Managing underperformance is a part of the management process that not all managers enjoy!
While many grasp the nettle and tackle the issue before it becomes bigger, others avoid it for as long as they can and sometimes until it becomes a significant and time-consuming problem.
There is also a third scenario, and that is when a poor performer goes unnoticed for too long. This can happen for several reasons such as:
- An inexperienced manager
- A lack of management training
- Well meaning managers not knowing what to look out for
The fact is, if managers don’t have the knowledge and skills to detect the initial signs of poor performance, the situation will escalate.
Today, I’m going to share 5 early warning signs every manager needs to have on their radar when it comes to identifying underperformance.
When you spot them, you can then act before they escalate. That way they are much easier to deal with, for a manager and their team member.
Let’s get started by being clear about what we mean by underperformance and what we don’t mean.
What Is Underperformance?
Underperformance or poor performance as it is often referred to is regarded as either:
1. An employee is failing to fulfil the responsibilities of their role.
2. An employee is failing to perform their role responsibilities to the standard required by the organisation.
What We Don’t Mean
I want to be clear that we are not talking about poor or misconduct. As occasionally managers can and do confuse the two.
When we are talking underperformance, think: Not meeting objectives, a low standard of work, an unacceptable level of work, poor activity or productivity levels.
When considering poor or misconduct, think: Inappropriate behaviour/consistent lateness,
poor attitude towards colleagues and their work, lack of adherence and use of company policies and procedures. At its worst, aggressive behaviour, both verbal or physical, or theft from colleagues or the company.
5 Early Warning Signs To Look Out For
Are Goals/Key Performace Indicators Being Achieved ?
This is one of your earliest warning signs. Is each of your team members meeting their goals and key performance indicators (KPI’s)? If goals aren’t being met an individuals performance is unlikely to improve.
When you do talk to team members about not hitting goals, notice how they respond. If you always hear a reason or an excuse; it’s a red flag for poor performance.
Are Expectations Being Met?
Are your expectations of knowledge, skills and attitudes being met? Take a note of things such as: the quality of work that a person is producing, how do they respond to suggestions for improvement, are they taking action or ignoring them?
It is worth asking yourself how clear you have been when communicating your expectations of an employee’s performance. If you have been vague from the start and your communications have continued on a similar path you can’t expect employees to deliver for themselves or you.
Also, has the employee had sufficient training to carry out the work required?
Finally, a brief personal story.
Many years ago a friend once said to me; “It must be challenging working for you, Julia”. When I asked why, she said, “You set such high standards for yourself, and you are continually raising them. I wonder if your team ever feel like they can meet the standard you set for them!”
Are you setting realistic yet challenging expectations and is the workload appropriate or too high?
How Well Does Your Employee Communicate?
People do have different communication styles and preferences for how often and in what way they talk with their manager.
Sometimes employees are distant because they’re unhappy with their manager’s style.
Be aware of how you are both communicating with each other and pay attention to how well or not your team members communicate with each other as well as colleagues and clients.
This is an easy one to spot, as you will notice a lack of emails and calls from certain individuals, as well as emails or calls, from other team members drawing your attention to the fact that certain things are not happening due to one of your team not acting or communicating as you expect them to. Which leads onto the next important point.
Peers Complaining
I want to pre-frame this as it doesn’t matter if you are a virtual manager or based in the same office as your team.
A manager does not have eyes in the back of their head and can’t be expected to be with their team member every minute of the day, so they will miss certain things. This is why trust is paramount.
That said there are other ways of spotting the early signs we are discussing, and your team will be a source of information whether they realise it or not.
For example: How do other team members respond when you ask how ‘colleague x’ is getting on with a team project? Sometimes the silence can be deafening.
Alternatively, you may hear comments such as, “they are not doing their fair share of the work”, or “they often seem distracted, uninterested or argumentative.”
One I have heard myself is, “they are all talk and no action.”
External Circumstances
Remember there may be personal outside influences impacting a team member which naturally might alter performance levels. This could relate to their own health, a close family member or friend; remember people respond in different ways.
Many years ago, a colleague’s mum had only just survived a massive heart attack. Our manager one week later said to my colleague that they need to be back at work and getting on with the job as they couldn’t afford to ‘carry them’. The same individual’s father had died of cancer only a year before; not an easy few years for the employee or the manager to handle sensitively.
I am pleased to say today that there are many ways to reintroduce an employee back to work after such a series of events.
As managers, you are spinning many plates in often demanding roles. Take time to run through this check list regularly, and you will be able to notice the signs of under performance sooner.
Want to learn more about developing high performance in your team? We’re giving leaders the opportunity to use our High Performance Decision Tree for FREE – if you haven’t already, download it now.
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Until next time,
Julia [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
