This document provides guidance for managers in dealing with poor employee performance. It discusses key factors that can affect performance such as motivation, goal setting, management capabilities and behaviors. Examples of poor performance include consistently not fulfilling one's role, not delivering results or following instructions, and producing shoddy work. If poor performance goes unchecked, it can demotivate high performers and create a culture of minimal acceptable performance. The document recommends managers identify the causes of poor performance, consider different approaches to addressing it, and get help from HR if needed. Training should focus on helping managers recognize how they may have contributed to issues and feel confident having difficult conversations.

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Helping Managers Deal with Poor
Performance
Some key considerations for
managers…
Hedda Bird, 3C Founder Director

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Which of these are really examples of poor
performance?
…and which are just part of
life’s ups and downs?

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It is not
FAILURE – where good effort
has been made
ONE-OFF mistake
SHORT TERM impact of
PERSONAL PROBLEMS
It might be
• Consistently not fulfilling
role
• Not delivering results
• Not following instructions
• Shoddy, poorly thought
out work
• Very slow working
• Bullying or other bad
behaviour

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Recognise factors that affect performance
Key factors known for a long time…
Performance is impacted by:
1. motivation & engagement - ownership
2. quality of goal setting
3. management capability and culture
4. capability & knowledge – right role
5. underlying behaviours (‘personality’)
LOW PERFORMANCE may be triggered by weakness in any one of
these areas

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Identify what the potential causes might be?
Possible employee weaknesses
• Lack of skill
• Poor time management
• Not clear about priorities
• Personal problems affecting work
• Dis-affection with organisation
• Attitudes ‘don’t see why I should’
• ‘Not my job’
• Don’t believe it makes any
difference anyway
• Know they can get away with it
• Lazy
• Copying others…
Manager failings
• Not holding people to account
• Not setting priorities
• Ignoring poor performance
• Not knowing ‘what good looks like’
• Personal friend of the individual
• Too anxious
• Scared of the individual
• Worried that intervention will make
things worse

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What will happen if poor performance is not
managed?
Poor goal setting means people rarely
deliver the maximum they are
capable of
Allowing poor performance to go
unchecked DEMOTIVATES everyone
else, especially the highest
performers
‘Last straw’ removal of poor
performers can be very expensive
Tolerating poor performance creates
a culture of ‘minimal performance is
OK’
Failure to give clear career paths and
indications of opportunity frequently
drives best performers to competitors
Failure to give feedback gives some
people the impression they are better
than they really are, creating
mis-match of expectations
Weak systems that fail to support
effective performance reviews and
their follow-up, risk losing making a
bad situation worse

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Have you thought about how HR can help?
Try to establish if the
manager has a real skill gap
first…
• Not giving difficult feedback
• Not setting clear expectations
• Not holding to account
Make a clear list of what is wrong
– where is performance failing?
Coach the manager to identify
what small steps would make a
difference

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Consider your approach…
S1: Person is capable, needs to
be held accountable. Often good
for behavioural problems.
S2: If Person needs huge amount
of help may be out of depth, in
wrong role
S3: Plenty of constructive
feedback + training
S4: Clear feedback and guidance
– tends to be about bringing
someone back on track
Think about which approach is
needed…

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Think about adapting your approach…
Less education, little autonomy
More detail
More instruction
Frequent check-in
Repeated checking for understanding
Focus on Outcome
Determine solutions for self
Required to think
Challenge assumptions
Often longer timescales
Highly educated, autonomous

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How training can help (or hinder)…
A lot of ‘how to handle poor performance’ training fails to work because
it:
a) focuses on PROCESS
b) increases ANXIETY about employee grievance
c) ignores Manager’s FEELINGS
d) ignores Manager’s potential as ‘part of the problem’
Effective Training
1) creates WILL to deal with poor performance
2) Drives RECOGNITION of how they may have contributed to the
problem
3) Gives structure, confidence and PRACTICE at difficult conversations
4) Outlines a coherent process including appropriate legislative advice

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Where would high performers rather work?
High Performing
Accountable
Goal driven
Strategy fully understood at front line
Performance conversations ‘the norm’
Consequences for high & low
performance
Behaviours & values embedded in daily
activity
Open communications
Honest conversations
Effective Talent Management
Under Performing
Lack of accountability
Poorly defined goals
Goals quickly out of date or irrelevant
Lack of feedback
Performance conversations rare
Bullying behaviours / Consensus cultures
Performance ratings not reflecting
business performance
Limited definition of talent, weak promotion
criteria

12. Copyright 3C Associates Ltd | info@3cperform.co.uk | T: +44 (0) 1491 411 544
To discuss any of these key considerations in more detail, contact 3C
on 01491 411 544 or by email – info@3cperform.co.uk
We believe that putting managers at the heart of Performance Management is key to
making Performance Management work and driving business forward.
Managers set the measures, make the assessments, deliver the messages and give
feedback, coaching and support. Put simply, businesses cannot run without effective
managers, and Performance Management cannot work without managers at the centre of
the organisation.
Our energising and refreshing approach combines our expertise in the areas of:
• specialist consultancy and guidance (e.g. communications, competency frameworks,
Goal Bank™ and measurement)
• practical, business-focused performance management training (design and delivery)
• company-wide programmes to drive ownership and responsibility for performance to all
employees