Gary Pruitt

I read it as your newest employee would. Two parts would worry me.

The first was opening with "We need to talk about your attitude." Lateness isn't an attitude, and she'll hear it as an attack. The second was bringing up her divorce. That's hers to share, not yours to name. Here's a script that stays kind and stays on the facts.

BEFORE THE CONVERSATION

• Choose a quiet time, not right before a client.
• Sit down together. Not across a desk if you can help it.
• Have the dates written down.
• Plan 20 minutes.

THE SCRIPT

Open with care.

"Thanks for sitting down with me, Jess. You're one of the best stylists I've ever had, and that's why I wanted to talk in person."

Say the fact, once.

"You've been late nine times this month. Three clients have had to wait more than 20 minutes, and two of them mentioned it to me."

Stop and listen.

"I wanted to ask how things are going. Is something making mornings hard right now?"

Then wait. Don't fill the silence. If she shares something personal, thank her. Don't dig.

Offer something real.

"Would a later start help for a few weeks? I could move your first client to 10:30 through the end of next month."

Be clear about what's needed.

"Whatever we try, I need you here when your first client arrives. Can we agree on that?"

Write it down together.

"I'll write up what we agreed and send it to you today, so we're both on the same page. Let's check in again in two weeks."

IF SHE GETS UPSET

"I can see this is hard. We can take a break and finish tomorrow if you'd like."

AFTER

Send a short, kind note the same day with what you both agreed. Keep a copy.

Be kind, write it down. — Gary

I read it as your newest employee would. Two parts would worry me.

Your current form has a box called "Attitude." Nobody knows what it measures, and people feel judged on their personality. It also asks staff to rate themselves 1 to 10 with no explanation of what the numbers mean. I've taken out both.

THE TEMPLATE

Name, role, review period, manager

PART 1: LOOKING BACK

1. What were your 3 most important goals this year? (Copy from last year's review.)
2. For each goal: what happened? Give one example.
3. What are you proudest of?
4. What got in your way? Is there anything the organization could have done to help?

PART 2: HOW WORK GETS DONE

For each area, the manager writes one or two sentences with an example. No numbers.

PART 3: OVERALL

Choose one:

• Exceeding: consistently does more than the role asks.
• Meeting: does the job well. Most good employees are here.
• Not yet meeting: needs support in specific areas, listed below.

PART 4: LOOKING AHEAD

1. Three goals for next year, agreed together.
2. One thing the manager will do to support those goals.

SIGNATURES

Employee and manager both sign. The employee can add comments, and those comments stay with the review.

NOTES FOR MANAGERS

• Write the review before the meeting, and share it a day early. Nobody should hear something for the first time in their review.
• "Meeting" is a good rating. Say so out loud.

Be kind, write it down. — Gary

I read it as your newest employee would. Two parts would worry me.

Your current note says "time off must be approved" but doesn't say by whom or how far ahead. And it says "abuse of sick leave will result in termination." A new hire reads that and comes to work sick. I've rewritten both.

TIME OFF

We want you to rest. Here's how time off works.

VACATION

• Full-time employees get 10 vacation days a year.
• Days are added each month: a little less than one day per month.
• You can use vacation after your first 90 days.
• Up to 5 unused days carry over to next year. The rest reset on January 1.

HOW TO ASK FOR VACATION

1. Ask your crew lead at least 2 weeks ahead, by text or in person.
2. Your crew lead will answer within 3 working days.
3. In our busy season, April to June, we may need to limit how many people are off at once. We'll go in the order requests came in.

SICK DAYS

• Everyone gets 5 paid sick days a year, starting on your first day.
• Use them when you're sick, when you need to see a doctor, or when you need to care for a sick family member.
• Text your crew lead before your shift starts. You don't need to say what's wrong.
• If you're out more than 3 days in a row, we may ask for a doctor's note.

Please don't come to work sick. You'll make the crew sick, and the job is harder when you're unwell.

HOLIDAYS

We're closed on 6 paid holidays: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

IF YOU LEAVE

Unused vacation is paid out when you leave. Sick days are not.

A NOTE FOR YOU

Some states and cities have their own sick leave rules. Please have your payroll provider or counsel check this against your state's rules before you publish it.

Be kind, write it down. — Gary