Strategies to Improve Employee Performance When They Aren't Performing Well

March 08, 2024, by Stephanie Messier | Performance Management|Dealing with Difficult EmployeesDealing with Difficult Employees

As a manager, you will inevitably run into the situation of having an employee who needs to perform better. The reasons for this could be varied, and each situation is unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to handling it.

However, a simple framework you can follow will help you handle such situations more effectively and reach a conclusion faster, thus improving your business productivity overall. Let’s dive in to the details.

Four Steps to Managing Employee Performance

Step 1: Identify the root cause. Managers often overlook this step, but it is critical. Instead of wanting to discard the employee right away, ask yourself if the problem is one of the following or a combination of them: skill, training, behaviour, attitude or unclear expectations.

It's important to identify whether an employee's performance issue is due to a skills mismatch or a training problem, as these can be fixed by either changing the employee's role or providing training. However, behaviour and attitude issues are more challenging and require addressing with the employee as they may not be aware of their inappropriate actions. If you're unsure of the expectations, make them clear.

Step 2: Have a conversation with the employee. The next step is to talk with the employee about the concerns you have with their performance. Be sure to provide specific examples of where they need to improve and explain how it affects the team and the organization. Ask the employee for their perspective and input on what actions they can take to improve their performance. Also, ask them how you can assist them in their efforts.

Step 3: Document the conversation in writing. This can be as simple as following up with an email summarizing the points discussed and agreeing on the action items going forward.

Step 4: Follow up. Make sure to follow up with your employee afterward to see how things are progressing or to give them further feedback on their progress. If things are going well, let them know. If not, provide them with specific examples of where things may go off the rails.

How to monitor progress?

Schedule weekly one-on-one meetings and review progress in the development areas regularly. Ask your employee what is working, what is not working, and what additional support they may require from you.

You must be intentional by showing that you care about their development and growth. This is also a great opportunity to coach the employee and understand their thinking process on their development, which will rebuild confidence and motivation in their improvement and learning. Good questions to ask are “what are some your key aways from this experience and/or learning?” What has changed? Where do you still feel stuck?”.

When Employee Performance is Still an Issue

If your employee is not getting the job done or is only pretending to agree with your feedback but not improving, it's time to escalate the issue and place them on a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).

What is a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)?

A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a formal process employers use to address and improve an employee's performance when it is not meeting the expected standards. It is a structured and documented plan that outlines specific objectives and actions to help the employee improve their performance within an agreed-upon timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Performance

What are common reasons for employee performance issues?

There are several common reasons an employee might have performance issues.

• Lack of clear expectations on their responsibilities and their role in the company

• The skills of the employee do not match the requirements of the job

• Lack of guidance, feedback, and support from the manager

• The company culture or values may not fit the employee’s own values system

• When an employee is experiencing personal challenges (i.e. health, family, etc)

Following our guidance above will mitigate many of these challenges and help you develop a high-performing team.

How can workplace culture influence employee performance?

A company culture and work environment can negatively impact an employee’s performance due to factors such as a toxic work environment, lack of resources and development, poor communication, and excessive workload. As well, in some cases, the workplace culture may be good but not a fit with the employee’s value system.

What role does employee well-being play in performance management?

When an employee is physically, mentally, and emotionally well, he or she will most likely be more engaged and productive in their work. Reasons: can better handle the stress of the job, can engage in creative work and generate idea through their cognitive skills, have energy to sustain stress and bounce back from setbacks, engage in positive and productive relationships, feel valued and fulfilled in their jobs, can concentrate and focus better in job so be more productive.

Don’t Delay Improving Your Employee’s Performance

Managing an employee's performance does require time and effort on your part. However, the longer you wait to address the situation, the more difficult, time-consuming, and costly it will be to resolve it.

Have questions about a specific employee’s performance issue or performance management in general? Learn more about our HR consulting.