© 2009 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

Corporate Leadership Council

Managing Poor Performers

Identify Poor Performers on Your TeamThe Importance of Managing Poor Performers Effectively

Studies show that as many as one in six employees are underperforming, so it is critical for you to take an active role in managing poor performance among your direct reports; as a manager you can help improve employee performance up to 25%. Poor performers either fail to perform their job at an acceptable level, or fail to follow workplace regulations. These employees are not only less productive than their coworkers; they negatively affect their colleagues and the work environment, hampering productivity and lowering morale.

Ensure Rapid Feedback

As a manager, the first step in handling poor performers is to identify any underperformers on your team. Any deliberate misconduct should be reported to HR and/or the police, while an employee’s inability to perform duties adequately requires feedback, counseling, and support. Use the following indicators to quickly identify poor performance, and distinguish from misconduct:

Provide Tailored SupportWhen an employee’s behavior indicates underperformance, you should identify areas of improvement and provide support for improvement through a performance counseling session. During this session you and your direct report should discuss the specifics of the situation, and you should be prepared to provide resources to resolve the problem, as highlighted below.

Maintain Consistent and Accurate Documentation

Documentation of employee discipline is critical as it helps employees improve performance in the future and protects you and the company from allegations of unfairness. Supervisors can initiate a performance improvement plan (PIP) at any time that an employee’s performance is unsatisfactory. In addition to the PIP, it is important for the manager to create a written document of all poor performance discussions that are conducted with the employee.

Poor Performance Misconduct• Failure to Meet Position Standards

• Low Product Quality

• Low Volume of Productivity

•Absenteeism

• Disruptive or Argumentative Behavior

• Customer Service Complaints

Manager’s Responsibilities Employee’s Responsibilities• Communicate expectations of the position

• Identify specific facts about the situation

• Develop a specific action plan to correct the situation

• Document counseling in writing

• Actively participate in counseling session

• Assist in developing action plan

• Prepare rebuttal session, if necessary

• Reason for formal counseling

• Required performance standards

• Actions to improve performance

• Development and trainings offered

*Note that the employee signature on the performance improvement plan is generally used to designate that the employee has received this information, but does not necessarily indicate that the individual agrees with it.

Managers should strive to give negative feedback as soon after the event as possible. Do not wait until the next scheduled check in or annual review to bring up any misconduct or underperformance. Delayed feedback may indicate that any poor performance is not a high priority. After the initial conversation, schedule regular check ins to monitor improvement and map out next steps.

• Period for improvement and review dates

• Consequences of continued underperformance

• Agreement of record with signatures*

Performance Improvement Plan

CLC4394609PRO

© 2009 The Corporate Executive Board Company. All Rights Reserved.

Corporate Leadership Council

Managing Poor Performers

Initiating the Performance Discussion

After reviewing the basics of what should be covered in a performance counseling session and a PIP, here are some phrases to help initiate and guide what can be an uncomfortable discussion on an employee’s underperformance:

Avoid Common Mistakes

Focusing on Weaknesses—Managers should frame skills not as weaknesses, but as obstacles the employee needs to overcome.

Talking too Much—Managers should allow employees to respond or refute to the feedback they are providing.

Providing Feedback in Front of Others—Managers should provide the feedback in a private, one-on-one setting.

Providing Unrelated Feedback—Managers should not provide feedback if they do not have proper knowledge about the employee or the particular project the employee worked on.

Focusing on Personality—Manager should not criticize the individual, and feedback should focus exclusively on performance, not the employee’s personality.

Be Timely

Provide Feedback Relevant to the Employee’s Job Role and Level

Provide Time for the Employee to React

Be Fair and Accurate

Provide Job Focused Feedback

Provide Specific and Targeted Feedback

The Basics

Scripting to Guide Difficult Conversations

• I have noticed [behavior]. In the future, please try to remember to [new behavior].

• I’ve seen [issue] occurring in the office, and I’m wondering if you agree that I’m seeing the real issue at hand.

• I want to help you succeed in the organization, and to succeed, [skill] is necessary.

• I would like to see you try [activity/action] with the team.

• I’m worried about this behavior’s impact on the team’s result (e.g., timeline, morale, or project quality).

• What support did you receive when [situation] helped you do your task well?

• What was happening when [situation] made your job difficult?

• When I first started at this company, I struggled with [challenge]. I found that [action/situation] really helped me. Do you think that would work well for you, or do you have any ideas about what might help this?

• When you contribute [behavior], it [result (e.g., allows coworkers to do their jobs better)].