What if you have an employee with a procrastination issue?

Effective time management is essential not only in business but life in general. You have to weigh up the pros and cons of this employee's existence within the organisation to reach the answer your looking for. The fact you already tried aiding him using different methods proves the issue is not with training it's with the individual, they seem to lack commitment. Are they an asset to the business? Is their work of high quality which no other produces? Can their skills be transferred somewhere else? Is that role suitable, can they be relocated? How valuable is their experience? If you see potential in them and the capability of achieving greatness in the future then invest time into shaping them to become better overcoming the obstacle of procrastination, if you see them as a regular employee despite their quality of production then they can be replaced although it sounds harsh but you have to think long term benefits. Try adjusting the timelines or deadlines to his ability, but make sure the tasks/projects are not of urgency or importance, monitor their performance and review it, analyse the difference you may notice a trend forming, discuss the issue with them, the impact of it, consequences they may face or the severity of a consequence. If nothing works then I'm afraid the decision is down to you. 

Use missing deadlines as a heavy factor in his periodic evaluation that effects the annual raise or bonus.

Keep giving him more tasks than he should do.

If he doesn't change, start giving him official warnings and let him know that you are looking for a replacement.

I hope you won't have to fire him, but when necessary, you should.

Understand How Procrastinators Think Employers, managers, and parents will be more effective in managing procrastinators when they understand how procrastinators think and talk to themselves:1.They pressure themselves with “You have to” statements and then resent and resist the authoritarian voices in their heads in their office.2.They tell themselves “I have to finish all this work, do it perfectly and miss out on all the fun and socializing in the coffee room.” This form of ineffective self-management makes them more likely to avoid work and give in the multiple distractions of email, Internet searches, Blackberry apps, and Smartphone.3.They frighten themselves and cause stress and anxiety worrying about being judged and possibly fired.4.They are self-critical and seldom acknowledge when they’re doing something right. Effective Management Effective managers resist the temptation to contribute to this form of counterproductive dialogue and behavior. Here are four examples:1. Choice replaces compliance “You should” and “You have to” messages almost always evoke resistance, resentment, and rebellion that are expressed through procrastination, noncompliance, coming in late, and, sometimes, even sabotage. To drastically reduce procrastination, offer options to employees that stimulate creative problem solving, cooperation, and motivation. When they are given clear options, rather than demands and threats, employees have been known to willingly contribute cost-saving suggestions and hard work.2. Focus on starting replaces worry about finishing Peak Performance in sports and on the job requires that your mind be in the present not on the end of the game. Worrying about finishing overwhelms the mind with the impossible task of jumping into the imaginary future. This causes anxiety as your body tries to get into an imaginary time where all the steps of the project are done. Your energy is stuck -- which you experience as anxiety -- because it can’t be used now. Ask the employee, “When will you start?” Effective managers understand the importance of communicating to their employees -- and themselves -- the specific action steps required to begin the task. They understand that overcoming start-up inertia is half the battle. To work optimally, a clear picture is needed of the time, the place, the task, and the freedom to “choose to start.”That is, you can turn a procrastinator into a producer by teaching him to focus on, “When can I start?” rather than, “I have to finish.”3.Self-acceptance replaces perfectionism Criticizing employees will lead some to try to be perfect in a futile attempt to avoid mistakes. Being perfect is, of course, impossible, and the attempt is a terrible waste of time and causes delays in the timely completion of projects. To ensure that an employee doesn’t waste time trying to be perfect, say, “Get back to me in three hours with a rough draft so I can give you feedback on what to do next.” This method of frequent employee feedback sessionswill also help you clarify your own thoughts about the direction of the project and give you a more accurate estimate of how much time it will take the employee to complete a good-enough draft. Receiving frequent feedback has been found to help employees monitor their behavior (as with performance reviews) and ensure that they are aligned with your goals and deadlines.4. Use a Task-Focus to replace fear of criticism To maximum long-term employee efficiency, catch them doing something right, to paraphrase Ken Blanchard’s The One Minute Manager. Employees who must worry, “Is the boss going to be angry at me again?” cannot do their best work. Although an employee’s personal insecurity is not the manager's problem, she can create a safe environment in which it’s possible to focus on the task of improving the product or service rather than worrying about being shamed or demeaned for mistakes. As you begin to communicate to employees that you respect their worth and dignity as a person, they will eliminate much of the fearful thinking and avoidant behaviors that are the chief causes of procrastination. They will learn to focus more quickly on optimal job performance rather than the need to be perfect in an attempt to avoid anticipated criticism.

Initially i say NO because he is simply a good performer. However, you have to take into consideration the following:

• How long  is this behavior present? if he is new give him some time
• Does he come with a negative attitude with other work aspects?
• How are his relations with the rest of the department
• Is he having other types of personal problems?
• Have you warned him of the negative implications of his bad habit?
• How easily is to find a person with comparable skills?
• Have tried to change dates ,give him shorter dates? or the assignments are adhoc style?
• Carrot and stick tactics?
• Set a time horizon that you will tolerate this behavior then you should fire him. Meeting deadlines is a serious skill and most probably you are so good as your subordinates are so have this in mind when making your decision.

As I understand the case, this employee is not a handy-man,

the better issue is, if it possible,  to give him

a chance to move to the Quality Control function.  

 

Give him a course of quality and time, if still with same attitude then you have to change him in quality control section. Like that you won the game.

Because he is a quality performer i will take personal interest to improve his time management skills.What i will do is give him assignments with a deadline earlier than the actual deadline. I will follow up personally and if i find there can be a delay, then put little bit of pressure. This method i will continue for a while and automatically he will fall into the groove. 

Try to share the assignment and then after define time ask him/her via e-mail and then ask the reason for not doing it. Do highlight the issue for not completing it. Either its competency issue or lack of resources. Without highlight the need we couldn't suggest the solution.

 

 

i think the best way in dealing with this issue is using the Reward and Punishment Theory. with being careful that punishment should be done in sequence, this way for example:

1. Send him a warning by E-mail.
2. Talk to him personally.
3. Embarassing him in front of his colleagues.
4. if the above attempts did not bring an obvious result, you should start deduct his salary.

on the other side, if this employee respected the warnings peacefully from the beginning, the Manager should appreciate this by many different ways. sending him a thanking e-mail for his appreciation to the instructions, or giving him a bonus,....etc.

i think the hastiness in firing this employee is not a wise reaction. Especially if he achieves a high quality work :) .

 

Regards

As we know today it is time which is money & money is what we really earn day in day out . We, need both people -like a good product mix is very essential- good people mix is also essential for an organization . If i have to convince / fight for such a guy/girl in my team which is essential for the organization as per my requirement -will do it with the management / hrd .

Thanks for the invitation

Well......Good question

Agreed with both answers given by

Mss.:Olfat Abdulqader & Mr.:Jetley as well too

in fact both of them did it in very excellent description