Q:        Over two months ago, we hired an employee with excellent qualifications but her performance has been a disappointment.  For starters, even though she is a salaried professional she comes in at 9am and leaves exactly at 5pm.  And since she is also a smoker she takes lots of breaks daily.    Yes, she’s pleasant and does get along with everyone but I haven’t seen the expected results.  I don’t think she’s focused on her duties and what she was hired to do.  Her 90-day review is coming up and I’m feeling very torn.  Any suggestions?

A:  It’s been my experience that when things get’s off to a rocky start, it’s usually not a good sign for continued employment.   In this case I’d lean towards parting ways, and this is why.

First, if the only issue where the smoking and the schedule, I’d say these things could improve.  As an employer you’re allowed to prohibit smoking on the premises, during working hours, in front of clients or pretty much anywhere you decide.  So you could pull her aside, let her know what is and isn’t acceptable and in the next couple of weeks determine if she is able to adjust her behavior.  The same goes for your expectations about her work schedule.

But second and more important, there’s the lackluster performance.  This is more troublesome and much more difficult to correct. And when you’re this close to the 90 day mark, it may be too late to try to improve.

Third, new employees know they’re being evaluated during this introductory period and are typically eager to do a good job.   They’re also proactive and make an effort to fit into the company culture.  It doesn’t sound like this is going on in her case.

When these many problems are evident this soon after hire, it’s often better to make a tough decision early on, than having to do it in six months, when it’s inevitably harder.

Going forward, consider starting an onboarding program, where you develop a plan for each new hire, with weekly and monthly milestones and closely scheduled checkups along the way.  Problems caught early, are more easily corrected.

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