Steve Young said, “perception is the reality. If you are perceived to be something, you might as well be it because that’s the truth in people’s minds.” When people feel poorly about an employee it creates a bad reputation. Consequently, it creates unnecessary drama and rework. You will spend more of your time excusing behavior or working to fix something that doesn’t need fixing.
Sometimes the employee earned the reputation, but that is usually not the case. Most people don’t want to fail. Rather than chasing your tail, assess the situation, and rebrand the employee. You can’t rebrand if you don’t understand the reasons for failure.
Common Causes of an Employee’s Bad Reputation
Regardless of which cause applies to your employee, it is best to start with an honest conversation. Let them know about the current perception. Ask why they think that opinion is present. Enlist their commitment to working together to improve their bad reputation and why it is essential to their success.
Earned
Sometimes an employee causes their bad reputation. Perhaps they don’t deliver on the fundamentals of the role. Or, they don’t do what they agreed to do. Whatever the reason, when they deserve the reputation, you have to have difficult coaching conversations with them. Otherwise, they will not improve, and you can’t rebrand.
Structural
Is the design of the role causing an employee to develop a bad reputation? Lack of proper tools, resources, or support will create an environment that makes success hard. When processes, technology, or hierarchy are causing an employee to fail, redesign them in a way that sets them up for success rather than failure.
Personal Causes of a Bad Reputation
Is the employee having personal issues that are impacting their ability to focus at work? There could be relationship issues, child issues, aging parent issues, etc. All of these things can affect an employee’s success rate. Because these issues are personal, it can be hard to offer support. As a result, the best thing to do is point them towards any employee assistance programs the organization provides.
Role Fit
Sometimes performance issues are caused by having someone in the wrong role at the wrong time. It could be a lack of training or lack of skillset, or lack of will to grow into the role. If you provided the right feedback, coaching, and encouragement, and success is still absent, help them find a position that is a better fit. If the employee’s reputation is bad a transfer may be difficult to accomplish.
Rebranding an Employee with a Bad Reputation
Once the common causes of failure are corrected, and they are set up for success, you can begin to rebrand. To do this, start by positioning them in a more positive light. Work with and highlight their strengths. As a result of socializing their strengths and contributions, other people in the organization will take note.
Solicit feedback from other teams who interact with them. It is critical to follow-up with those who have voiced concern about the employee because they will be the first to notice improvement. If previous complainers about the employee see improvement, don’t be afraid to ask them to socialize their new experiences. Leveraging the influence of others to help change the perception of an employee’s bad reputation will help speed up the turnaround.
It is important to note that rebranding a failing employee needs to start with rebranding themselves in their mind. Help them understand their strengths and what they do right. Keep in mind, sometimes the change takes longer to register in their mind. Use a lot of positive reinforcement. Be vocal by sharing the compliments others are providing.
When an employee changes their bad reputation, and the organization notices, everyone will be happier and more engaged.
