Poor performance can become a very emotional issue. An employee may be experiencing impossible strain, there may be health issues or family issues, and they are struggling to keep head above water.
For us, it is about the job; for them it is about their life and their self-esteem – and it is not their fault.
In this second article on managing performance, we consider three things we can do to balance our focus on the job with compassion for the person. (See ‘Struggling with poor performance: Keep it simple‘ for the first article)
It is all about trust. The greater the trust, the easier it is to have difficult conversations. With trust, we sense we are on the same side, dealing with a problem. Without trust, employees feel they are on their own and we are out to get them, so they start fighting back.
Be interested
The more interest we show in our employees when things are going well, the more they will trust us enough to discuss issues when they arise.
Fully human
An employee’s skill and experience are only the minimum requirements for the job. It is their passion, their excitement about our vision, their willing engagement that will make our organisations fly. We need their whole being on our side – physical, mental and emotional. Productivity will improve if we treat employees as human beings and engage with them as such.
Recognise their greater role
Employees are much more than mere production units. They are repositories of organisational memory, they are a source of encouragement to others who may be struggling, they are the interface with our customers and suppliers and keep those relationships running smoothly. And they are the ones who must understand and implement our plans and make our business thrive.
Helping them fix what might be going wrong, accommodating them when they are struggling (even if it means adjustments and some inconvenience) is good for every aspect of our organisation.
Let Simply Communicate help your team manage performance effectively through consultation and in-house training.
Contact Ian Webster today: Click here
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