Dealing effectively with poor performance at work: a quick guide

Handling poor performance at work isn’t always easy but if you’ve noticed there is an issue with one of your employees, the time to start talking about it is right away. The sooner you are doing something about it, the sooner the problem can be resolved. Here’s a quick guide to the 15 steps you can take to address poor performance quickly and effectively.

1. Set up a meeting with your employee to discuss the possible cause or causes of the poor performance, making sure that he or she knows that the meeting is investigatory in nature, and not part of the disciplinary or performance procedure.
2. At the meeting, clearly state the nature of the problem and explain why it is a problem, for example the impact it has on you, the team and the organisation.
3. Give your employee specific examples of instances where his or her performance has fallen below the required standard or where tasks have not been completed on time or satisfactorily.
4. Remind your employee that he or she is not being blamed for the problem.
5. Ask your employee what he or she enjoys about their job and working environment.
6. Aim to get your employee’s agreement that there is a problem with his or her performance.
7. Ask your employee what he or she thinks the root cause of the problem is.
8. Consider any mitigating factors put forward, such as problems in your employee’s personal life.
9. Restate what is expected in terms of job duties, outputs and targets. Don’t assume that your employee knows everything that is expected of him or her.
10. Ask your employee’s opinion on what he or she can do to improve.
11. Agree specific action points with the employee.
12. Agree a timescale for the improvement to be achieved.
13. Arrange training where appropriate.
14. Schedule a follow-up meeting to review the employee’s performance and make sure that the meeting takes place.
15. Keep a record of the meeting and what has been agreed. The records will be necessary in case the employee’s poor performance at work continues to be unsatisfactory, despite the measures taken. They will allow you to proceed to formal action at a later date if necessary.

If, after following this informal performance management process, your employee’s poor performance at work doesn’t improve, you’re advised to consider following a more formal performance improvement process. Our guide on How to manage an under performing employee sets out the formal steps you can take.

Managing poor performance at work: Read more

• Discipline and Grievances at Work – The ACAS Guide
• The ACAS Code of Practice on Discipline and Grievance
• Five ways to measure employee performance
• How to manage an underperforming employee
• How to give employee feedback
• Fitzgerald HR’s Employee Relations Service