Managing people without HR
Whatever is going on with your team, start here
You manage people and there is no HR department to call. Each page below takes one situation managers actually face, in the words they use for it, and answers it plainly: what to do this week, what to write down, where LVL Up helps, and what it does not do. The advice stands on its own whether or not you use the product.
Fix, push and re-engage
Attitude problems
How to deal with an employee with a bad attitude
The work is fine, but the eye-rolls, snapping and sighs are wearing the team down. How to name the behavior, have the talk, and keep a fair record.
Underperformance
How to manage an underperforming employee
Work that is late, sloppy or not enough. How to find the cause, set a clear expectation and give a fair chance to improve, with a record that holds up.
Coasting
What to do about an employee doing the bare minimum
They do exactly what is asked and nothing more. How to find out why, re-engage a coasting employee without threats, and when it is fine as it is.
Documentation
What "document everything" actually means
Dated, specific notes about behavior, good and bad, kept where they cannot get lost. What to write down about an employee, and what to leave out.
Team morale
Team morale has dropped and nobody will say why
The mood changed and you can feel it, but every answer is "fine". How to find out what is wrong with an anonymous pulse, and what to do once you know.
The hard cases
The hard cases
What to do about a high performer who makes the team miserable
Great results, but the people around them are worn out or leaving. How to see the full cost to the team, name the behavior, and decide what you accept.
The hard cases
How to manage the employee nobody will fire
Long tenure, the owner's friend or family, and a problem everyone works around. How to handle it fairly when the usual rules seem not to apply.
New manager
You inherited a problem employee with a clean file
Everyone says they are a problem, but there is nothing in writing. How a new manager starts fresh, sets expectations and builds a fair record.
Performance improvement plans
When to use a performance improvement plan, and how to make it fair
A PIP should be a real chance to improve, not a paper trail to an exit. When to use one, what goes in it, and the record a fair plan depends on.
Spot and keep your best people
High performers
How to spot the quiet person carrying your team
The loudest person is often not the one doing the most. How to find your quiet high performer from goals closed, peer thanks and what the team says.
Promotions
Two good people, one lead role: who do you promote?
Two strong candidates and one promotion. How to decide on evidence side by side, what to look for in a lead, and how to tell the one who missed out.
Keeping good people
Signs your best employee is about to quit, and what to do this week
Quieter in meetings, fewer ideas, more days off. What the signs can mean, why a stay interview beats a counter-offer, and what to do this week.
Your own first time
New managers
You got promoted over your friends. Now what?
Promoted from the team you used to be part of. How to reset relationships, hold structured 1:1s, and make your first hard call without losing everyone.
First review cycle
Nobody here has ever had a review. Where do I start?
No reviews ever, and you want to start without a twenty-page form. A short template, a simple timeline, and how to run a first cycle people trust.