No Bench Warmer

Budget is tight. All hirings are frozen. Economy is bad. One of your employee is not performing. If you manage him out, you won’t get replacement. What do you do? This, of course, is a decision after you have exhausted other means to make this employee productive.

Retaining him keeps your organization full. You will not lose your charter, since someone is assigned. Your influence in the company maintains the same level, so you think, since the size of your organization stays the same. (See my “Myth on Size” post.)

You will spend disproportaional time managing this employee. He will make you look bad, since he cannot deliver the projects. He will drag down the teammates, who will either have to cover for him, or resent his not pulling his own weight.

If you manage him out, you get credits from your boss for “doing the right thing.” You get a perfect reason for not meeting some of your goals. Other employees will most likely be motivated, since now everyone hates the teammate that make them look bad. But you will have less budget and therefore less slack should something goes the wrong direction. You and your organization will be a bit more vulnerable.

When I was trying to convince a manager to do the right thing. He said, “I have a ‘no bench warmer’ policy.” I was taken aback. What a punchy way to express this. Needless to say, I did not spend much time convincing him.

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