Managing underperformance isn’t easy. It’s hard to tell why your team is underperforming, and it’s not always immediately noticeable. Depending on the type of business you run, from a glance, you may not notice your team slipping. It’s usually a month or two later that the numbers come to light and you realise that something is wrong. But don’t fret. It’s never too late to fix the issue of underperforming, you just need to get to grips with why it’s happening first.
If managers do not have the skills to recognise underperformance when it starts, this can lead to many more issues later on down the line. As mentioned, there are many reasons that your team might be underperforming, but there are several scenarios where the blame might lay somewhere unexpected. Lack of management training or an inexperienced manager may mean that the manager in question does not know what to look for.
While many managers will uncover underperformance quickly and want to sort the issues out as fast as possible, others may not know what to do to fix the problem. First, let’s look at what underperformance is, in order to better understand how to deal with it in the workplace.
The Difference Between Underperformance And Misconduct
Underperformance can be an employee, or group of employees, failing to fulfil the responsibilities that their role expects of them. By extension, it can also be an employee or employees failing to perform to the expectations that are required by their company.
Underperformance is not misconduct, misconduct is (arguably) much more serious than underperformance, because it highlights a real issue with the employee’s behaviour while they’re at work. Underperformance, however, can simply be the result of several things – including stress and depression. Which is why it’s so paramount that a manager really talks to the employee in question on a personal and a professional level; to figure out what the problem is and why it’s affecting their performance at work.
When you think about misconduct, think about inappropriate behaviour, poor attitude, and policy ignorance. An employee who is showing signs of misconduct may be inappropriate at work, they may be aggressive, or they may have taken something outside of the workplace that they shouldn’t have.
Underperformance, on the other hand, is a low standard of work. When an employee’s productivity levels drop or their work starts to seem subpar, this is poor performance. Look for employees who aren’t meeting their usual targets.
Dealing With Poor Performance
There’s no one way to deal with an underperforming employee, but you might start right there. Don’t think about it like you’re “dealing” with a problem, but rather helping and assisting an employee that may be struggling either at work or outside of work. Talk to your employee the moment you notice that they aren’t meeting their usual targets. Signs to look out for include:
• Complaining co-workers
• Lack of communication
• Failing to meet expectations of their role
Poor performance is never an easy thing to discuss, no matter how long you’ve been a manager. While it may be a difficult discussion to have, it’s important to know how to spot the signs and deal with it early, before the performance has a chance to get worse. In many cases, the original issue is simple, and can be resolved easily if caught quickly enough. If you’re not confident in handling poor performance in your workplace, don’t worry – we’re here to help. At AJ HR Solutions, we can help guide you through understanding employee performance, managing their progress and putting plans in place to improve it. If you would like more information, just get in touch with us today.
