Managing performance drop

Poor performance is an issue that worries managers and employees alike. It is of concern to senior managers because it is a measure of how effectively the organisation is led.

But people in organisations do not always feel that their organisation/managers tackle poor performance appropriately. Dealing with poor performance is a sensitive issue.

It is perhaps not surprising that many organisations fail to address it. Why does strategy implementation have such a high rate of failure? Why do managers keep making the same mistakes? Why do managers tolerate a 90% failure rate?

However, since ultimate desire of business is to make profit, companies are not interested in keeping poor performers who turn their business in to a social service. Taking time to think and reflect may be more important than many businesses allow time for.

Poor performance can be interpreted in many ways, even in very small ways. When we think about reasons for poor performance we can see that it can be a result of work overload or unclear objectives or unrealistic targets, personal or a domestic problem, lack of knowledge or skills, occupational health and work environment.

May be he/she is not suited for the job, or the company has not provided required material/resources for them to perform. Further, the behaviour and attitude, with misconduct also lead to poor performance. Lack of rules and regulations in an organisation can also contribute to poor performance.



What is acceptable performance?

Employees need to know what an acceptable level of performance is. It may be difficult for an individual to have a clear view of the term acceptable. The responsibility is, therefore, on line managers to implant some clarity, and on both parties to agree a standard of performance as well as the targets to be delivered. Since achieving the set and expected goals are key, failure to achieve them would obviously be a signal for investigating the level of performance.

It is a pity that most managements want to do the ‘thinking’ and then trickle down ‘orders’ compelling people to do things exactly as communicated. This takes away the great talent of ‘thinking’ and ‘initiating’. People become ‘zombies’ and very soon run out of talent to think for themselves. Such companies will be swallowed up by flexible and ‘fast’ companies.



Tackling poor performance

Clearly, the benefits of putting an end to poor performance in an organisation are innumerable. So how do you confront these offenders?

All employers review and study their selection process in order to avoid recruiting poor performers in the first place. The next step of handling poor performance is to identify them and intervene in them at the correct time. Early intervention or rather timely interventions can save business owners’ time, money and stress, and help to reduce the chances that minor employee problems snowball into a major complication for their business.

If the employee is falling short of the performance required of him or her, you need to take action to improve employee performance, increase morale, and protect against potentially costly litigation.



Explain the expectations

From the start, employees must understand what behaviour is expected of them. It is highly important for the managers and the owners of the company to follow the code of conduct in the organisation to keep a balance and to set an example. Managing expectations has become a whole new ‘ball game’.

Evaluate employees

Evaluate employees regularly. Sri Lankan culture is such that the managers are reluctant to criticise employees and give an average mark without considering the actual performance level which leads to the gradual deterioration of the organisational performance. It is common that most of the managers lack the proficiency of giving constructive feedback on employees’ performance.

Be specific

If an employee has been consistently late, specify the number of times (frequency) or amount of time (intensity). Inform in a subtle manner which will not hurt his/ her emotions and pride. For instance you can say, ‘this is the third time in one week that you have been ten minutes late’. If the same thing has happened in the past you can even remind the employees about those occasions. If not your efforts will not be fruitful.

Thus it is important for the managers to let the employees know the importance of attending on time for work. Clear and focused feedback would even motivate employees as it shows them that the management knows them personally. Just don’t wait till the appraisal date come to discuss all the matters to provide feedback, then the poor performer’s behaviour has become a foggy memory.



Check for understanding

Giving feedback is not enough. You need to check whether they understood everything you said. Avoid asking close-ended questions during the discussion or when summarising. At the end of a confrontation you never want to ask, “Do you understand?” The employee could simply say “Yes,” and you will not know if your message actually got through to him. Instead, ask the employee to summarise his understanding of the situation. Have him lay out actions, steps, or accountabilities that should be implemented while moving forward.



Early intervention

Be proactive. In almost every circumstance, termination shouldn’t be a surprise. It should be a conclusion of progressive discipline that has given employees the clear signal that they have not been performing up to your expectations.

Focus on performance over which the receiver has control. Poor performance isn’t always the result of an employee’s carelessness. Don’t blame him. Instead, determine the options that he/she has available to remedy the situation. Discuss how you can influence to better support goal accomplishment.

Be sure you are measuring their results correctly

Don’t go on gut feel with this. Be sure you have a valid set of measures that show clearly what the performance of the employee is. The poor performance must be evident in the statistics.



Square peg in a round hole

If the employee is not suited to the job that means you have a square peg in a round hole. They may well be a potentially valuable asset to your operation, but if they are poorly placed, you will not be able to tap into that potential.

Review and look over your operation and see if there is a better fitting job for them. Keep a close eye on them as they settle into the new position. Because this is not the fault of the employee, it is the fault of the recruitment and selection process.

Hold them accountable

Holding employees accountable can be the hardest part of the job but it is a must. If the employee underperforms due to poor attitude, then when they are being given responsibilities and recognition, their way of thinking can be changed. That will motivate them to perform better and contribute to the growth of the company.

Have fun

Most people spend more of their ‘awake’ hours at the office than they do at home. Thus it is the duty of the organisation to create a very good and healthy environment in the office and you need to encourage your employees to have some fun. There you will give them an opportunity to enjoy their work while providing a challenging job in a great atmosphere. Celebrations have become part and parcel of progressive companies world-wide.

(The writer is the Managing Director and CEO, McQuire Rens Group of Companies. He has held regional responsibilities of two multinational companies of which one was a Fortune 500 company. He carries out consultancy assignments and management training in Dubai, India, Maldives, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He is a much sought-after business consultant and corporate management trainer in Sri Lanka.)