Script 9 · from the Firm & Fair Playbook
What to say to an employee who keeps making mistakes
Talk in private, first thing, before anyone else gets there, with the work in front of you:
“Friday night I re-cut this ceiling line and scraped these covers. That’s the third job this month I’ve stayed late to fix.”
“That’s on me for not saying something sooner. So I’m saying it now, and I’m going to show you exactly what done looks like.”
Then show the standard, and walk their work together every day for two weeks.
The situation
The Kowalski kitchen, Friday, 5:30. The crew’s gone, and you’re up on the ladder re-cutting the line where the ceiling meets the wall, then scraping paint off three outlet covers. All of it Colby’s. It’s the third job this month you’ve stayed late to fix his work without saying a word to him. The walkthrough with Mrs. Kowalski is Monday at 10.
Before you talk
- Be honest about your part. You’ve been fixing it in silence for a month, and Colby may think his work is fine because nobody has told him otherwise. Did anyone ever show him your standard? If not, this talk is half training.
- Take pictures before you fix anything else: the wavy line, the paint on a cover plate, the caulk bead nobody tooled. List the jobs and dates where you redid his work.
- Know which talk this is. First time you’ve said anything: this talk and two weeks of daily walk-throughs. If it doesn’t improve: the documented conversation, then a performance plan.
- If this goes on paper later, run the Check below first. One to look at here: if Colby told you about an accident on a job, or about something personal that may need time off or a change at work, and the work slipped after that, stop and get advice.
- Pick the moment. On site, first thing Monday, before the others get there, standing in the room with the work. If he’s hourly, he’s on the clock for it. The work is the evidence, and showing beats describing.
The first words
You“Colby, come look at this with me. Friday night I re-cut this ceiling line and scraped these covers. That’s the third job this month I’ve stayed late to fix.”
“That’s on me for not saying something sooner. So I’m saying it now, and I’m going to show you exactly what done looks like.”
What they’ll say, and what you say
They“Nobody told me it had to be that perfect.”
You“Fair. I’m telling you now. The line looks straight from where the customer stands. Covers come off before you paint. I’ll show you both this morning.”
They“You’re always on us about speed.”
You“I am. But fast and redone costs me more than careful once. If you’re short on time, tell me before you rush it, and I’ll move the schedule.”
They“So you’re going to check everything I do?”
You“For two weeks, yes. End of each day, we walk your rooms together. Ten minutes. When it’s right, we stop walking.”
The Playbook’s full script also covers “Why didn’t you just say something?” and the hands-on lesson that ends the talk, and what to do if it turns: if he goes quiet and red, then says “So do it yourself,” if he ties it to coming off a ladder in July, if he says everybody’s work has mistakes.
Never say
- “Forget it. I’ll just do it myself.”Why: That’s how you got here. Every silent fix is another week he doesn’t know, until the day you blow up about something he never heard about.
- “Shape up or you’re done.”Why: It’s a threat with nothing behind it yet. If it ever comes to letting him go, what you’ll want behind you is two weeks of walk-throughs and a written record.
Write it down the same day
- Tonight, a conversation record: the date, the jobs and dates you redid his work, the photos, the standard you showed him, the two-week walk-through plan, and the date you’ll review it.
- Then walk his rooms every day, and jot one line each time: what was right, what wasn’t.
- If he mentioned an accident on a job, file an incident report for it today and call your insurer.
- If two weeks of walk-throughs don’t fix it, the next step is the documented conversation, then a performance plan.
Before any write-up or firing: the Check
Trouble often starts with something reasonable done at the wrong moment: a write-up the week after a complaint, a firing right after a request for time off. The Playbook has you run the Check first.
Before you act, has any of this happened?
- They complained about something at work recently.
- They asked for time off, or for a change in how or when they work.
- They told you about something personal that may need time off or a change at work.
- There’s a workers’ comp claim.
- They were a witness in someone else’s complaint.
- They’ve talked with coworkers about pay or working conditions.
- The timing could look like payback.
- It’s a layoff, and you’re choosing someone 40 or older.
- Someone could believe the real reason is a different one.
Any yes: stop, and get advice before the next step.
A tip from the Playbook: many business insurance policies include an HR or legal helpline. Find out whether yours does now, before you need it.
The Firm & Fair Playbook
This is part of Script 9 in the Firm & Fair Playbook. The full script has every beat, what to do if it turns, what never to say, and what to write down the same day.
32 conversations, word for word, 18 templates with a filled-in example each, and Quick Cards for your phone.
$97 once. Instant download. 30-day refund, and you keep the files.
See what’s insideQuestions owners ask
How do you document an employee’s repeated mistakes?
Photos before you fix anything, and a list of the jobs and dates where you redid the work. After the talk, a conversation record: the date, what you redid, the standard you showed, the walk-through plan and the review date. Then one line after each daily walk-through: what was right, what wasn’t. Write what a camera would have caught, not labels like “careless.”
When does an employee who keeps making mistakes go on a PIP?
When the trouble is the quality of the work and the earlier steps haven’t fixed it: first this talk and two weeks of walk-throughs, then the documented conversation. A performance improvement plan gives the next step its shape: specific targets, dates and weekly check-ins, so both of you know exactly what “better” means. Run the Check before it goes on paper.
Can I fire an employee for making too many mistakes?
In almost every state, employment is “at will”: you can end it for any reason that isn’t an illegal one, unless a contract or a written promise says otherwise. Still, if it ever comes to letting someone go, what you’ll want behind you is the walk-throughs and a written record. A dated trail shows what the real reason was far better than your memory can. Run the Check before each step that goes on paper.
Related
- The long-timer who’s slipping Years of good work, now slipping: ask about the work, not about the person.
- The documented conversation The second time after a coaching talk: the verbal warning that gets written down.
- Starting a performance plan Targets you can count, real help and weekly check-ins, for someone you want to keep.
- Verbal warning template The record of a documented conversation, in Word and PDF, with a filled-in example.
Free
Take Script 1 with you.
The complete first conversation as a PDF to keep, and the full contents of the Playbook. Then four short emails over eleven days: two more hard conversations, the four moves behind every script, and what’s in the full Playbook.
Not legal advice. Practical wording and process guidance for business owners, written for workplaces in the United States. For a specific situation, talk to an employment attorney licensed in your state.