Does It Really Matter How Much Effort Goes Into the Job If They Can't Meet The Expectations?

Whether we like it or not, business is business and most likely if you work for a business in the United States, it is all about execution and accomplishment.  The bottom line is businesses don't pay people to try really hard.  They pay for results - whether that be creative results, productivity results, or theoretical results.  The person that gets promoted is likely the person that gets things done.

Some people are placed in the wrong roles and struggle getting accomplished what is expected.  Other people were bad hires.  And yet other people just aren't able or willing to adapt to the changes the organization is making.  

If you are fortunate enough to find a more appropriate role for the individual, you are golden.  However, I'm certainly not an advocate for passing your problem employee off to someone else because you don't want to address it.  If you are able to rearrange the work your team performs and utilize the skills of the person in question, all the better.  But that doesn't mean you create a job for them simply because it's easier than dealing with the problem.  

To answer the question posed at the beginning of this blog post, in my opinion it doesn't matter how much effort the person puts out if they can't meet the expectations of the job.  I know that sounds a bit calloused.  Actually, I think it's more painful and unfair to let a person work 14 hours a day to try to meet the demands when they clearly don't have the expertise or skill to accomplish the task.  The only fair thing to do is let them know they don't have what it takes, work with your HR department to determine next steps (i.e. find another position), and help them move on to a place where they can be successful (either within your organization or someplace else). I guess put yourself in their shoes.  Wouldn't you want to be successful?  What are your thoughts?