Suppose a company of 80 employees has solid , star and potential performers in majority like 76/80 employees and only 4 as poor performers... We can infer that here underperforming employees are very less.... What could be the possible reasons for it? Is the PMS system biased ? Is the competancy scale not giving correct information or something entirety wrong with the org behaviour? Also wanted to know how can it be remedied ?
Answers
1. Resupply
Focus on the resources provided to do the job. Do employees have what they need to perform well and meet expectations?
Ask them about additional resources they think they need.
Listen for points of frustration.
Note where employees report that support is inadequate.
Verify the claims with your own investigation. People will often blame external sources for their poor performance before admitting their own fault.
This is a very effective first step in addressing performance. It signals to members of your team that you're interested in their perspective and are willing to make the required changes.
2. Retrain
Provide additional training to team members. Explore with them whether they have the actual skills required to do what's expected. Given the pace of change of technology, it's easy for people's skills to become outdated.
This option recognizes the need to retain employees and keep their skills current. There are various types of retraining you can provide:
Training seminars with in-house or external providers.
Computer-based training (CBT).
Simulation exercises.
Subsidized college or university courses.
Resupplying and retraining will often cure poor performance. People and organizations may get into ruts, and fail to recognize these issues until poor performance finally highlights them.
3. Refit
When these first two measures aren't sufficient, consider refitting the job to the person. Are there parts of the job that can be reassigned?
Analyze the individual components of the work, and try out different combinations of tasks and abilities. This may involve rearranging the jobs of other people as well. Your goal is to retain the employee, meet operational needs, and provide meaningful and rewarding work to everyone involved. (For more detail on this, see our article on Job Enrichment .)
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4. Reassign
When revising or refitting the job doesn't turn the situation around, look at reassigning the poor performer. Typical job reassignments may decrease the demands of the role by reducing the need for the following:
Responsibility.
Technical knowledge.
Interpersonal skills.
If you use this option, make sure that the reassigned job is still challenging and stimulating. To ensure that this strategy is successful, never use demotion as a punishment tactic within your organization. Remember, the employee's performance is not intentionally poor – he or she simply lacked the skills for the position.
5. Release
As a final option for lack of ability, you may need to let the employee go . Sometimes there are no opportunities for reassignment, and refitting isn't appropriate for the organization. In these cases, the best solution for everyone involved is for the employee to find other work. You may need to consider contractual terms and restrictions; however, in the long run, this may be the best decision for your whole team.
Remember, there are potential negative consequences of retaining a poor performer after you've exhausted all the options available:
You'll annoy other members of your team, who may have to work harder to "carry" the poor performer.
You may promote a belief in others that you're prepared to accept mediocrity – or, worse, underperformance.
You may waste precious time and resources that could be better used elsewhere.
You may signal that some employees deserve preferential treatment.
You may undermine the whole idea of finding the best person for the job.
Improving Motivation
Sometimes poor performance has its roots in low motivation. When this is the case, you need to work closely with the employee to create a motivating environment in which to work. There are three key interventions that may improve people's motivation:
Setting of performance goals.
Provision of performance assistance.
Provision of performance feedback.
1. Performance Goals
Goal setting is a well-recognized aspect of performance improvement. Employees must understand what's expected of them and agree on what they need to do to improve. For a detailed explanation of the goal setting process, see our articles on Goal Setting , Golden Rules of Goal Setting and Locke's Goal Setting Theory .
2. Performance Assistance
Once you've set appropriate goals, help your team member succeed by doing the following:
Regularly assessing the employee's ability, and take action if it's deficient.
Providing the necessary training.
Securing the resources needed.
Encouraging cooperation and assistance from coworkers.
Tip:
Consider using the GROW Model as a way of coaching employees to improve their performance.
3. Performance Feedback
People need feedback on their efforts. They have to know where they stand in terms of current performance and long-term expectations. When providing feedback, keep in mind the