Step three: Follow disciplinary procedure

Your organisation must act with consistency and fairness and, where possible, be able to show that it has provided guidelines and coaching to achieve the desired actions and behaviour from its staff.

If a performance problem fails to be resolved, you may need to follow a disciplinary procedure. Here are a few useful guidelines.

Carry out a full investigation and ensure that all evidence is well documented.

Hold a formal hearing. Make sure the employee is given written notice of it. The employee is entitled to representation.

Review all evidence. Formally outline the disciplinary action to be taken.

Consider separating out conduct and capability issues, as many organisations do when undertaking disciplinary action. In the case of capability, the employee is given two chances to improve. However, if the problem is one of conduct, the process is less lenient. It is important to build in time to improve as part of the disciplinary process.

In any situation, prevention is the preferred option. However, where this isn’t possible the manager needs to:

be fair and unbiased at all times

behave consistently

pay personal attention to the matter

understand whether it’s a conduct or capability issue

work within the guidelines and procedures if it reaches the stage of disciplinary action

recognise the importance of training and guidance

Step four: Take preventative measures

An important part of building a team is ensuring that everyone is in a role that matches their skills and that each team member knows what they are trying to achieve. This should minimise the problem of poor performance.

Communicate clearly. Leaders need to make explicit the goals of the business; managers need to break these down so that individuals understand how their targets relate to the overall business, and therefore how important their contribution is.

Don’t over-promote people. Just because someone does a great job at one level does not necessarily mean that they can tackle the next level.

Ensure that managers are spending time with individuals to identify areas of risk before they affect performance.

Don’t overestimate goals and objectives. Optimistic management can be detrimental.

Be aware of the culture of the business and ensure that goals are set appropriately.

TOP TIP

Restructuring can adversely affect individual performance. People often take time to adjust to new situations, and some cope with change better than others. If someone you manage is struggling with the switch, talk to him or her and explore exactly what differences the change has made to their working life. This kind of problem often emerges when communication is poor, which can make it difficult for someone to prioritise or understand what needs to be done—as well as to feel they have no support. You may need to help build the necessary new relationships, provide more support, and be clear on priorities.

Step five: Monitor your own performance

It’s all very well dealing with other people’s failings—but what about your own? Sometimes, you may need to admit that you’re not doing as well as you could be. An honest examination of your performance might well reveal areas for improvement.

Establish your limits. Where you feel that you don’t have the skills, experience, or knowledge to achieve the objectives set for you, ask for help before it becomes a performance management issue.

Try to understand why you haven’t met the objectives. What support would help you improve your performance? If the goals aren’t clear, ask for them to be redefined so that you can work towards them and manage the expectations of others.

Consider your attitude. How do others react to your behaviour? Remember that what works in one culture doesn’t always move easily to others. How you say something is as important as what you say. Try to identify friction points before they become serious performance issues.

Monitor your level of motivation. We can often outgrow roles, or find we need different challenges to feel rewarded. Work with your boss or senior colleagues to understand why you feel unmotivated. What type of recognition or appreciation would help? Explore whether the pressures in the role have changed, or whether you have different life goals. Sometimes when our circumstances change, the expectation we have of ourselves also changes. Remember that it’s more cost-effective for organisations to re-motivate and align an existing employee than to recruit, train, and develop a new one, so your managers will want to keep you.

Common mistakes

You over-react and ignore external factors

When you deal with poor performance, remain unbiased, fair, and consistent. Always explore why it has occurred and what could have contributed to it. Is it part of a pattern, or is it a one-off situation that is likely to be easily resolved? Over-reacting to situations isn’t good for the employee, for you, or for the organisation.

You set the bar too high and objectives aren’t explicit

It’s important, when setting goals, to make sure that they are clearly defined and achievable. Remember that different people have different capabilities. Check that your expectations fit with the culture of the business (some businesses have cultures where expectations are set higher than reality—so failing to meet explicit goals is forgiven). Set clear, short process milestones, so that you can quickly recognise where performance may slip. Most important of all, communicate regularly. Performance targets discussed at the beginning of the year and then measured at the end may not be appropriate for everyone.

You do not address poor performance early enough

Performance needs to be measurable. The easier it is to measure, the easier it is to manage. Checks need to be made at regular intervals to understand how close an individual is to achieving, or not achieving, targets. Schedule regular reviews and encourage employees to monitor their own performance. Ask them to rate their progress and suggest ways in which they could improve. Managers often set objectives and leave people to it— but if the goals aren’t met, it can be critical for the business. Good performance management ensures that possible failure is identified early on and the risk managed appropriately.

You expect instant results from a series of coaching sessions

If someone is performing poorly, it’s not usually appropriate simply to prescribe coaching and hope for the best. Coaching isn’t a magic wand for turning poor performers into good performers—it’s better used as a proactive tool to develop a potentially good performer. Confirm first that the individual has the capability to fulfil their role, then identify what needs to be done to help them succeed. Coaching in this context is then positive and motivational. Often, it’s a good idea to give new role holders increasingly demanding performance measures until they have settled in. Always make sure you build in a fair amount of time for the employee to make the necessary improvements.

You confuse personality clashes with poor performance

Personality clashes are difficult to deal with and, if coupled with poor performance, can become highly charged. Where issues may be personality-driven, bring in an impartial third party to ‘referee’. Separate out the issues and look at different ways of dealing with them. Resolving one may well have knock-on effects on the others. In some cases poor performance may be a perceived rather than a real problem. This can happen when there is a difference in understanding between a manager and his or her subordinate: they may, for example, each go about tasks very differently, but no less effectively.

STEPS TO SUCCESS

Measure performance at all times—and make sure every team member knows what constitutes good and bad performance.

Set clear and achievable targets.

Offer feedback and ask for progress reports at regular intervals.

Be unbiased.

Ensure that the correct procedures are in place to deal with poor performers of all types.

Match people to their roles. Don’t expect coaching to turn an unsuitable person into a top performer.

Make sure you’re not a poor performer yourself.