Note - this is the tenth article in a series of 12 provided by Rikka Brandon and was featured in the August/September 24 issue of BLD Connection Magazine. The eleventh article will be included in the September issue of our monthly newsletter, Material Matters.

 Managers often keep underperforming employees for too long because they don’t want to risk going through a lengthy hiring process only to hire a replacement who may also underperform; they don’t feel confident they can find and hire someone better. But your low performers can bring the whole team down, and it isn’t fair to your other employees who have to work harder to make up the difference. It’s also not fair to your bottom line.

Here are some signs it is time to finally time to bite the bullet.

1. Your Customers Are Complaining

The first sign you should look for is complaints. If your customers keep complaining about the employee because they never hear from them, they have messed up orders, or they do not feel like they’re being properly taken care of, this is a major problem. You do not want to lose one of your best customers because one person on your team is underperforming.

2. Coaching Isn’t Working

Employees who are not open to coaching are not worth keeping around. If you have tried coaching them over and over again, and they still struggle to follow through, you’re wasting your time. It is even worse if they seem to understand what you’re coaching them on, but they still fail to deliver. In this case, they are simply not the right fit for your organization. The best team members understand the importance of continuous self-improvement and are receptive to coaching.

3. They Have Checked out

Another red flag is if it seems your employee has checked out. In recruiting, we call this phenomenon “the grays.” You can tell an employee has checked out if they always seem down, start to wear the same clothes every day, show up late to work, stop shaving, etc. If the employee has no motivation, their performance will only worsen over time.

4. You Have No Hope They Will Ever Improve

The biggest red flag is if you have given up any hope they will ever improve. Your employees are an investment. You wouldn’t invest in a piece of real estate if you knew it had zero chance of accruing in value.

Usually when companies procrastinate firing low performers, it is because they are afraid that they won’t be able to find a candidate who can perform better. This fear leads to inaction. But you can’t afford to settle for mediocrity. Your underperforming employees can cost you time, money, and energy. Instead, work with a recruiter to help ensure you find a replacement who will be a high performer.

Rikka Brandon is a leading recruiting and hiring expert in the LBM industry. She’s the founder of Building Gurus, a boutique training, consulting, and executive search firm for building products manufacturers and distributors. She’s also the creator of Hire Power   an on-demand training for recruiting and hiring in the building products industry. If you’re interested in working with Rikka, schedule a call at BuildingGurus.com/Discovery.