Constant Excuses from the Team? How to Answer Them

While there are occasionally valid reasons for briefly falling behind scheduled tasks, a habit of excuses for not completing work needs to be addressed. Sometimes it seems easier to let the excuses slide or pick up the slack yourself. However, this frees your employees from accountability and leaves room for issues to grow. If a team member says they didn't know how to do something or were too busy or didn't know they were responsible for something, deal with it as soon as possible.

If you're frustrated with repeated excuses, express your frustration as disappointment rather than lashing out in anger. Emphasise that one person not doing their part affects the whole team. Give examples of how others are having to do extra work or having to wait for something that needs to be done. If customers are involved, point out how falling behind affects customer trust as well.

Ask questions to get to the root of the problem and solve it. If the issue is not having enough time, the employee may need to improve time management skills, or it may be that there's truly not enough time because you're under-staffed. If they don't know what to do or how to do something, make it clear that they need to communicate these problems right away rather than making excuses later.

Ensure everyone on the team knows what's expected from the beginning to avoid miscommunications and excuses further down the line. Follow and hold each team member accountable for what they agreed to do.