As a small business owner, there are many items each day on your agenda. When it comes to managing your employees, one area can be a difficult situation: the underperforming employee. Whether they are disengaged or less productive, underperforming employees can be detrimental to your business. In tough times for small business financing, it’s essential that you have the best team on hand. However, when employees are managed correctly, they can become valuable players to your small business’ success. Here’s what you can do:
Explain your expectations
When one of your employees is not meeting his or her job obligations, it’s important that you explain what he or she needs to change to perform better. Providing some feedback about what you have observed about his or her work will be helpful, particularly if you have noticed the quality of someone’s work decline. You should also clearly explain how his or her work affects the business and other employees. Having a conversation of this sort before handing out a reprimand will benefit you and the employee by figuring out what is going on.
Ask and listen
Once you have explained your side, it’s time to ask your employee about his or her point of view. You will want to make sure that he or she understands your position, but then listen to what he or she has to say. Is this employee uninterested in the work he or she performs? Is there a personal issue? Communicating is the key to discovering the true heart of the problem. Hearing some answers will help give you some background to move forward.
Create goals
Once you have found the main issue or issues, you can start to address them to get your employees back up to par. If there are company-wide concerns, you need to address them by creating wide goals. However, when dealing with one employee, coming up with goals together can result in a better solution. By engaging in the solution together, you can help motivate your underperforming employee to continue striving for better performance.
