In my experience, most employment disputes start with a familiar situation:
A manager had concerns about performance but hoped things would improve.
Conduct issues were tolerated because the individual was a high biller
Feedback was softened to avoid conflict.
When these issues arise, it’s tempting to put off the difficult conversations in the hope that the situation goes away, but it rarely does. And delaying a difficult conversation only makes it harder to start: positions become entrenched, frustration builds and options narrow.
Successful organisations understand that these issues are difficult to manage, and invest in capability training to ensure their managers are confident and capable to have the difficult conversations that these situations require.
Use our short checklist to assess if your managers have the confidence, skills and support needed to have difficult conversations and reduce employment risk in your organisation
