Imagine a world where employees arrive exactly on time every day.  Where every word of every e-mail is spelled correctly.  Where every calculation is perfect.  Where the coffee is never burned.

Of course, this scenario is spot-on if we’re dealing with a robotic workforce, but chances are your company employs real—and real fallible—human beings.  They’ll wander in 15 minutes late, they’ll forget to follow up on an e-mail, and they’ll burn the break room coffee.  They’ll make mistakes that frustrate coworkers and clients, and that may even jeopardize company security.  And while it’s easy to overlook the occasional tardy arrival or forgotten e-mail, you’ll probably need to address employees who are making a lot of mistakes.  But we have good news for you managers who dread disciplining employees: you can skip the chastisement and warnings in favor of education and remediation.

Why focus on education?  A focus on education shows mistake-prone employees that they are valuable investments worth improving.  Where discipline breeds defensiveness through negativity, education takes a positive approach that opens employees to their potential.  When employees feel good about their value to the company, they will take greater pride in their work and will be less likely to repeat the same mistakes.  They’re also more likely to remain on board!

With that in mind, consider these ways to educate and remediate those less-than-perfect employees:

• Choose your battles.  Remember what it feels like to be the new coworker?  The role usually comes with a steep learning curve that can feel overwhelming.  Mistakes are an inherent part of any learning process!  So as a manager, you should expect a new employee to make mistakes.  The key is to trust you have made a good hiring decision, and to give new hires a chance to learn from mistakes on their own.  Try to use discretion regarding which mistakes you formally address and which mistakes are part of the learning curve.
• Talk openly.  When it’s necessary to talk with an employee, send an invitation to a one-on-one discussion.  Help ease employee anxiety by sandwiching your critique between the employee’s positive attributes and behaviors.  That way, the employee feels recognized for what is being done well and is less likely to feel like a “screw-up.”  From there, ask questions the employee can answer candidly.  It could be that a misunderstanding or miscommunication has occurred regarding the employee’s responsibilities or company policy.  It could also be that the employee is experiencing personal issues at home or at work that are affecting performance.  Once you understand the employee’s point of view, you can customize your criticism to be most constructive. 
• Offer training.  New employees rarely get extensive on-the-job training.  They’re often lucky to get any!  Help minimize future mistakes by teaching employees the proper procedures.  It may help to place them with a mentor who can work with them closely.  And don’t neglect to train your mentors in the fine art of mentorship!  Mentors shouldn’t just talk at a remediating employee—they should show the employee how to do a task, ask the employee to repeat the task, and then observe as the employee shows someone else how to perform that task.
• Shuffle duties.  Not every person is strong in every area of the workplace.  When training and discussion fail to reduce mistakes, that employee simply may not be as skilled at that particular task.  If that’s the case, consider shuffling job responsibilities among employees.  Duties one employee struggles with, another employee may excel at.  And if that’s not possible (say, if a payroll technician consistently makes math errors), consider whether another position in the company may better suit that employee’s strong points.

At the end of the day, mistakes happen—and that makes us human!  Remembering that each person works differently and learns differently is half the battle to minimize frequent mistakes.  When in doubt, just think back to the mistakes you made when you were new to the company, and that a little education and patience go a long way.

If you have questions about employee training plans or improvement strategies, the friendly professionals at YES! Your Human Resources Solution can help!  We’ll devise training programs customized for your business and its uniquely human employees.  With more than 20 years of Human Resources experience, we’ll work to connect your business initiatives with employee needs to achieve strategic objectives.  Ready for that helping hand to optimize your workforce?  Then find out more about our comprehensive HR-consulting services by visiting our website or contacting us for a free consultation!