Business success happens due to a variety of factors—you may have reached your quotas, you’ve managed to sign a deal with a huge client, or you’ve adopted automation for better and more profitable practices. All of these boil down to one crucial fact—they’re all thanks to the people involved. In other words, your company is only as good as the people you employ, regardless of business nature.
Unfortunately, this also means that a single low-performing employee can drag everyone down, eventually affecting your company’s success. A rigorous recruiting and hiring process may help you from suffering from such candidates, but you’ll eventually have to deal with problematic employees.
Whatever the cause of a performance problem, it’s up to the leader to step up and make strategic plans to fix it.. Simply providing your low-performing employees with the pink slip of doom will not address the issue properly.
You need to handle everything with grace and respect, and while there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every performance issue, here are some tips you can take into consideration:
Tip #1: Continue Providing Your Employees with Regular Feedback
When seeking to address employee issues, good managers must address mistakes and mishandled situations as soon as possible. Although it’s difficult to monitor and correct every action made by employees, mistakes should be addressed as they arise. Correcting their errors as soon as possible will make the employees aware of their errors and help them correct future behaviour.
Regularly giving feedback to employees, even informally, can help manage common workplace issues and helps guide employees down the right path. More serious issues and mistakes, however, may call for a more formal meeting to discuss these errors and set goals for corrective action.
Tip #2: Foster Clear and Open Communication
The job of a manager doesn’t just consist of spotting errors and looking for ways to improve or correct them. It also involves fostering an environment of clear and open communication to ensure employees’ safety and well-being, which can also boost their productivity. It’s best to remind employees that you are there to listen to their concerns and do what may be necessary to help overcome roadblocks in their daily tasks.
While it’s important to actively listen as you communicate with your employees, it is essential that action steps be taken, in response, to support, make a change, or enhance the work environment. Some employees may face the death of a loved one disagreements with their coworkers, or other issues that may affect their performance. It’s important to listen and take action as soon as possible to take care of employees and avoid any hiccups in the business’s workflow.
Tip #3: Make Sure to Keep Updated Records and Document Everything
When it comes to performance-related conversations, you must ensure that you keep a detailed record of everything. Correcting performance issues should go beyond just verbal discussions —you need to have documented proof of how their performance has been improving or worsening, and assist them in setting goals for the future.
This also allows you the chance to properly assess which steps you must take, especially when it comes to encouraging their growth and career development. Any performance reviews must be documented thoroughly, including reprimands regarding mistakes.
Leverage Your HR Department or Work With The Best HR Consulting Firm
By following these carefully measured steps, you’ll be able to address performance gaps and issues that will not only benefit your company but more importantly your employees. Bear in mind that most performance problems can be addressed without the need to resort to dismissal, and you’ll need to practice patience and determination to help your staff improve. Remember—all the best companies know how to treat their employees well and those companies have a reputation as an employer of choice in the marketplace.
If you require professional human resources consulting services, Inolvi Consulting is the place to call. We are an HR consulting firm based in Edmonton, dedicated to assisting small to medium-sized businesses. We help you better care for your employees so that you can focus on what you do best, which is run the business. Reach out to us today to learn more.
