It’s frustrating when a member of your team has mentally checked out. In some cases, this person does only the bare minimum. In other cases, they fail to meet important deadlines, or they drop the ball on critical projects. How can you determine what’s going on? What can you do to address the issue when it’s a temporary slump? How about when it’s a long-term problem? And what’s the best way to ensure this person’s lack of motivation doesn’t influence or annoy your other team members?
What to Do When Your Employee Is Totally Checked Out
Six tips to help you figure out what’s going on and what to do about it.
March 05, 2021
Summary.
There are many reasons an employee might mentally check out and fail to meet your expectations. They could be experiencing a personal issue or feeling burnt out, or they could be unaware that they’ve been slipping. In any case, as a manager, you need to be aware of how they’re affecting the team. When confronting them, you should be kind and work with them to determine what’s going on and how you might be able to reengage them in their work. Be patient with them, but if the solutions you’ve arrived at ultimately don’t work, it might be time to consider whether or not the role is still a good fit for them.
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Give feedback that your employees can hear and use.
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New!
HBR Learning
Feedback Essentials Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Feedback Essentials. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Give feedback that your employees can hear and use.