3 ways to handle employees who constantly have an excuse

3 ways to handle employees who constantly have an excuse3 ways to handle employees who constantly have an excuseBeing around employees who always make excuses can be tough, whetzu sich youre a coworker or the boss. Heres how to handle those who act like this on a regular basis.If youre a manager, think about if you want them aroundAnne Loehr, who describes herself as a generational guru, author transformational leader, writes on her website about managing employees who make excuses. The information she provides is based on a book she co-wrote named Managing the Unmanageable How to Motivate Even the Most Unruly Employee. She writes about an unmanageable employee, or UE, dubbed The Excuse-Maker.Her first tip is to commit or quit.The first choice a manager faces, with any UE, is the choice of whether to try to retain the UE or not. This is a matter that requires careful thinking. After all, youre weighing the costs and benefits of taking on a major challenge (UE salvage) against the co sts and benefits of starting from scratch by finding and hiring a new employee. This decision is a significant one, because UE salvage, if you decide to attempt it, requires that you make a firm and serious commitment to your unmanageable employees future. Why commit to someone you might not even like? Heres why.Dont sweep things under the rugThis might backfire on you.Paul Petrone, editor of LinkedIn Learning, writes about a course on the site called Coaching Employees Through Difficult Situations, taught by Elizabeth McLeod. She is the vice president of client engagement at McLeod More, Inc.Petrone outlines her four-step approach - the second step, he mentions, is to acknowledge the pattern of misses.Lets say the excuse is not particularly legitimate and theyve made similar mistakes several times. Now is the time to bring that series of misses to the employees attention, Petrone writes. For example, if the person has missed deadlines repeatedly, call that out as opposed to focu sing on this months excuse.Be precise about what you wantTom Ceconi, co-founder of HR360, writes on the websites video blog about how managers can work with employees who always make excuses, and explains how important it is to be precise about work expectations.Make sure to give clear direction. If your employee often says he couldnt get the project done because the assignment wasnt clear, you may be dealing with someone who - at least for the moment - needs more detailed directives than your other team members, he writes. Its also possible that your directions were, in fact, unclear. Break down long assignments into smaller tasks, and review them carefully with the employee, giving pointers on the most efficient approach.