Dealing with ‘time-consuming’ employees: Part 3 – Managing poor performance

We’ve recently posted a series of blogs on dealing with time consuming employees. So far, we’ve looked at the issues of time keeping and absence. This time, we look at the issues of under-performance and poor attitude, both of which can be time consuming for managers to deal with.

Performance can be measured in many different ways and depends on the individual’s role. Performance is often associated with sales people and meeting targets, but can also refer to the amount of work an employee is able to produce, the quality of their work or their attitude.

If you have an under-performing member of staff, they often stick out like a sore thumb. The way you approach trying to deal with the employee will depend on whether the individual concerned was previously a steady worker and the dip in performance has recently occurred or whether they have always struggled to meet the standards required.

If the former, you might want to try and establish what has given rise to the change. Perhaps they are having issues at home and need additional support. If the issue is a workplace related one, such as a new member of staff that has changed the team’s dynamic or the workload has grown and has become too heavy for them to cope with, you’ll need to decide on the best way to rectify the issue. Opening the channels of communication as soon as you notice the drop in performance is preferable as opposed to leaving things to ‘work themselves out’ as ultimately, they may not!

If the employee has always been a poor performer, there are a number of things you need to consider. Firstly, you need to establish whether the issue derives from a lack of skills or a poor attitude. If skills are the issue, you might need to think about whether you have the right member of staff in the right role. Redeployment is an option if the business has capacity, as is upskilling. You’ll need to take a view whether the time and investment will be well spent in the long run.

Where poor attitude is the root cause of poor performance, a different tack is needed. You will likely need to set a standard for the employee to meet, allowing a reasonable opportunity for improvement. Once a formal process has started and the employee knows they are being monitored, their performance will hopefully improve. If it doesn’t, however, you may need to invoke formal procedures such as issuing a written warning and continuing to monitor performance or else holding a performance dismissal hearing.

Ultimately, you will need to consider whether the employee’s other attributes, such as a positive attitude or hardworking nature, are enough to make this process worthwhile. You may decide that making a “without prejudice” offer for an agreed exit from the business – ie. a settlement agreement – is the preferred option for all involved.

If you do follow the route of performance improvement, you will need to document this and set reasonable and appropriate (to the role) performance goals. Preferably, these should be agreed along with the employee. Any formal disciplinary or capability processes should be carried out in line with those set out in your employee handbook.

And don’t forget, you need to set performance objectives for all new starters, so they know how their performance will be monitored during any probationary period and how you will decide whether probation has been successfully completed. You cannot criticise someone for under-performance if they don’t know what is required of them in the first place. For more help and guidance in relation to managing poor performance, please contact us.