to fire.

If you're the patient type — a people-oriented person — you assume you can save his life.  You'll turn him around — make him a model employee.  What usually happens is nothing.  Oh, sure, sometimes you'll save one's life, but not very often.  On the other hand, if you're the impatient type, you get to the office every day thinking, “Today I need to cut him loose.”  But you don't, because he really isn't doing anything bad enough to get fired.  Still, you expend an inordinate amount of energy stewing over these people.

So what do you do?  You start by realizing this type of employee can be a cancer.  It's hard to have a well-oiled machine when one of the bearings isn't getting any grease.  The rest of the machine has a tendency to come down to the level of the un-motivated employee.  This always costs you money, and in the long run may cost you your business.

While I'm a big proponent of saving people's lives, I am also a realist.  I know that the needs and rights of the many (the rest of the company) supercede the needs and rights of the individual (the unmotivated employee.)  As the old saying goes, it's better that one man perish, than a whole nation dwindle and perish in unbelief.  Or put more simply, it's better to lose one un-motivated employee than to create an unemployment situation for hundreds of hard-working, dedicated employees.

So here's the process.  Start by locking in a date in your mind.  For example, “If I can't save Joe's life by the end of the year, I'm going to have to let him go.”  Then talk to Joe and let him know your intentions.  He has to have a stake in saving his own life (this type of employee seldom cares — he's just a victim, you see.)  Then have regular follow-up evaluations between now and the drop-dead day.  Be specific on what's expected.  Don't just say, “You need to do better by the end of the year, or we're going to have to let you go.”  Say, “You know, you need to be on time every day.  You need to produce XX amount each day (according to the job description) and you need to treat everyone with dignity and respect.  If you aren't able to do that by the end of the year, we're going to have to let you go.

Then do it!  Don't procrastinate the day.  Don't say, “Oh, he's making a little progress, so I'll extend the drop-dead day.”  You will be sorry.  I have a sign in my office that says, “In this battle we will carry the wounded, but the stragglers will be left behind.”  Rest assured if you're wounded this company will carry you on its back for as long as it takes to get you back on your feet.  But if you're a straggler, and aren't willing to help yourself to the extent you can, don't expect us to carry you.

That's a fair way to resolve this issue and it works well for everyone.  For every step you take, I'll take two.  But when you cease taking steps we'll no longer be walking together.  We'll just have to call it a day.  We have an agreement as long as both parties are willing to work.  If one of use ceases to work (and it will never be me who ceases,) we no longer have any reason to continue.  It's like a marriage.  You have a marriage as long both parties are willing to work together to resolve issues and keep the marriage on track.  When one of the spouses decides it's not worth working on any more, the marriage is over.  It's the same in business.

I wish you well in dealing with the “no man's land” employee.  As I said before, it will be one of the most vexing problems you'll have in your career.  But if you follow these steps, you'll save yourself and your good employees a lot of grief and heartache.