It is your duty to motivate your employees, but what can you do for those staff members who are struggling? You should note that some managers think that everyone is an adult, so if their employees are not keeping up, eventually, they must fire them. You don’t want this problem to get there, so put the right effort in order to get your weaker employees up to par. Below are important tips on how to motivate your underperforming employees.
Address it head-on
If you find that an employee is fairing poorly, do not wait to talk to them. Unfortunately, most performance issues are not dealt with directly and this can be detrimental. Because underperformance is similar to an infection, you need to treat it so as to help it heal. Failure to do so, it will only spread and you will become irritated or worse still, affect your production.
Find the root cause
You need to find the root cause of your employee’s underperformance. In fact, if the employee is not the best fit for the job, or simply lacks the necessary skills, that is on you. You can fix the underperformance with training and also know how you and your employee are jointly responsible. And because you could be the one who has contributed to the negative situation, the two of you need to make changes. Just figure out what is the root cause of the problem.
Be objective
Never approach the matter with bias. If the underperformance is angering you, you need to tap your managers so as to contribute to the review of the employee’s work. You need to find any facts that will help you prove that there is either a systemic issue, communication problem or a need for proper training.
Start a conversation
Once you are done with collecting unbiased information, it is now time to talk with the weaker employee. Make sure you tell them what you have observed and how this can affect your team and the company. It is even imperative to stress that you are always available to help. Ask for ideas on how they can improve and give them a day or two to think on it and also come up with a reasonable plan.
Coach them
You should note that there is nothing you can do if an employee is not interested in the coaching. You need to make a decision right away on whether to live with the problem and also at what cost. If an employee is ready and willing to learn or change, then it is time for a plan. Get specific goals and improvements down on paper and make sure to include details on how to achieve them. You can even agree on some measurable actions and start tracking the employee’s progress. Be realistic with the goals and also make sure that you give it ample time because people need some time to change or learn new skills.
Monitor the progress
It is prudent to follow up with your employee. You will have done zero work if you don’t monitor the person’s progress. Because you are free to talk to them, you can ask them if there is someone superior they can trust who apart from tracking the employee’s work, they can also report to you confidently.
Take action if need be
After all this, if you find that there is no improvement, then it is time to change your demeanor. If for instance the employee has started taking advantage of your coaching, mentoring or kindness, then you cannot stand for it. You may want to leave the coaching and get straight into the consequences speech. Because the employee’s behavior hasn’t changed, you may want to explain to them the consequences. However, do not allow your ego into this. And if there is any disciplinary action in mind, take it very seriously. Sometimes, you may want to fire but before you do so, check how this will affect you, the team, the firm and that person.
Reward them for changes
This is a good gesture. If the person in question turns his or her performance around, it is always prudent to reward them. You don’t want to make them feel as if an ax is ready to get into contact with their neck. And there are many ways you can motivate them. For instance, you can give them a ticket to the favorite game or reward them with time off. You can also do their work for them because employees like it when their bosses do their job. Another option would be to reward them with a trophy labeled ‘the most improved employee’.
At Crystal Plus, we supply a wide range of crystal corporate gifts and other crystal awards. We can customize the gifts to fit to your desires. If you want to give any employee service awards, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are ready to provide you with the perfect gift for your needs.
