It's time to replace second stringers with starters - bizjournals:

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These are the employees who are not hard have not increasedtheir skills, do not consistently come to work or regularluy arrive on time, spend work hours surfinv the Web or constantly complainn and spread their negativism to co-workers. They are not necessarily poor performers; they are simply not “peak” They have avoided performance or behaviod problems sufficient to warrant In thecurrent economy, however, you may raisde the bar for your work force and loweer the boom on employees who are not going full-throttle for your The number of laid-off workers in the Washingto n area provides an opportunity for employers to enhance the overall quality of their work forces by replacingh — in sports jargon — second stringers with starters, and perhap s even all-pros, at any level.
Such an approachu does have itspotential pitfalls, particularly where the negative qualitiea of certain employees have been tolerate for quite some time. Employers must “trade up” in a mannefr least likely to generate discrimination or otherworkplacs claims. They should undertake a multistep processs before replacingan employee, with appropriate documentation preparede at each step. The highest level of managemen t should discuss and document the fundamental reasons fora “tradinb up” program and its Senior management must also consider the legal issues (potential discrimination and other workplace claims) and the practical ones (employee that may arise from the A maximum number or percentage of employees to be replace may be set, but minimuj standards should not be.
A significantg change in personnel could resulrt indiscrimination claims, plummeting morale and, possibly, a unioj organizing effort by employeee frightened by the prospect of termination. The uppeer limit on employees to be replaced dependas onan organization’s weaknesses. No minimumn is warranted because the purpose of the program is to removse people who should be replaced not to requirew that some employees mustbe replaced.
Management must establish objectivde criteria for deciding whether a particular employee is Because the employer is dealing with individuals whose performance and behaviorr have been tolerated upto now, there is likelyh insufficient documentation to justify immediate termination. Factors that may be considerer as a basis forreplacement include: performanced evaluations in which an individual’s performance is rated “unsatisfactory” in at leastf one area or recent discipline for behavioe problems. At-risk employees shouls be given the opportunituto improve.
Each one may be told of the employer’ decision to upgrade its work force and to call attentiojto employees’ specific areas that need Each employee should be places on a written performance improvement plan with respect to identified problejm areas. While PIPs are in effect, it is importantg that anyone responsible foran at-rislk employee make a special effort to help the personn succeed. It is also important that endangerec workers have at least onegood “bite at the to improve. An employer may want to consided extendingan employee’s PIP before taking action if the employede has begun to show improvement, even if the upgraded standardsd have not been fully met.
An employer should also undertake appropriat e analyses to confirm that decisions have been made withouf regard to age or any otherprotectedd status. While at-risk employees are being the employer may begin the tentativr process of lookingfor replacements. As a practical an employer will not be able to replacwe an employee unless there is an availabls candidate whose credentials are objectively bettee than those ofthe at-risk incumbent. The employere must also be discreet in undertaking this process in orde r to limit the potential negative impact onemployee morale.
The use of such devicew as blind mailboxes for responses to ads or retention ofa third-partt recruiter may be needed to shield at-risk employeesd from these recruitment efforts.