If the feedback you give to this employee resembles your letter, you are going to face a great wall of defensiveness because there is no specific information regarding his performance. When you give employees feedback, try to focus on behavior rather than personality. By telling this employee that he is unconcerned, unenthusiastic, and has a poor attitude, you are focusing essentially on personality, and this will most likely set the stage for a defensive response.
Instead of the personality approach, focus instead on specific problematic behaviors or incidents, such as this employee’s tardiness, accuracy, or arguing. He may indeed have poor attitude, but if you provide feedback on the behaviors that reflect this attitude, there tends to be far less defensiveness.
It is also important to provide your feedback as close to the problematic behavior as possible. Be sure to mention the kinds of steps that this employee will need to take in order to meet the performance standards, along with information regarding the consequences associated with continued poor performance. During the exchange, you should obviously listen to what this employee has to say. You will soon see if he was listening to you.
| 
