Managers are important people because they achieve their results through other people. This means they are responsible for the coordination of efforts throughout the organization. Without managers, our organizations would be chaotic places in which to work. They would, therefore, achieve very little.

A key part of the job of the manager is to assess and redirect the performance of their staff member. Managers must be able to ascertain if their staff members are working up to the standards required of them. In every case where a shortfall in performance is discovered, the manager must take action to get the employee back on track. In addition, the manager must achieve this correction without damaging the relationship with the staff member.

Managers may prevent underperformance by stopping it from happening in the first place. They can do this by setting performance standards and goals for each of their staff members. Performance standards specify how a task is to be done and describe any outcomes that allow us to measure the success of the worker. Goals should be SMART and comprise objectives that each staff member works towards in order to achieve success.

The manager should monitor staff performance in an appropriate manner. This means showing trust and avoiding micro-management and intense scrutiny. However, the manager must be aware that they have the ultimate responsibility for the achievement of the task and that this responsibility may not be delegated to others. Where there is a continuing discrepancy between the actual performance and the agreed performance, the manager must act.

The manager should give notice of the discussion and make sure that the employee is prepared for it. A performance discussion should not feel like an ambush and should be framed as an opportunity to improve outcomes.

A manager might open the discussion by admitting vulnerability and agreeing that such conversations may often be uncomfortable for all concerned. The manager can continue by stating the facts that are irrefutable. Following this opening, the manager should listen carefully to the response of the staff member.

The remainder of the discussion should be built around searching for solutions and agreeing on a commitment to improve. Following this, the manager should monitor the performance to check that the agreement is in place.

Areas Covered

Who Should Attend

Managers, supervisors, team leaders, executives, specialists, coaches, mentors, directors, human resource professionals.

Why Should You Attend    

Some managers are reticent about dealing with underperforming staff. There are many reasons behind this reluctance. Most managers are appointed to their roles because of past performance in their previous jobs as operators. However, these operational roles do not prepare us for the challenges of handling people. Accordingly, when things go wrong, and staff fail to perform, the line manager may struggle in deciding what to do. If this is the case with your situation or if you have any concerns about talking to your staff members about poor performance, this course is definitely for you.

Topic Background

In these days of ‘quiet quitting’ and the ‘great resignation’ managers are often at a loss in terms of knowing what to do about declining performance on the part of their staff. This course is designed to help them work through this issue.