The headline may sound harsh but it is likely reality. There are many common mistakes made when you have that really good employee. Everyone likes them, they enjoy their job, and their work is above par. They go the extra mile and don’t complain. What is causing the change?
Many times managers let their star employees ‘do their thing’ and allow their stardom to shine. They take a hands-off approach. The problem with this is you are basically ignoring the employee, which in turn creates a negativity in the employee. Would you want to be ignored?
Another mistake is adding to the employees work load. You know they are going to get the work completed and it will be correct. For the manager this shows confidence, to the employee it feels like punishment. Whether it’s a special project or new duties, the employee deserves a raise or bonus.
An even bigger area of concern is fairness. This star employee gets the heavier workload often requiring more time and skills. Another employee in the same or similar position gets the easier duties because they can’t do the more difficult task. Or maybe the not so good employee is a slacker all around and rarely comes in on time, often are absent, takes excessive breaks, so the good employee is also doing their work. This appears to be favoritism towards the bad employee, no disciplinary action seems to be taken. Nothing will change the attitude of a good employee faster than unfairness.
Recognition of good employees goes a long way. Make it public by mentioning an accomplishment at a staff meeting or other accolade. Maybe you feel it’s their job and they are paid to do it, but never let that overflow into conversation. Maybe they are just doing their job, but they are doing it with enthusiasm and great care, taking on additional work. Help them grow with fresh challenges and opportunities with recognition.