One of the greatest business struggles is managing under-performing employees. They can cause business owners a lot of frustration not to mention lost revenue. What's more, is when their performance is consistently poor, it can have a domino effect at the workplace, creating stress and anger among other employees and affecting your company’s reputation and level of service. If you have invested significant time and money into training your staff, the best option might be trying to re-energise the team member who has gone off-course as soon as possible. Have a look through these four tips to help your employee get back on track.
1. Have a chat
When someone isn’t performing to your standards, you can’t let the problem get out of hand. The best option is to schedule a meeting and sit down to talk it out. Finding the root of the problem will help you give the most suitable and effective solution and attack the issue once and for all. Remember not to finger-point, listen actively, and be direct, while avoiding getting emotional or angry. Work on your communication skills prior to your meeting, role playing can help to ease the stress and ensure you know how to express your point of view effectively.
2. Create Accountability
It’s very easy for employees to get easily distracted and continue procrastinating important tasks, especially if there’s nobody keeping track of what they're doing. Therefore, when handing them a project you need to make sure you're clear about the deadline and the requirements for the task, this way you’ll have an agreement to get it back in an appropriate time-frame. Make sure the rules are clear to ensure everyone is on the same page and there is no misunderstanding. Working with a purpose is a great motivator for most.
3. Challenge your team
When employees aren’t being challenged, they may fall into the routine of just doing enough to get by. Everyone has something that triggers their passion, so figure out what this is. In a world of multiculturalism, it's likely you’ll find yourself with different working types and personalities. Some might not perform very well solo, but others might thrive in a group setting. Who knows, some of your employees might just be waiting to be handed more responsibility, remember to discuss everything with them and make sure their tasks suit them.
4. Rewards
A mention on your staff weekly emails is nice, but some employees look for more tangible forms of gratification. Make sure every reward is tied to a clear tangible goal, such as hitting sales targets etc. Rewards can be something like a catered lunch, an early finish or a team outing. Making your team feel special can encourage continued progress and can have great productivity outcomes.