For any organization, employees are one of the most important assets, if not the most. How well an organization performs depends to large extent on how well its employees perform. With this at stake, can any organization really afford low-performing or non-performing employees?
Of course, no organization can be blessed with high-performing employees all the time. Different employees perform differently. Some perform at their peak all the time, some have highs and lows, and some don’t quite perform to the expected level.
To a certain extent, it is the responsibility of the organization to ensure that the peak performers stay there and to bring the others to that level.
Before going into what can be done to improve employees’ performance, let’s discuss the approach.
The senior management has to give a strict mandate to the HR team to implement consistent, well-reasoned performance measurement and performance development plans which have to be in line with both the organization’s growth objectives and the individual’s career aspirations.
Tools and resources to be used in these processes have to be procured and deployed.
So, coming back, what do you do with your low-performing employees? What steps can you take to improve their performance?
The first step is to figure out why the employee is not performing as per expectations. After all, to take corrective action, you need to get to the root of the problem.
You need to understand whether this non-performance is due to a lack of motivation, a lack of skill and experience, lack of clear communication of objectives, or some other factor.
If you have a robust performance measurement program, its results should give you these answers.
Communicate results clearly:
Half the time, communication is the culprit that leads to a variety of workplace problems. If the employee is to start improving, he has to understand where he stands.
Sit with him, show the results, and discuss the steps to be taken. Encourage him to speak up and give his take.
We’ll see more in other posts.
