Effective Tips to Manage Poor Employee Performance

Manage HR Magazine | Thursday, February 03, 2022

Explain how important their performance is to the company's overall efforts, especially if they are the sole person in your small business responsible for all IT issues or all marketing efforts, and why you cannot allow their poor performance to continue.

Fremont, CA: Employee underperformance is a challenge for small business owners. These employees can be harmful to the work environment, the attitudes of their coworkers, and the productivity of your company. In the smallest businesses, there are not many other employees to pick up the slack, so a poorly performing employee is a serious problem, and your ability to carry this employee for an extended period of time is likely limited. Investigate the issue with the employee in question. Give the employee an opportunity to improve their performance and make a positive contribution to your workforce if it is feasible and cost-effective. If his performance issues are insurmountable, you may need to consider terminating them.

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1. Have a private meeting with the employee to discuss the performance issues. Inquire about the employee's perception of his own performance, and then outline your concerns. Be specific: they arrive late to work every day, or they have turned in their last three projects late. Avoid general statements like, "You don't seem to be doing very well," because they don't focus on specific performance issues that must be addressed. Connect the issues to specific elements of his job description that he is failing to meet.

2. Collaborate with the employee to identify the root causes of the problems and potential solutions. If a lack of training or guidance is the issue, increased supervision or remedial instruction may help the employee improve his performance. The employee may be dealing with issues outside of the workplace that are interfering with his ability to focus at work. Encourage the employee to seek assistance if necessary to resolve the issues so that he can concentrate on the job. In some cases, the employee may simply be a poor fit for the position and should be transferred to another position or terminated entirely.

3. Outline a strategy and timetable for the employee to follow in order to demonstrate progress in the identified problem areas. Ascertain that the employee understands your expectations of them, as well as the steps he must take to demonstrate his commitment and ability to resolve the issues, as well as the consequences for continued poor performance. Document your discussions as well as any additional requirements or milestones you establish to avoid future misunderstandings. Explain how important their performance is to the company's overall efforts, especially if they are the sole person in your small business responsible for all IT issues or all marketing efforts, and why you cannot allow their poor performance to continue.

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