Practise this conversation
How to talk to an employee who has stopped trying
The first time you have one shouldn’t be the first time you’ve said the words.
Dan is waiting for you
Before you go in
Dan was the picker everyone wanted on their shift. A year on, his rate is at the bottom of the board, he does the minimum and goes home, and the team has noticed. You’ve booked ten minutes with him before his shift, and you’re not sure how to open it.
Good luck.
Your goal
Find out what’s changed for Dan, and agree one small thing for next week that gets him back in.
Up to 8 turns, about five minutes, then feedback from our AI coach. Your first go at this conversation is free. After that, one credit a go (packs from £3).
Want the full rehearsal? (Pro, 6 credits for both)
What you’ll practise
- Opening with one specific thing you’ve seen, said plainly and without a label like "lazy" or "checked out".
- Asking one open question, then staying quiet long enough for a real answer, even when the silence feels long.
- Closing with one small, agreed next step and a time to check in, so the conversation doesn’t end with a nod and nothing else.
Your goal
Your free go at this one is used
One credit runs the whole conversation
Each new go costs one credit: a full conversation with Dan and the coach’s feedback. Your free go at the other conversations is still there.
No code? Get BOM Credits, from 10 for £3. Your code comes by email and works across the coach tools. Full refund within 14 days if you haven’t used a credit.
What worked
Where it slipped
Say this instead
One thing to practise
Read next
Show the conversation
Ready for the real one?
Rehearse it with Dan until you’re ready
Practise the conversation until it feels like the second time, not the first, and walk in with your best words.
- Two full rehearsals: up to 20 turns each, out loud or typed
- On the second, a hint from the coach after each reply
- Your own best lines on a card to take in with you
With the Best value pack (50 credits), 6 credits is about £1.45 · $1.90 · €1.70 · A$2.90. After that, one more go with hints is 2 credits. Private: use made-up names, and nothing you say is kept.
What we keep: nothing you typed. Your conversation stays in your browser and goes to our AI coach only to write the next reply and your feedback. Use a made-up name for the person you’re thinking of. The feedback is written by AI from your conversation and is a second pair of eyes, not a verdict on you.
Practice for reflection, not legal or HR advice. If it involves harassment, discrimination, health or safety, talk to HR or ACAS.
The full picture
Dan has been on the team for four years. A year ago he was the picker everyone wanted on their shift: fast, accurate, first to help a new starter find their way round the aisles. Now his rate has drifted to the bottom of the board. He arrives on the minute, takes every second of his break and leaves on the dot. He doesn't join in the banter any more and he's stopped offering to help.
Nothing is bad enough for a warning. It's just less, every week. You've noticed, and so has the team. Two people have already asked why he gets away with it, and one of them has started doing the same. You've booked ten minutes with him before the shift starts, somewhere quiet, and you're not sure how to open it.
Why it's hard
There's no single moment to point to, so it's easy to sound vague or unfair. He used to be good, which makes it awkward, and if you go in with the numbers first he'll hear an accusation and close down. If you go in too soft, he'll agree to everything and nothing will change. The real reason is rarely the one he gives first, and he won't give it at all if he thinks you've already made up your mind. That's the skill here: being specific about what you've seen, then curious enough about why that he tells you. Most of this conversation is listening. The hardest part is staying quiet long enough for the real answer to arrive.
82% of people who enter management have had no formal management and leadership training.
Chartered Management Institute with YouGov, Taking Responsibility, October 2023Two-thirds of managers say they're uncomfortable communicating with the people they manage.
Lou Solomon, Harvard Business Review, March 2016 (survey by Interact and Harris Poll)What usually goes wrong, and what you'll practise
What usually goes wrong
- Opening with "Is everything alright?", getting "Yeah, fine", then running out of things to say. A vague question gets a vague answer.
- Guessing at his reasons out loud ("Are you bored? Looking for something else?") so he has something to deny, and the conversation turns into an argument about your guess.
- Bringing up what the team has said. He stops thinking about the work and starts thinking about who's been talking about him.
What you'll practise
- Opening with one specific thing you've seen, said plainly and without a label like "lazy" or "checked out".
- Asking one open question, then staying quiet long enough for a real answer, even when the silence feels long.
- Closing with one small, agreed next step and a time to check in, so the conversation doesn't end with a nod and nothing else.
Read before you practise
Questions people ask
Should I use his numbers in the conversation?
Have them ready, but lead with what you've seen rather than a league table. One clear fact is enough to start. A list of figures tends to end the conversation before it begins.
What if he says everything is fine?
That's the most likely first answer. Name the change you've noticed again, calmly, and ask what's different for him now compared with a year ago. Then wait.
Credits here are BOM Credits: packs from 10 for £3 to 100 for £20, and one code works across every coach tool on the site. Full refund within 14 days if you haven't used a credit. Anything wrong, email [email protected]. How credits work