Dealing With Underperforming Employees

Dealing With Underperforming Employees

 
Have you ever faced an instance of dealing with an underperforming employee? What was your immediate response to such a situation?  Did you jump to conclusions about the employee’s capability to do the job? Or did you invest time to learn if there was something more than skills which was lacking? Did you judge the employee as a person? Or did you invest your energy in understanding the broader perspective ailing the organization’s workforce culture?
 
Managers looking for a quick fix in dealing with underperforming employees are steering the organization towards a ‘hire and fire’ culture. This will only end up in creating an environment of fear and stress, which can prove to be detrimental to the progress of any business. It is the responsibility of leaders to ensure that they create a work environment where employees feel supported and valued. For this, it is important to give underperforming employees a chance to improve and make valuable contributions to the business.
 
Identifying the reasons for poor employee performance is the first step in this direction. Direct and effective communication with the employee will help to not only unearth the problem of underperformance but also solve it. Here’s how:
 
  1. Communication will help managers get an insight into the long-term goals and aspirations of the employee. At the same time, the employee can be made to understand how his/her poor performance can affect job security, promotional opportunities, recognition and financial reward. If the employee is working in a role that directly affects the organization, he/she should be explained the implications for this as well. 
  2. Sometimes a good employee might be channelling efforts and energies in the wrong direction, perhaps due to a lack of timely and proper feedback. A nudge in the right direction is all that might be needed to put the perceived underperforming employee back on track.
  3. Listening to the employee’s point-of-view will help the manager know if the underperformance was related to the lack of appropriate knowledge/skill to do the expected job, or was it lack of motivation and low morale, or poor work environment, or maybe a personal issue.
 
Once the cause for underperformance is determined, managers should discuss potential solutions and approaches with the employee. Collaborating in setting performance goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound) is a good idea. Engaging the employee proactively will motivate them to work harder and strive for improvement. Managers should then regularly monitor and follow-up on the progress made by the employee. It is also important to acknowledge positive efforts of the employee in order to encourage continued progress towards the agreed-upon goals.
 
Sometimes, a manager is unable to salvage the situation even after giving an employee sufficient chances for improvement. At this point, letting the employee go would be the most appropriate action as holding on to an underperforming employee could result in poor quality of work and overall low morale. Managers should ask themselves, “What needs to be done to prevent this in future?” Successful leaders always introspect to see where they can improve, thereby reducing the chance of repeating mistakes in the future.
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