{"id":1983,"date":"2019-01-31T20:50:39","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T20:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knowyourteam.com\/blog\/?p=1983"},"modified":"2025-02-27T15:14:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T23:14:26","slug":"how-to-discuss-poor-performance-with-an-employee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canopy.is\/blog\/2019\/01\/31\/how-to-discuss-poor-performance-with-an-employee\/","title":{"rendered":"How to discuss poor performance with an employee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Managing an underperforming employee is tough. Here’s advice from 1,000+ managers in Canopy on how to address poor performance.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s time to have \u201cthe talk\u201d: The one where you have to figure out how to discuss poor performance with an employee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This not-so-fun conversation you likely saw coming. After missed deadlines and low quality of work, you may have tried to have it, inquiring about their underperformance, one-off. Perhaps this employee even admitted to you that they had some personal problems affecting their work performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you didn\u2019t address their poor performance, head-on. Now, you need to\u2026 Or else they might be sticking around for much longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A manager who is a member of \u200aour online community in Canopy\u2014\u200aexpressed how he was facing this exact conundrum. An employee wasn\u2019t performing well and had divulged he was having some family issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This manager wondered: How should he approach this conversation in his next one-on-one meeting? How do you address poor performance with an employee, particularly when it seems they might have external issues influencing them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how some of our managers recommended approaching \u201cthe talk\u201d about underperformance with an employee\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t tell a bad performer they\u2019re \u201ca bad performer.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re assigning them a highly loaded label, and this can cause the person to be defensive. Strong castigation doesn\u2019t give any room for a productive conversation to discern the root cause of the bad performance. Rather, describe what behaviors you\u2019ve noticed and the gap in performance, as objectively as possible. Do this without personally tying that person\u2019s identity into their work. Ask, \u201cThis is what I noticed. Would you agree, or did you see things differently?\u201d Decrying, \u201cYou\u2019re a bad performer\u201d is essentially yelling at the person\u200a\u2014\u200aand yelling doesn\u2019t make something easier to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nLooking for more detailed guidance on one-on-one meetings?<\/strong>\nMake sure to check out our 1:1 module in Canopy.\n<\/div>\n
\nLearn more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Size up the general shape of any external issues.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll want to get an understanding of the \u201coutside of work\u201d issues. You don\u2019t need to pry for details\u200a\u2014\u200ajust see if you can get a sense of the shape of things. Are there issues that could be solved through a more flexible work schedule? (For example, having the person take an afternoon off to handle a situation.) Are there issues that are emotionally taxing on them? (For instance, a sick family member can obviously bear a great toll on a person). In some cases, you might consider offering a short personal leave, so the person can focus on finding stability with their personal situation. If you do this, you\u2019ll want to set expectations about their performance when they return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure out if you have Problem A or Problem B.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of our members, Paul Sanwald, a VP of Engineering at a small fitness startup, shared an excellent framework for thinking about how to approach an underperforming employee\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figure out which of these is true: (A) The employee knows they haven\u2019t been productive or (B) The employee thinks they\u2019re productivity has been acceptable. As a manager, your job is to figure out which of these two situations you\u2019re in. The first (Problem A) is a problem of everyone understanding the consequences<\/em> of unacceptable productivity. The second situation (Problem B) is a disagreement on understanding what an acceptable level<\/em> of productivity is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the ways to discern if you have Problem A or B on your hands is to ask simply ask: \u201cHow have you been feeling about your performance lately?\u201d Based on this answer, you\u2019ll know which of these problems is true for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nLooking for more detailed guidance on one-on-one meetings?<\/strong>\nMake sure to check out our 1:1 module in Canopy.\n<\/div>\n
\nLearn more<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What to do if you have Problem A: The employee knows they\u2019re underperforming.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the employee knows they haven\u2019t been performing well, here\u2019s a recommendation of how to structure the conversation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Recognize the problem: <\/strong>Before the meeting, ask the person to reflect on their performance: What\u2019s going well? Not well? Get their perspective, and then offer your own.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Identify the cause:<\/strong> Is the reason for underperformance something you did or didn\u2019t do, as a manager? (Here are some questions to ask to figure that out). Is it situational to the task they were given? Is systemic to the work environment? Are there mitigating factors you weren\u2019t initially aware of?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Explore possible solutions: <\/strong>Discuss different possible routes to resolve the underlying cause of poor performance. For example, if the person works best with a greater context, you as a manager need to be providing more detail and support on the project. However, if you\u2019ve already been doing that consistently, another potential option is for that person to get a different job. \u201cBest outcome\u201d doesn\u2019t always mean just forcing the person to \u201cwork harder\u201d and stay at the company. Consider fit, and what is best for you, the other person, and the team.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Outline next steps: <\/strong>You\u2019ll want to plan out concrete next steps to address the underlying cause of the issue. What are the actions both you and the employee will take? By when? Will there be a follow-up conversation to check back in and see if those actions are fulfilled, and how they are going?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What to do if you have Problem B: The employee doesn\u2019t know they\u2019re underperforming.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If an employee doesn\u2019t believe their performance is suffering in any way, Esther Derby<\/a>, and well-known organizational consultant, recommended that you consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n