What to do when an employee isn’t performing
It’s never nice when an employee starts underperforming. We understand - your team means everything to you and your business. Each member is a vital cog in the wheel and when one isn’t performing as they usually do, it can affect everyone.
Small business owners and line managers can often be left wondering how best to handle or support an employee who isn’t performing to their potential.
In our experience, this is often ignored and managers hope things will improve, after all nobody likes confrontation, right? In reality, those things ignored often become even bigger.
Here are a few tips on what to do:
Don’t ignore it - act early
Hoping the issue goes away on its own is a big no-no and can often lead to the issue getting worse.
Keep a document of all the issues you notice, whether it’s missed deadlines, customer complaints, poor behaviour or just general under performance.
Check the basics
Could your employee be underperforming due to not receiving proper training? Do they understand what ‘good performance’ looks like? Check if there are any patterns e.g., does it happen after a ‘heavy’ weekend?
Ask yourself if your expectations of them are realistic for their role and workload. Could there be something outside of work affecting their performance?
Arrange an honest conversation
Arrange a private face-to-face meeting where you can discuss your concerns, ask questions and listen to their perspective.
Try to use specific examples rather than generalisations, such as ‘I noticed you missed the deadlines on XYZ, is there something else on your mind?’
It’s important in these conversations to avoid blame and try to find solutions instead, e.g. asking how they feel things could have been done differently.
Set clear expectations and provide support
It’s important to create a plan of what needs to improve and the timescales for these improvements and when you’ll review the progress.
It might be a case of your employee needing some additional support, this could be in the form of:
Additional training or mentoring
Adjusting workload or priorities
More regular check-ins
Clearer processes or systems.
Good records ensure transparency and demonstrate fairness, so during this time, make sure you record everything from meetings and conversations, support offered, agreed actions and timescales and progress reviews.
Unfortunately sometimes, things don’t improve, and if that is the case, you might need to move onto a more formal process.
As a business owner it’s important to remember that this isn’t personal, it’s about ensuring your business can operate effectively, other team members aren’t carrying extra pressure and that everyone understands expectations.
Most performance issues can be resolved with early intervention and support, but if they can't, and you’re unsure how to approach a situation, seeking HR advice early can prevent costly mistakes later. Just get in touch, and we can help.