ChurchSafety

Performance issues with staff are inevitable and rarely go away on their own. You can reduce the disruption to your entire church office, if you deal with problems in a timely manner. Taking care to hire the right person for the job will go along way toward minimizing potential problems.

Know what you're looking for. Conduct employment interviews with very specific characteristics in mind. Stay focused on hiring the right person for the position you are interviewing for.

Don't settle. The longer a position is open, the more inclined you become to relax your standards. Hiring the wrong person for the job will involve more pain and frustration than leaving the position unfilled.

Keep your options open. Before you hire someone, take a moment to imagine yourself firing them. If you find yourself saying that you could never fire this person—for whatever reason—its probably not a good decision to hire the individual in the first place.

You get what you pay for. As much as you want employees to have a "heart for ministry," you must be prepared to pay a position salary comparable to other ministries. Be wary of situations where you feel like you're getting a bargain by landing a candidate. His or her skills might not be up to par.

Investigate discretely. When you suspect a performance issue, quietly gather more information without expressing your concerns directly. When you feel that you fully understand the issue, its time to take the next step.

Meet with the staff member. Before making any decisions, meet with the individual to discuss what you have observed. Allow the staff member to respond and ask question. If appropriate, discuss clear performance goals, a timeline for improvement and the consequences for failure to improve.

Remember volunteers can be dismissed. While volunteers are not technically employees, you can hold them accountable to meet well-defined expectations. Consider offering another position that better suits the volunteer's talents. Even though volunteers aren't paid, they still have a job to do and can be dismissed.

Consider legal counsel. Thorough documentation of performance issues and related communication are the best defense against potential lawsuits. However, it may be appropriate to seek legal counsel before terminating an employee. Federal, state and local employment laws may come into play.

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