Dealing with underperforming employees is one of the most difficult things you will face as a business owner or a manager. There are times when employees start to lose their motivation and perform poorly. Companies need to support employees’ performance improvement in a variety of ways. It is the HR manager or the executives who need to pay attention to their employees. Let’s first learn what causes employees to underperform and then how to increase their productivity.
Reasons for Underperformance:
There are numerous reasons why an employee performs poorly. It may be due to personal reasons like health issues or emotional distress. Inadequate training or insufficient resources or even a mismatch between the employee’s skills and the job requirements leads to underperformance. Other reasons for lower performance are unclear expectations from the employer, lack of communication, weak leadership, a toxic workplace, and excessive workload. It is important to remember that poor performance cannot always be the workers’ lack of interest and dedication. To assist employers in improving the growth and development of an organization, employers must identify the cause of underperformance and address them in a constructive and supportive manner.
Ways to Help Underperforming Employees:
Employees at all levels frequently experience underperformance, and each situation is different. Your company’s productivity won’t be affected by these scenarios if you know how to handle them. A proper approach is what it takes to successfully resolve this problem.
Here are some ideas from HR4U on managing an underperformer:
Recognize the issue-
Never assume that you know why a worker isn’t performing well. As previously said, there might be a couple of things going on in that person’s life, and it is your responsibility to learn about them before proceeding. Naturally, you’ll need to show some emotional intelligence in this situation; your employees are not required to open up about their personal life. But make sure they understand that you are there to assist them if anything is hindering their performance. When you identify the underlying reason for the problem, you can take appropriate action, such as giving the employee some time off, adding another employee, or allocating more resources.
Be clear about expectations-
Employees might not perform at their best if their expectations for their position are unmet. They might have specific expectations for pay, career growth, employer ethical values, job security, etc., but not seeing these expectations fulfilled can decrease their performance.
To determine whether an underperformer’s expectations of their position and the company are reasonable, you must learn what they have been hoping for. A talk about whether or not they can change their expectations if there is a discrepancy between what they expect and what you can provide or do for them should be done.
Provide Training, Counseling, and Coaching-
Coaching and Training are something you would want to provide to an underperforming employee if he does not have appropriate skills. offer the employee instruction and direction on how to attain established goals. It could be a good idea to schedule a counseling appointment with a qualified professional. You can discover the root cause of an employee’s performance issues by empowering them to voice their worries in a safe setting and providing them with the resources they need to move forward.
Employee Assistance and Resources-
Most employees require leadership, mentoring, and strict supervision in order to grow, especially if they are assuming a new role within the organization. Talk to your employee and even then, the performance is declining, you might offer incentives, known as the “carrot strategy”. You may provide a bonus if certain objectives are met. You might also ask for suggestions from staff members on how to develop the business and offer rewards. Provide your personnel with gym memberships, afternoons off if work is done in advance, or company meals when business is brisk. All of these actions will serve as a motivator and help in raising spirits and productivity.
Provide Feedback-
It is important to give a performance review to an employee. This will help them to evaluate their progress and identify any areas still in need of improvement. These viewpoints will shed light on how the worker’s performance affects other people.
When providing criticism, keep the following in mind:
· To prevent overwhelming the employee, limit the discussion to one or two topics per session.
· Keep the criticism brief but constructive.
· Recognise the worker’s accomplishments to boost their confidence.
Maintain a detailed record-
Although adopting a more powerful approach may be unappealing at first. Create a formal meeting with the individual along with your HR department and note any occurrences or data that indicate they are sliding. You may issue a formal warning depending on how severe the decline was, followed by a review period in which it is expressly stated that performance is anticipated to improve.
If performance doesn’t improve, decide what to do-
The only genuine alternative left after completing all other options, including giving the employee every opportunity to perform better and a fair warning, is to let them go. The actual termination should be communicated in writing, but it is customary to meet with the employee in person to go over the reasons for the termination. Be sure always to act professionally, even if your employee doesn’t, and to properly follow the employment laws and company policies of your country.
The long-term benefits of taking the initiative or any action to address the performance issues are great for both the business and the employee. Employers must remember that they are not compelled to keep underperforming workers, particularly after doing everything in their power to assist the worker. Employees are ultimately responsible for initiating change and continuing the upward trend toward progress.
Contact HR4U to get help and advice on how to manage your underperforming employees and help you grow your business >>> Contact HR4U
