Most managers will not enjoy the process of managing underperformance at their workplace. While some managers run with it and tackle the issue before it becomes bigger, others will ignore it until it becomes a significant and time-consuming problem. In part, experts argue that if managers don’t skilfully settle the matter in its initial signs of poor performance, the situation will escalate. In the next paragraphs, Career and Skills compiles the 5 basic signs of poor performance in a workplace. Inability to meet goals Experts say that one of the key performance indicators is the employees’ ability to meet their goals. This, they say can be worsened when they give unending excuses. “When you do talk to team members about not hitting goals, notice how they respond. If you always hear a reason or an excuse, it’s a red flag for poor performance,” writes Julian Carter, Director Zestfor Ltd. Peers complaining According to Carter, a manager will not always be in the same office with employers. But there are other ways of spotting underperformance. For instance, how do other team members respond when you ask how their colleague is doing with a certain project? This, she believes, will give an employee/ manager an easy approach of knowing how the teams are performing together. Consequently, the employees will raise concerns such as ‘they are not doing their work as expected’, or even ‘they seem not to be concerned’ such things in a workplace point towards a loophole in performance. Expectations vs current data Most employers will normally take records of things such as the quality of work that an employee is producing, how they respond to advice of improving among others. When the current data is significantly lower than expectations, without a sign of improvement, experts say that this is a potential sign your workplace is underperforming. Communication at the workplace A workplace is a place which brings together people from various paths of life. It is obvious that not all employers will talk to their employees in a similar way. But, sometimes employees are distant because they are not happy with their employer’s style of communication. “Be aware of how you are both communicating with each other and pay attention to how your team members communicate with each other as well as colleagues and clients.” Says Carter. The communication problem, experts say, is an easy one to spot because it is easy to notice lack of feedback such as emails or even calls from team members. The gap, she advises, should draw the attention of the employer to the fact that certain things are not happening. This can be sparked by just one individual in the whole workplace. With whom might be let relieved of their duties to ensure a conducive environment for all workers. External factors For all employees there may be some personal factors outside of the workplace impacting their performance at work. The factors could vary from their own close friend or family, their health, to mention a few. Due to the fact that people respond differently to certain circumstances, an employee is advised to approach such a team member in order to fight underperformance before it can escalate. Today, there are many ways that employers can use to reintroduce an employee back to work after such a series of events, says carter.
