Employee performance is the basis for a high level of productivity that facilitates the achievement of goals in each department. However, sometimes employees do not perform in their work, and low-performance situations arise bosses must address that.
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How to deal with an underperforming employee then?
There are many ways in which poor work performance manifests itself: low quality of tasks performed, poor customer service, absenteeism, and late arrivals, non-fulfillment of goals, communication problems, customer complaints, or difficulty working as a team. These being some of the most common signs.
We know that managing poor performance can be a cumbersome and difficult process. Therefore, before firing those employees who do not achieve the expected performance, take the following steps to help their human talent and thus demonstrate their leadership skills :
Talk to the employee:
Employees are not machines, and sometimes they go through personal or professional nature problems that prevent them from doing their jobs in the best way possible. Don’t ignore their situation or choose to yell things like, “Do your job, or you’re fired!”
Meet privately with the collaborator and explain in the best way that you are not satisfied with their performance. Be empathetic, avoid getting angry, and be concise and direct. The objective is for the employee to identify the problem and the possible ways to solve it with their help.
It tends to assume that poor performance is the fault of the employee. Still, it can also be something else: lack of resources or appropriate tools to carry out tasks, absence of a training program, bad work environment, etc.
1. Show your support for employees directly
This will make workers feel accompanied and motivated to improve their performance.
Talk honestly with your employees about the skills they don’t have or how they perform – devise a plan together to close the gaps.
2. Ask if there is any reason that distracts or disturbs employees
The most important thing is to find out and delve into the reasons that explain the decline in the performance of your employees.
Once you understand the ‘why,’ you can establish a plan that addresses the issues behind the underperformance.
3. Periodically review the expectations of the position and the company
Talk to your employees about what you consider to be good performance and a good attitude, and encourage them to evaluate their performance and attitude.
As a leader, you are responsible for ensuring that work teams always have everything they need to perform at their best.
team eaboute
