People do not perform at their job for one of two reasons: either they can't or they won't. Think about that for a minute. There is a world of difference between the two reasons of employee performance.
If they can't do their job, it likely indicates a simple lack of skills or knowledge. This type of employee is coachable and usually easy to work with.
The second type of under performing employee performance is the one we will address in this article-the employee who chooses not to do his or her job for whatever reason. These employees are either unsure of what is expected of them, or they refuse to do the job. The former situation is easier to address; the latter is a candidate for progressive discipline, which we will discuss later in this article.
Why are employees who refuse to do their jobs so tough to deal with? As managers, we:
- Expect them to read our minds and know what is acceptable - Expect people to change on their own - Expect them to look around and see what others are doing - Cross our fingers and hope they just "get it"
As managers, what might we be doing wrong? We may be:
- Unsure of our own standards of guaging employee performance
- Unclear in our expectations and consequences of not following through -Afraid of what Human Resources (HR) might say -Afraid the employee will get upset and turn it into a confrontation - Not sure what to say or how to say it
How, then, do we deal fairly and firmly with underperforming employees? The secret is to give effective feedback on a regular basis, link that feedback to a 6-12 month coaching plan, link individual coaching plans to your company's performance review process (if you have one), and, if the situation warrants, link that to progressive discipline.
First of all, let's be clear on what you can and cannot address as a manager. You have the right to address employee performance and employee behavior at work as often as you want and whenever warranted. Why employees behave a certain way or choose to perform at a certain level is their choice, but there are consequences to these choices. But we are not psychiatrists, and why people behave outside what is acceptable at work should be left to the experts to address. We can, however, expect and demand acceptable behavior and performance at work.
How to Give Feedback to an Underperforming Employee
Feedback takes many forms. There is the written, formal feedback that takes place once or twice a year; informal feedback, like a thank you for a job well done; and behavioral feedback meant to improve employee performance, which we will address.
The objective of employee behavioral feedback is to let employees know the impact of their behavior on the workplace, the team, or customers. Positive feedback is given when employees are doing a great job; corrective feedback is given when they are not. If we intend to give either type of feedback to employees, we need to ensure that we are being as clear as possible.
Examples of ineffective ways to give feedback include:
- Being personal
- Giving feedback in public - Not being factual - Giving a subjective opinion
- Waiting until weeks or months after the fact - Not being specific
- Providing feedback on issues over which the employee has no control - Verbally attacking the employee
Examples of effective ways to give feedback include:
- Keeping the feedback to behavioral issues - Giving it in private - Providing it with the intent for improvement - Giving it in a timely manner - Being specific
- Keeping the content to issues the employee can control
How do we give corrective feedback to increase employee performance so that we get their buy-in and do not put them on the defensive? The next section provides a four-step model for doing just that.
