linda-harrisHow many times do you meet with a staff member about performance issues and several weeks later the unacceptable practices are continuing.   Perhaps they are always 10 to 15 minutes late for work.  Perhaps they are not following your procedures.  Perhaps they are creating a personality disturbance within the office.  Now what do you do.

If you had recorded the original discussions with an e-mail to yourself, copied the staff member and copied their H.R. file, you would be able to ‘take the next step’.  Without documenting the first discussion, you really don’t have a leg to stand on.

Also, always set a follow-up timeline (30 days, 60 days or..) and document it in your e-mail.  If the performance is not improving, make sure you do something about it in that timeline and ‘send yourself an e-mail’ .

Staff performance issues are not the only time when these e-mails are helpful and sometimes even critical.  Maybe you have just got off the telephone with a vendor who has promised to improve the delivery date of an important order.  Send yourself an e-mail and copy the vendor.  Written promises and instructions have a way of being followed much better than verbal.

E-mails to yourself are time dated and only take a couple minutes but have to be done shortly after the discussion to have the right affect.  This is an easy way to CYA.

Thanks Stephanie.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Linda Harris, CCA
Sounding Board LLC
702-497-4656
http://www.soundingboardlv.com