"Did you hire the wrong person, or did you ruin him after you hired him?"  That is a question you must consider before terminating an employee because of poor performance.  Poor performers are sometimes simply lazy.  More often, however, they have been improperly trained.  Before you resort to termination, try one or more of the following suggestions related to employee training and development:

Give employees accurate job descriptions
Have you been clear about what you expect?  Consider the possibility that your employee isn't doing what you want him to because he doesn't understand what his responsibilities are.  Have a single individual responsible for all employee training and development (so no one can slip through the cracks), and be sure assigned tasks are “relevant,” not simply busy work.

Have reasonably demanding expectations
Expectations work two ways.  You need to be certain that you don't expect too much; but on the other hand, you shouldn't resort to giving easier assignments if an employee can't handle the tougher ones.  Don't reward slothfulness.  Be willing to consider the fact that your employee’s way of doing things is better than your way.  Prioritize assignments so employees know which ones need to be finished first.

Communicate when there is a problem
If you say nothing, your employee has every right to assume she is doing fine.  Give positive feedback.  When there is a problem, be certain you attack the "root of the problem" not the individual.

Expect a report of results
A common expression is "employees do what is inspected, not what is expected."  Eliminate “hovering” by expecting employees to report to you after a task is completed.

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