Your employee is well-liked but underperforms. How can you address their performance issues effectively?

Du hast einen Mitarbeiter, der im Team sehr geschätzt wird, aber leider unter den Erwartungen bleibt? Keine einfache Situation, aber lösbar. Der erste Schritt: Verstehe das "Warum". Ein offenes Gespräch kann helfen, mögliche Ursachen zu identifizieren – sei es Überforderung, fehlende Unterstützung oder persönliche Themen. Wichtig dabei: Sei empathisch, aber auch klar in deinen Erwartungen. Menschen (und auch Mitarbeitende) wollen manchmal, können aber nicht. Hier hilft die gemeinsame Suche nach dem "warum". Wenn Mitarbeitende zwar könnten, aber nicht wollen, solltest du bei der Motivationsfrage ansetzen. Die ist meist weit schwieriger zu beheben.

When addressing performance issues with a well-liked employee, focus on the behavior, not the person. Have a private, honest conversation where you outline specific areas for improvement, backed by examples. Offer support, such as additional training or mentoring, and set clear, achievable goals. Emphasize that your aim is to help them succeed, reinforcing their value to the team while making it clear that improvement is necessary.

Addressing performance issues with a well-liked employee requires a thoughtful approach: Private Discussion: Have a one-on-one conversation to discuss specific performance concerns without affecting their morale. Empathy and Understanding: Understand any underlying issues that might be affecting their performance. Clear Expectations: Set clear, measurable goals and provide a timeline for improvement. Support and Development: Offer training or mentorship to help them enhance their skills. Regular Check-ins: Monitor progress and provide ongoing feedback and encouragement.

Firstly, you need to understand precisely why they under perform. Understanding the problem in detail will assist you in coming up with an effecting solution efficiently. The problem may rank from them being too lazy/absent minded/unfocused to the tasks being too much for them/low competence. As such, you need to look at how they under perform and that may reveal where the problem is, but you need to directly ask them what the problem seems to be. After identifying the problem the solution needs to be found and implemented. The solution will depend on why they under perform. If for example the tasks a too much, you may assign different ones/train them etc. Focus on why they under perform and that answer will lead you to a solution.