Leadership
Dealing with Low Performers
From Sabine Walter,, Head of netzwerk managementberatung | coaching
In executive coaching we are often asked: "What is the best way to deal with low performers?". There is no general answer to this question. Rather, it invites a differentiated approach to the topic. In this article, I address the following questions: How do you find out the cause(s) for the drop in performance or underperformance? How can you structure and conduct an appropriate appraisal interview? What can you do to improve performance?
Basics
Low Performer | Clarification of Terms
By low performers I mean people, who either lag behind expectations or their possibilities and under-perform their role and the tasks associated with it.
Time and again, we experience situations in which such people are either dismissed very quickly or the issue is ignored out of fear of not being able to fill the position again. Neither strategy is effective. Therefore, in this article we will give you an idea of what alternative courses of action are available.
In order to select the right option for action, the first step is to investigate the causes.
Dealing with low performers - guidelines
Possible causes for low performance
If you really want to understand what is at the root of the drop in performance or underperformance, I recommend that you delve deeper, as the corresponding causes can be very diverse.
First of all, it is important to differentiate between a sudden drop in performance and a persistent drop in performance. We first look at the drop in performance. Performance decline means that performance was significantly better up to a certain point in time. In this case, it is important to understand what triggered the change in behaviour:
Possible causes for a sudden drop in performance in the employee
Causes of a sudden drop in performance of an employee can lie with the employee himself/herself. In many cases they (also) lie in the surrounding system the structures as well as the culture of the company. In the first step, let's look at possible personal causes.
Personal causes
- Was / is the employee ill?
- Has the employee's family situation changed?
- Did the employee have to deal with a private stroke of fate?
- Does the employee have private problems?
- Could a certain wish / need / requirement of the employee not be met? For example, could a salary increase not be granted or not granted in full?
Causes rooted in systemic changes
In our experience, in very many cases the causes of a sudden drop in performance lie in the system surrounding the employee, i.e. the team or the company. Let us also consider here possible causes:
TASK
- Has the employee been given a new task with which he is under- or over-challenged?
- Have the demands of the task changed and has this triggered an under- or over-demand?
- Has the task lost its attractiveness or relevance for the company?
- Is it no longer clear why these tasks are necessary?
TEAM
- Has there been a change of supervisor?
- Have there been changes in the surrounding team, e.g. have new colleagues joined or have colleagues left the team?
- Did the employee have to change teams?
- Are there conflicts in the team?
- Has the importance of the team in the organisation changed?
- Are there conflicts in neighbouring teams or at important interfaces?
PREVIOUS
- Has the feedback behaviour of the supervisor changed?
- Is there less praise?
- Was criticism unjustified?
- Was the employee humiliated?
- Was confidentiality breached?
- Were jour fixe appointments cancelled several times so that there was no space for exchange for a longer period of time?
- Were ideas put forward by the employee not taken seriously?
- Were questions or objections from the employee ignored?
- Were the employee's concerns or fears not taken seriously?
ORGANISATION
- Are there unclear goals?
- Are there conflicts of objectives with other employees / teams?
- Have goals changed?
- Are there unclear roles and responsibilities?
- Have roles or responsibilities changed?
- Have there been changes in IT systems and / or processes?
- Has there been a change of strategy in the company that is not yet comprehensible to everyone or also stirs up fears?
- Have management changes led to a different culture in which not everyone can find themselves?
You can see from the questions mentioned that a drop in performance cannot simply be reduced to the accusation: "He's not up for it any more", but from an understanding of the underlying cause, starting points can already be identified that can lead to an improvement in performance.
Let us now look at the causes of a persistent underperformance where the time of the performance decline was so long ago or so insidious that looking back does not help us.
Possible causes for persistent underperformance
Here, too, we differentiate between the employee himself and the surrounding system; simplified, however, we can refer to the hierarchy of Basic human needs (MASLOW) and analyse, which of the basic needs has been violated and leads to the staff member not being present with heart and mind.
Let us look at possible causes for the violation of basic needs:
- Does the employee feel comfortable with the task?
- Does the task fit his strengths?
- Can the employee get involved and shape things?
- Can he determine the way to achieve the goal himself?
- Does he know what share he has in the achievement of defined goals?
- Is the employee seen and appreciated?
- Are ideas that he introduces taken seriously?
- Does he have a role that matches his personality, experience and competencies?
- Is the employee underchallenged with his tasks?
Belonging is crucial. If a person does not feel a sense of belonging to an organisation, they will not engage with it. The following questions will help to find out if a lack of belonging is perhaps a major cause of underperformance.
- Does the employee feel comfortable in the company / in the team / in the management circle?
- Can he identify with the company's values and culture?
- Does the employee support the company's mission, goals and strategy?
A lack of security in companies not only has a negative effect on the willingness to perform, but also hinders the willingness and ability to develop further. Causes for a lack of security often lie in a lack of transparency and a culture of fear instead of trust. Guiding questions to find out whether this is the cause for a lack of commitment can be:
- Are the goals clear to the employee?
- Is the strategy understood?
- Is the role understandable?
