Update: Handling an Employee Who Wants More Praise
It’s “where are you now?” month at Ask a Manager, and all December I’m running updates from people who had their letters here answered in the past.
Remember the individual whose employee sought more praise despite not performing well? Here’s the update.
Firstly, I want to express my gratitude to you and the commenters for the valuable advice. Your column has been a source of learning for me since 2008, and I continue to benefit from it every day.
Your response made me reflect on my management approach with this employee and his suitability for the role. I recognized that my negativity might have stemmed from a personal clash, so I made a conscious effort to remove that bias. Upon careful consideration, it became apparent that the role was not a good fit for him. As a result, we commenced documenting the possibility of transitioning him out of the position. Our intention was to explore alternative positions within the organization, as we didn’t want to lose a valuable employee.
During this process, I made an effort to provide regular positive feedback while setting clear expectations for areas that needed improvement. To my surprise, he showed improvement, demonstrating more initiative and working diligently to enhance his capabilities. However, external factors necessitated a change in the nature of the role, and unfortunately, he no longer aligned with the new requirements. Despite our efforts to find an alternative position, he secured a new role elsewhere before any further action was taken.
I am pleased with this outcome and grateful for the insights gained from this experience and your advice. It prompted me to reassess my management style, and I genuinely regret any contribution I made to creating a stressful work environment for him. I hope and believe he is now content in his new role, and I have certainly grown as a manager through this experience.