Could Plateaued Employees Be Limiting Your Company’s Growth?

Plateaued employees are often loyal employees who are generally nice people and get along well with the team. They are not visibly causing harm to your company. Yet, they may not be adding value to your organization either. There is a saying that some people with 20 years of experience may have the same experience 20 years in a row. In other words, they are doing the core essentials of the job, but bringing any value-add. Although they are not bad apple employees, have you considered the lost opportunity cost of keeping employees that have stagnated?

Most business owners can identify their plateaued employees. Replacing them is an option, yet sometimes it is easier to do nothing. Hiring and training new employees is another option, yet this can be a drain on a business owner’s time and energy, so avoidance is natural.

Take a good look at your team. Here are signs that an employee may be limiting your company’s growth.

Plateaued Employees DON’T:

Ideal Hire COULD:

• Bring energy to the team
• Offer ideas on process improvement
• Use technology better
• Learn new skills
• Seek more responsibilities

Which profile made you feel energized and hopeful? The Plateaued Employee or the Ideal Hire?

Taking the necessary steps to replace a plateaued employee can be emotionally difficult, yet there are ways to mitigate the pain, by:

1) Counseling out respectfully allowing them time to find a job while you search for a replacement.
2) Hiring a replacement discreetly through a confidential search and then terminate the plateaued employee.
3) Cross training others on your team so there is back-up while the new hire is in training.
4) Embracing change!

If you need help in a transitional hiring situation and would like to increase your chances of hiring an employee that can help you advance your company, give us a call at 317-578-1310.