How to spot an incompetent employee

The recruiter and employer may seem harsh at the interview stage, but rarely is there anyone who can look at it from the other side. After all, the task of any manager is to ensure that all processes are streamlined and the business process is effective. Some candidates make a good impression at first but cause a lot of problems later on. Quarrels in the team, missed deadlines, toxic communication, major mistakes – all this threatens customer loss and reputational risks. The worst thing is when an incompetent employee takes a high position and, as you know, the fish rot from the very beginning. We tell you what gives away a problem employee.

regular delay

If a person doesn’t respect your time, it means he doesn’t care about those around him. Consider that the work of other employees is closely connected with the result of “being late”. It turns out that there is a domino effect: Colleagues are also forced to postpone deadlines and cannot keep up. It goes without saying that being late for an important meeting risks ruining the deal and losing customers’ trust. Maybe the person does not do this on purpose, but it still causes many problems. By the way, we have previously written about why some people are always late.

Any task takes a lot of time

As a rule, everyone in the department has approximately the same responsibilities, but for some reason one employee always delivers work later than others. This often affects newcomers or, conversely, older workers who do not have time to keep up with new technologies. That is why it is important to actively gain experience and not sit silently silently in the corner, but ask for advice from colleagues. Presumably the reason for the failure was planning.

Procrastination and missing deadlines

Sometimes it is unclear what an employee does during the day. He looks busy on the outside, but he actually hangs out on social networks and dating apps. He might think he’ll manage to deliver everything on time, but he misses the deadline at X time, exposing not only himself but also his colleagues.

Irresponsibility and lack of initiative

There is a type of employee who comes to work at certain hours and performs only the tasks that are necessary for him/her. The problem is that it is impossible to trust such a person in an unusual situation. Because they lack the motivation to prove themselves and get a higher position, their working methods become obsolete in the long run. There are also employees who avoid all kinds of responsibilities. They are unlikely to help a colleague with their workload or respond to a boss’s request to complete an urgent task. And if they do, they do it deliberately badly so that they are no longer approached with orders.

Common mistakes

No wonder they say shoes get in the way of a bad dancer. No one is immune from mistakes. But if an employee is constantly looking for excuses as to why things aren’t going well, then it’s worth considering. Poor health, vaguely formulated boss’s task, inadequate clientele – all this has its place. The only difference is whether the cases are isolated or a trend.

Inappropriate response to comments

It is very difficult to work with someone who reacts painfully to criticism. It’s not very pleasant to realize that you are a monster that drains the energy of your employees. Ultimately, this situation has a bad effect on the boss’s reputation. And especially in a complex and serious conversation, it is difficult to guess how to ensure that the employee does not make mistakes and understands you.

inability to communicate

Even in technical industries, soft skills play a big role. If a person constantly speaks harsh words to colleagues and forgets about politeness when talking with partners, then all efforts will be in vain, no matter how talented he is. However, the team needs to maintain a positive work atmosphere where there is no room for hatred and bullying. Therefore, it is easier for a manager to get rid of a problem employee.

Misplaced priorities

Sometimes an employee has difficulty scheduling. Instead of focusing on the main thing, he wastes his precious minutes on unimportant tasks. Because of this, work piles up and deadlines are missed.

working late

From the outside, an employee’s willingness to work overtime may seem praiseworthy, but it’s not that simple. First, it’s worth asking what’s holding him back: meeting deadlines, correcting mistakes, the desire to get a raise, or pure inspiration. Maybe the person is just faking vigorous activity to hide their unprofessionalism. After all, a skilled employee can completely resolve the problem efficiently, quickly, and without drama. Still, the main criterion is efficiency. There are people who work little, but their actions bring greater results than the sum of several employees. The Pareto principle states that in most cases 20% of the effort produces 80% of the results.