Is it underperformance or a need for accommodation?

Nobody sets out to create a culture that’s hostile to employees in crisis. And yet...

The other day an HR practitioner posted a question about how to deal with an underperforming employee. 

They listed the performance metrics that were falling short of expectations. 

They enumerated how frequent unexcused absences were making the situation unmanageable. 

A PIP was in place. 

They were more than 100 words in before they brought up the actual question:

Now the employee was requesting FMLA to care for her two children with developmental disabilities. Obviously (to the person posting), it was an excuse. Could they deny it? 

From there, the post got worse in all the ways you’d expect if Mr. Burns ran HR. 

→ No one was disputing the kids’ condition. 

→ Or that the employee was taking time off to care for them. 

→ No one was disputing that her caregiving needs were what was preventing her from keeping up with the expectations of the job. 

They were just looking for tips on how to get around the legal job protections and get this person off their payroll already. 

What struck me wasn’t just the obvious insensitivity, it was that this person had turned to a community of 10,000 HR folks expecting support and practical advice. Advice on how to fire an employee for needing time off to care for young children with special needs. 

How does someone get so out of touch that they ask a public group for advice on how to deny someone’s rights under the law? 

How do they lose all perspective on how this looks to an audience whose job is to know better?

While I would never recommend this HR practitioner for a job, their faming made it obvious what pressure they were under. 

🚨 KPIs that assume 100% output 100% of the time

Outcome: Managers think about nothing but meeting quotas. If they accommodate one struggling employee, their own performance tanks.

🚨 No slack to absorb periods of reduced capacity

Truth: You will always have employees who are below the mean. Firing all of them isn’t realistic or healthy for the business.

🚨 Reward short-term “problem-resolution” over long-term sustainability

Outcome: Problem solving becomes “how do I move this along” instead of “how do I protect the business?”

Your organization isn’t a spreadsheet. You can’t just delete the cells with numbers you don’t like.

An organization is like an organism. A healthy immune system doesn't attack the cells in distress. That’s what an autoimmune disease does.

Reminder for those who need it: FMLA isn't insubordination.

Let's not let it get this far. If you feel like labor regulations are undermining your ability to do business, it doesn't have to be this way.

Let's Talk