As you strive to monitor and improve performance, you’ll likely have to deal with underperformers. Managing underperformers should be a positive process. This means celebrating success, addressing failures constructively, and viewing mistakes as opportunities for improvement. There are four steps to dealing with an underperformer: identify and agree on the problem, establish the cause of the problem, decide and agree on an action plan, and provide the necessary resources and follow up.

Initial steps

Identifying and agreeing on the problem is the first step to managing an underperforming employee. This process depends on employee awareness of personal performance targets, metrics applied, and actual performance data. Being able to show how the performance data compares to known targets and standards will help you reach agreement with the employee about the performance gap. And this is where you need to start.

Establishing the cause of the problem is your second step when managing an underperformer. Instead of attaching blame or making accusations, you need to do two things:

• Identify the facts – Identifying the facts behind underperformance is an essential part of establishing the cause. This should be a joint effort between manager and employee. An effective decision about how to manage the situation can only come from factual analysis.
• Determine the reasons – When determining the reasons, distinguish between external and internal factors. External factors are outside the control of the employee, such as reduced consumer demand due to an economic downturn. Internal factors are within the employee’s control, such as reduced productivity due to a lack of punctuality.

Agreeing on an action plan is the third step in managing underperformance. An action plan should lay out clear, measurable goals, and state the required actions for achieving them. It should be developed in partnership between manager and employee. It involves the employee taking action to improve performance, and the manager providing support, advice, and guidance. It’s essential that both understand how success will be measured.

An action plan could include the following:

• Commitment from the employee to improve skills or alter behavior
• Agreement from the employee that a change in attitude is required, or
• Commitment from the manager to give better support or guidance

Support and follow up

Providing resources and follow-up is the final step in managing an underperforming employee. Support the employee’s implementation of the action plan by providing necessary training, guidance, or resources. And be sure to monitor the employee’s progress toward reaching the performance target and discuss any additional actions that might be required.

Providing feedback to an underperforming employee gives a greater sense of direction and builds confidence.

There are four steps to dealing with an underperformer.

First, identify and agree on the problem. This involves analyzing the employee’s performance data. Second, establish the cause of the problem through factual analysis. Third, decide and agree on an action plan, which should include concrete goals and the required actions for achieving them. Last, provide the resources needed by the employee to achieve the performance target, and follow up to ensure progress is being made.