The Secret To Managing Poor Performance

Managing an underperforming team member can be a stressful task for any manager.

It’s completely natural to feel uneasy about addressing poor performance, but turning a blind eye to the issue will only make things worse.

In this article, we’ll share five steps to follow to help you deal with an underperforming employee.

Step 1: Act Immediately

When faced with a poor performer, it’s common for managers to hope the problem will resolve itself.

But as a manager, you can’t afford to ignore underperformance.

If you fail to deal with a performance problem, it is unfair to the rest of your team, and they will become disengaged and frustrated.

To effectively tackle performance issues, it’s important to act promptly and start a conversation with the underperforming employee as soon as possible. By doing so, you can gain a deeper understanding of the root cause behind the issue and work together to find a solution.

Step 2: Understand The Problem

When an employee is underperforming, it’s easy to assume that they simply don’t care about their job. However, most managers forget that people don’t usually wake up in the morning with the intention of being bad at their jobs.

As a manager, it’s your responsibility to understand why the employee is underperforming and to help them improve.

To start, ask the employee to share their own assessment of their work and how they think they’re doing against their goals or OKRs. This will give you insight into how closely aligned your perception of their performance is with their own. If you both agree, you can work together to turn things around. But if they don’t agree with you, you’ll need to describe the problem and provide specific examples of where you believe they need to improve.

It’s important to lead the conversation with support and care, and most importantly, to actively listen to what the employee has to say.

There may be many different reasons why a team member is underperforming. Take time to discuss the situation with them and consider whether something has changed recently or if there was a misunderstanding with you about their goals and your expectations. Perhaps they’re lacking specific skills or knowledge, or maybe their role is no longer such a good fit for them. External factors in their personal life could also be affecting their performance.

Once you have a shared understanding of the situation, you can work with the employee to create a targeted plan to address the problem.

Step 3: Work Together To Set Clear Goals And Expectations

Now that you understand and agree on the performance issue, it’s important to involve your employee in brainstorming potential solutions.

By doing so, you’re collaborating on a solution rather than dictating one. This approach will help to motivate the employee to improve their performance, especially if the plan is tied to something they want.

Working together, create a concrete plan for improvement that includes measurable actions. Ensure that the employee understands what is expected of them and how their performance and progress will be evaluated.

Make sure that the plan includes clear deadlines and that their goals are aligned with your team’s objectives.

Step 4: Monitor Progress and Offer Support

To ensure that your employee is making progress towards their goals, it’s important to establish clear communication channels. Let them know how you want them to keep you up-to-date, and make sure that you’re staying in touch with them regularly.

We suggest scheduling regular 1:1 meetings with your employee, meeting on a weekly basis to talk about their progress. During these meetings, be sure to communicate expectations and timelines for specific results, as well as consequences if they are not met. It’s important to celebrate successes and provide constructive feedback for areas that need improvement.

As their manager, you should offer support and training to help them improve their performance. Consider providing resources such as online courses, coaching, or mentorship opportunities where appropriate.

It’s important for you to determine how much investment you’re willing to make in your employee’s progress and the timeframe for when their performance needs to have improved.

Step 5: Take Formal Action If There’s No Improvement

If after following all of these steps, you’re still not seeing enough improvement from your employee, it may be necessary to take formal action.

Depending on your company’s policies, this could include implementing a performance improvement plan, disciplinary action, or termination.

Be sure to speak with your HR team as soon as you start any discussions with an employee about performance, and follow your organisation’s policies and procedures, documenting all actions taken. Dealing with underperformance is never easy, but by taking positive action, you are demonstrating to the rest of your team that you will not tolerate poor performance.

Remember, the most important step when dealing with an underperforming team member is to start the process.