How to Coach an Underperforming Employee

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It happens very often that a top-performing employee turns out to be an underperforming employee without you noticing why and how it happened. 

Worry not. You can still turn the situation for better with a few steps. So, look at these steps to manage an underperforming employee and make a stronger team.

How to Manage Underperforming Employees

Underperformance is a common plight among employees of all levels, with each instance having a different effect on the team. You can manage underperforming employees while you have time with the below steps.

1. Recognise the Problem and Take Action 

The first thing you need to do to manage an underperforming employee is to identify the problem causing underperformance. Some of the initial signs that may tell you about employees underperformance may include:

• Detachment from tasks and responsibilities 
• Recurring tardiness or absenteeism 
• Decreased output or quality of work
• Discouraged mindset or unprofessional behaviour
• Less interaction with colleagues

After identifying the signs of underperformance, you can lead with emotional intelligence. Before taking any steps, wait for some time and focus on facts rather than opinions. Be gentle when addressing the issues causing underperformance instead of showing anger or making the situation worse.

2. Conduct a Meeting to Know and Understand the Causes

You can schedule a one-on-one meeting with the underperforming employees to know and understand the causes and address the performance issue. Make it an open communication to reach the root cause of the problem. Your primary goal is to create a supportive environment where they can feel comfortable and share honestly. Invite them and encourage them to share their experiences and viewpoints by asking open-ended questions, like:

• How is it going?
• Are you facing any challenges at any level?
• What frustrates you more in your role?
• What are you most proud of lately?
• How do you describe the workload?
• Do you have any feedback for me?

After asking the question, wait for their response patiently. Listen to their answer with full attention without judging them. This approach may uncover underlying issues like work-related pressure, personal issues, burnout, and lack of skill-related training or motivation.

3. Share Your Perspective of Decreasing Performance

Once your team member provides their perspective, it is your turn to share your observations. Remember, you can share your observations and not opinions or judgements. You can start by describing your or the organisation’s expectations for the role. Pause to check if your team member is aligned with those expectations. After demonstrating what good performance looks like, explain the low performance you are observing. 

It’s crucial to emphasise observed behaviours and leave out your opinions on the employee’s performance behaviours. For example, instead of telling them that they don’t care about their work, you can say you missed the meeting.

4. Develop an Action Plan to Counter the Problem

When coaching for growth, it’s essential to let the team members explore ways to change and take ownership of the process. It’s critical to show you believe in them and their strengths and potential. Then, you can ask open-ended questions to shift their mindsets towards actionable steps:

• How can I help you?
• What resources do you need?
• Are there any options you can try?
• What is the alternative option you are willing to try?

When you tell employees to identify solutions by themselves, you challenge them to take responsibility while offering guidance at the same time. Once deciding the imminent steps, shift the conversation to set clear expectations and create an action plan. Together, make a detailed growth plan with their inputs, on which they can agree, including the setting:

• Performance Goals
• Achievable Milestones
• Realistic Timeframe

Also, when emphasising measurable results, addressing the root cause of the performance issues is essential, which may include providing additional training, building their skills, reducing or eliminating burnout factors, and adding more motivators.

5. Provide Ongoing Support and Mentoring to Underperforming Employees

Changing a particular behaviour takes time and commitment, so be patient. You can offer your help and support to your team on the ground level and also partner the team members with a mentor who can help them refine or develop their skills. You can also consider what training programs and leadership development opportunities may be available to support underperforming employees’ success goals. 

6. Recognise Progress and Provide Feedback

After asking an underperforming employee to improve, tracking their progress is crucial. The best way to track their process is to document everything they are doing and if their actions align with the action plan. This way, employees will not feel left alone in the battleground and will feel encouraged to perform even better. 

Also, keep doing the one-on-one sessions to discuss their progress and what other steps you can take to make the process better and more fruitful. Be vocal about the progress you have noticed and praise them for their accomplishments, especially anything impacting their work or the team effort. 

Conclusion: Focus on the Positives and Foster Growth

When an employee is not performing the way they should, it can be due to several factors. As a team lead or manager, you have to notice the patterns and recognise the issue causing poor performance. However, be amiable during the whole process, and you will find that the employee will start performing up to the mark. Remark can help you hire the best candidates with whom you can always create a healthy work environment with talented employees willing to contribute. Start hiring today.