How Should I Handle Underperformance Identified in Reviews?

If your staff reviews have found that team members are underperforming, knowing how to address these issues is highly important. As part of this, we’ve outlined some of the key things you should know about handling underperformance in your staff reviews as follows to help you find the ideal solutions.

If your staff reviews have identified underperformance, taking swift action is hugely important. In line with this thought, we strongly recommend that you keep the following points in mind to help address these challenges and concerns.

After a review, making sure you address underperformance promptly and directly as soon as it is identified is crucial. Schedule regular feedback sessions with employees to discuss the results of their performance reviews and provide constructive feedback, which can help employees course-correct and improve their attitude or behaviour at work.

One of the first things you should do after identifying underperformance in your teams is to set clear expectations for your staff members. Indeed, ensuring the business’s expectations for performance and behaviour are clearly communicated to all staff members can help tackle any issues that may have arisen due to staff being unaware or forgetting about the proper job conduct. As part of this, it may be helpful to provide detailed job descriptions, performance standards, and objectives so that employees understand exactly what is expected of them.

If underperformance persists despite efforts to address it informally, consider implementing a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) for your staff. A PIP outlines specific performance expectations, goals, timelines, and whether there could be consequences for a failure to change.

Taking steps to address performance issues is highly important – however, this is only helpful if you are keeping a close eye on this. As such, try to keep detailed records of any performance issues that may arise with your staff, including specific examples of underperformance, relevant dates, and any actions taken to address the issues. This can help you monitor progress and ascertain whether the steps taken have helped combat and resolve the issues, going forwards.

A negative approach can often leave staff feeling pressured, overwhelmed, and distressed. In line with this thought, after you have determined the root cause of underperformance, always make sure your business is offering appropriate support and resources to help employees improve. This may include additional training, mentorship, coaching, or access to tools and resources to enhance skills and knowledge. In addition, always tailor support interventions to the individual’s needs, which can help improve results.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve noticed issues during your staff’s performance reviews, don’t panic; addressing these promptly and quickly, and using tools such as My360 to continually monitor progress, can help ensure that underperformance doesn’t hold your brand back in the long-term. But remember: every staff member is unique, so it’s hugely important to ensure that your approach to training and support is tailored to the individual’s needs to improve results, which can help support your business’s growth accordingly.