My Staff Keep Making Mistakes. Should I Blame Training, Systems or Attitude?
You’ve worked tirelessly, built a business from the ground up and hired a dependable team. But lately, mistakes are piling up. Orders are coming in wrong, emails are being missed, and the clients are unhappy. And you’re left wondering: “Why can’t they just do it right anymore?”
However, before you explode in front of your employees, take a deep breath, nothing will be fixed otherwise. Let’s take a closer look at what’s really going on and how to fix it, by looking at the three root causes: systems,training, and attitude.
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But First, Don’t Default to Blame
It’s natural to get frustrated when errors result in lost time, money, or trust. Even so, blaming people without determining the actual causes of the problem often leads to resentment from your team, a fear-based work culture, and no actual improvement in performance. Your job as the business owner is to diagnose before you discipline.
Related: The Right Way to Handle Employee Resignations
1. Is It a System’s Problem?
Having a business system is paramount to the success of your entire team, especially when your team has expanded into a fully-fledged company. It allows employees to operate in a tried-and-tested manner instead of having to figure things out on their own every time.
However, if that system is flawed from the beginning, it could set your team up for failure and mistakes. If you suspect a systemic issue, there are a few things you should pay attention to, including whether he steps to doing a particular task clearly defined in a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). SOPs can ensure that tasks are completed in a consistent manner, reducing mistakes and improving efficiency.
You can also create checklists, templates, or automations. Things such as those can help employees in completing their tasks, whether by showing them what needs to be done next, or by automating the more mundane tasks. Be sure to concentrate all instructions in one place where employees can access. Access to information also helps improve employees efficiency, unless they are scattered across many different platforms such as in an email, on WhatsApp, or a sticky note somewhere.
2. Is It a Training Gap?
If systems are in place but employees still make mistakes, then it could be a problem in their training. You should find an opportunity to talk to them respectfully to find out whether they have received a proper onboarding process. It is the process of integrating them into the company through a combination of education and support, while hearing their concerns and answering their questions about their work.
You should also ask them about whether they had a chance to mentor under another colleague. This will allow them to receive valuable guidance, knowledge, and support from a more experienced employee, making them less likely to make mistakes on the job.
Do make sure that they understand the significance of their work, because sometimes, the training an employee receives isn’t about the technical skill, but rather the context and expectations of that position too. If a junior employee submitted an incomplete report, it may not be because they’re careless, but rather they weren’t shown what a “complete” report looks like.
Read more: Before You Hire Your First Employee, Read This
3. Is It an Attitude Problem?
Now that you’ve fixed the systems and provided training, and yet, mistakes continue. What’s worse, the employee seems unbothered by feedback, blames others, shows up late, and does the bare minimum. That’s when you know you’re dealing with an attitude issue.
In this case, you can start with a frank, one-on-one conversation with them, where you can then set clear expectations and timelines for improvement of such behaviour. Make sure to document everything too, in case the situation escalates to a formal HR action. In that situation, fair and well-documented progressive discipline towards the employee is expected.
Advice from an Accountant’s Perspective
“Operational mistakes are more than annoyances, they come with a cost. Measure the cost of repeated mistakes, such as rework time, refunds, and client loss. Give feedback during weekly meetings to highlight issues early. Create a staff dashboard or task tracker, and a sense of accountability reduces errors. Use task trackers like Trello, Xero, or CRM systems to reduce manual oversight of tasks. Invest in leadership training for the supervisors since they’re the quality control of your business.
Related: 7 Salary Deductions in Singapore Every Employer Must Know
Final Thoughts
Before you blame anyone or anything, diagnose the problem first. Mistakes in your business aren’t just a people issue. They could also be a systemic or leadership issue in disguise. By taking a structured approach to this issue, you can cut down on costly mistakes and your anger towards employees, leading to an effective business that doesn't require as much intensive oversight. Feel free to reach out to a professional business mentor if you need any assistance or further guidance in fixing the systemic, leadership, or employee issues in your business.
Fix Staff Mistakes Without Guessing — Download the Free Guide