- Are the tasks clear?
- Is there sufficient competence to fulfil the tasks and requirements?
- Are the IT systems mastered?
- How constructive is the manner of criticism and the handling of mistakes by superiors and colleagues?
The fear about surviving in the team or the company means fear of losing one's job. This fear can be unfounded. It often occurs in the context of non-transparent change and strategy processes.
In order to understand what exactly underlies the drop in performance, a discussion with the employee is necessary.
Dealing with low performers | FEEDBACK talk
Address underperformance
Before you seek the conversation, you should prepare it. A central part of the preparation is to get into an attitude that enables you to have a constructive conversation at eye level. If you manage to enter the conversation with a genuine desire to understand, you will see the other person as part of the solution. This attitude is crucial for a constructive clarification process.
Reproaches or the attitude "the other person is the problem" carry the risk of escalation and aggravation of the situation.
Below you will get an idea of how to conduct an initial interview on the topic of underperformance.
DISCUSSION GUIDE TO ADDRESS UNDERPERFORMANCE
(FIRST TALK)
INTRODUCTION
- Thank you very much for taking the time to talk to us.
- Please sit down. What would you like to drink?
TALK TARGET
- I am looking for a conversation with you because I have noticed for some weeks now that your head and heart are no longer in it.
(I-message) - That worries me. / That amazes me.
- Therefore, I would like to understand how you are doing in our team / with me / with the task. On the other hand, I would like to discuss with you what it takes for you to enjoy what you are doing again and thus be able to fully contribute.
OK INPUT
- Does that suit you?
ASK QUESTIONS OF CLARIFICATION
- How are you?
- On a scale of 0-10, how comfortable do you feel in the team?
- How satisfied are you with your role in the team / your tasks?
- Which aspects of it do you enjoy? Which do you not?
- …
GIVE INTERIM SUMMARY AND REQUEST COMPLETENESS
- Thank you for your openness.
- I understood that .... // I hear .... // You say ....
- (Name the feeling that the description has triggered in you, e.g. "This affects me. // It makes me sad. // I am relieved that we are talking.")
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
ENQUIRE ABOUT SOLUTION OPTIONS
- What should we urgently change so that you feel better again // enjoy your job more again // come to the office in the morning with more joy again // go home in the evening with a more satisfied feeling?
- What could you change? (...) What else?
- Where do you need my support? (...) Where else?
CREATE COMMITMENT
- Then let us record: ... (set measures)
- Agreed?
- When should the two of us sit down again to discuss whether what we have agreed is having the desired effect?
CONCLUSION
- Thank you for your openness and the trusting and constructive exchange.
- We will talk again on ... at the latest.
- All the best!
As you can see from the interview guide, I recommend working out the solution options in dialogue as well. Ask the employee what he or she needs to be back with his mind and heart instead of pretending to be.
Staff management
Dealing with Low Performers | Options for action
The central guiding question is: "What basic human need must be fulfilled in this employee so that he or she can be back with mind and heart?"
The options for action themselves can be derived from the causes and lie at the level of the employee, the supervisor-employee level or the surrounding system. Below you will find a small selection:
- Changing the role / task and responsibility so that it better fits the strengths.
- More freedom to be able to design
- Clarifying conflicts and strengthening trust within the team
- Qualify if the reduced engagement is caused by not being able to do it
- Flexibilisation of working hours and place of work
- Regular space for confidential exchange
- Recognise performance, progress and success
Dealing with Low Performers
Conclusion
The causes for a sudden drop in performance or a permanent underperformance are manifold. It is worth investigating the causes, otherwise there is a risk of leaving existing potential unused. In our experience, there are only very few employees who really don't want to do anything at all and cannot be reached with the approach described.
It is worthwhile to seek dialogue. The sooner they talk, the sooner this conflict has a chance to be resolved and the lower the risk of social contagion in the team.
DEALING WITH LOW PERFORMERS | CHECKLIST
UNDERSTANDING THE SITUATION
- Seek a dialogue with the employee.
- Think about one thing in advance that you sincerely appreciate about this employee. This will make it easier for you to go into the interview with the attitude "The employee is part of the solution".
- Above all, ask open questions to understand the situation and the employee's point of view. (see interview guide)
- Show understanding for the situation.
DEVELOP OPTIONS FOR ACTION
- Develop possible options for action together with the employee.
- Ask what the employee needs instead of giving him your suggestions. This has the positive side effect that he takes more responsibility for the success of these options.
ESTABLISH COMMITMENT
- Agree on concrete measures and accompany their implementation.
ACKNOWLEDGE PROGRESS
- Notice and recognise progress, even small progress.
- See when you can take the next step in the employee's development.
If you have found the real causes of the low performance and the measures help to eliminate them, you have a very good chance of turning the low performer into a top performer.
If you want get training on how to conduct an appropriate appraisal interview, this can be done within the framework of a coaching session.
Book CoachingIf you are unable to reach the employee despite repeated calls and would like to initiate a fair separation process, you can get advice on employment law from my colleague Dr. Julia Friemel.
Request employment law advice
