Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

         Scenario

       I am a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  I have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of my employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and I have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior, which has created a hostile environment.  I must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.
  
      Sandwich the News

When preparing to communicate a problem or bad news it is beneficial to cushion the bad news between bits of positivity. This is also known as sandwiching the bad news. By opening with something positive and closing with something positive, the bad news is rendered less offensive as the message received begins and ends on a positive note. 

         Find the Good
 

I would approach this employee by asking him to meet with me in my office. I would begin by thanking him for his two years of service and commitment to our company and stressing the value I place on him as an employee and as an individual. 

        Be Firm But Unemotional

I would express to him that it has come to my attention that there has been a noticeable decline in his performance and that there have been numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. I would mention my disappointment in the fact that he has displayed confrontational behavior, which has resulted in a hostile environment. I would ask him to explain his behavior and question if there is any underlying cause of which I should be aware. I would explain that I am asking in order to offer assistance if there is a need for any. I would remind him that the company provides excellent benefits that offer assistance in an array of situations, if there are any such situations going on at home, for example related to drugs or gambling, or if there were an illness in the family for which anyone needed any type of counseling.

      Barring any of these, or even despite them if that were the case, I would explain it is necessary to come to a speedy resolution. I would tell him that his confrontational behavior is unacceptable and a violation of the terms of his employment.  

Anticipate Reactions

Based on his recent behavior, I would expect the employee to become defensive and belligerent. I would expect him to overreact and in essence validate my need to speak with him in the first place. I would counter by explaining that it is exactly this behavior that is increasingly causing incivility in the workplace.

       “Incivility [sic] is characterized by intent to harm either specific individuals or the organization. Incivility manifests itself in behaviors that demean the dignity of others and violate broad social norms of mutual respect” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2012, Page 287). I would ask him if it was his intention to do so, since this is the perception of customers and coworkers.

Offer to Mediate

         I would offer to mediate if necessary to resolve issues between him and his coworkers. I would stress however, that effective immediately he would be on notice that there would be zero tolerance for his aforementioned behavior moving forward and that failure to correct his behavior would result in his immediate termination.  

Back to the Good

         I would remind him of the qualities that made him such an excellent candidate for his position initially, and encourage him to dig deep and try to rekindle what it was that inspired him to want to work there in the first place. I would tell him that I believe in his ability to make the right choice and to the right thing. I would thank him again for his service, and let him know I hope he will once again be the asset that he once was. “Ending on a positive note preserves the established goodwill. You want [him or her] to feel favorable disposed toward you and to feel you care about [him or her]” (Roebuck, 2006, Page 89).

References

Roebuck, D.B. (2006). Improving business communications skills (4^th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Schockley-Zalabak, P. S. (2012). Fundamentals of organizational communication: Knowledge, sensitivity, skills, values (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc./Allyn & Bacon