1091: How Do You Handle an Aging Employee Who Can't Meet Expectations? - Alan Twigg

What should you do when a longtime team member can no longer meet the demands of their role? In this episode, Kirk Behrendt talks with Alan Twigg, president of Bent Eriksen & Associates and an HR professional with more than 20 years of experience, about how dental practice owners can address declining performance without making assumptions about age or medical conditions.

You will learn how to establish objective job standards, document performance concerns, approach fitness-for-duty situations, involve an employee’s treating physician when appropriate, and navigate accommodations or transitions while reducing legal risk. For practical guidance on handling one of dentistry’s most difficult HR conversations, listen to Episode 1091 of The Best Practices Show!

Main Takeaways:

• Employers should address an employee’s job performance rather than attempt to diagnose or manage the employee’s medical condition.
• Current job descriptions, HR policies, and standard operating procedures provide objective benchmarks for evaluating whether an employee is meeting role expectations.
• Regular check-ins can uncover performance concerns and give employees an opportunity to explain challenges before problems escalate.
• Leaders should separate observable facts from assumptions about why an employee’s performance has changed.
• A fitness-for-duty process can involve the employee’s treating physician in determining whether the employee can perform essential job duties and what restrictions may be necessary.
• Employers may have legal obligations to engage in an accommodation or interactive process when an employee discloses a protected medical condition.
• Documentation of performance expectations, conversations, restrictions, and accommodations is important when a practice may ultimately need to end employment.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:11 Alan Twigg’s background and Bent Eriksen & Associates.

04:23 Medical, cognitive, physical, and medication-related factors that can affect job performance.

06:52 Why employers should not act as an employee’s treating physician.

08:03 Using policies, job descriptions, and standards to establish performance expectations.

11:56 Keeping job descriptions current as technology and practice needs change.

15:28 Reviewing changing expectations as a dental practice grows.

18:22 Understanding the fitness-for-duty process.

21:21 Focusing performance conversations on standards, patients, and the team.

22:45 Managing longtime employees who resist changes or plan to retire soon.

28:35 Protected medical conditions and employer responsibilities.

32:43 Why dental practices benefit from qualified HR guidance.

35:00 How Bent Eriksen & Associates supports dental practices with HR issues.

Guest Bio:

Alan Twigg is the president of Bent Ericksen & Associates. For over 10 years, he has guided thousands of clients and consultants through the ever-changing world of HR and employment compliance. He is a speaker, consultant, and author who is passionate about bringing education and peace of mind to such a confusing topic.

As a strong proponent of symbiotic employer-employee relations, Alan is passionate about teamwork and positive work cultures, with an emphasis on long-term personnel retention and employment compliance, where his solutions-oriented outlook excels.

Episode Resources:

https://bentericksen.com/

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