Have an employee that’s unwilling to “get on board?”

A “Come to Jesus” meeting is used for gross or flagrant violations of standards or CORE Competencies.  This type of meeting is used after an individual, or group of individuals, have already been informed or warned of a behavior or attitude that needs correction, but the individual continues to commit the same offense.  This is an example of an individual who is either incapable or unwilling to “get on board” with the program.

This meeting has usually already been preceded by a “Red Flag,” “Performance,” or “Setting Fires Under Their Feet” meeting.  In essence, this is a “second chance” for the individual to get on track.

When Standards or CORE Competencies have been violated, an employee is usually not surprised when called to this type of meeting.  They know they’ve done something wrong.

At this meeting, I want to “cut through the fluff.”  Time has already been spent in one or more of the previous types of meetings to solicit problems and offer support and clarification.  Since the individual has already been given a “first chance,” I am not going to “beg” the individual to get on track.  It’s time for them to decide whether this is where they want to work.

First, I want to “check” my emotion at the door.  I need to make sure I am able to respond and not react (I have a tendency to become frustrated when an individual is given an opportunity to experience a work environment like Open Heaven and then takes it for granted).

Remember earlier when I spoke of too much “Standards” and there’s no heart – too much “warm and fuzzy” and there’s no Standards?  This is a situation in which I’ve already shown the heart at a previous meeting and now is the time to uphold the Standards.

I still want the individual to sit between me and the door, but now I want to sit on a higher level than the individual.  At this meeting, I will take the lead – I control the meeting.

I want to:

• Inform the individual of the problem.
• Remind them that this problem has been previously addressed.
• Inform them that there is no possible excuse for this behavior continuing.
• Ask them why this problem has not been corrected.  (It’s important I keep them on track and not allow them to avoid taking responsibility by blaming or rationalizing.)
• Let them know the consequence if this problem is not resolved immediately.
• Give them the choice to comply or leave and then ask what their decision is.

NOTE: Once again, I email the individual, summarizing the objective and outcome of the meeting and thanking them for their participation.  I then put a copy of the email in their personnel file for documentation and later reference.

– excerpt from “The ‘Art’ of Counseling Staff”