DOs and DON'Ts For Managing Underperformers

An underperforming employee can stir up emotions that can have you feeling frustrated, disappointed and even angry.

Before addressing your underperformer, do both of you a favor, and neutralize your negative emotions.

Then use this checklist to ensure you are prepared before having a conversation:

Do:

- Get off the fence. If you're on it, you likely have an underperformer but hesitant to address the issues

- Consider the negative impact an underperformer has on the entire team/department

- Begin to collect hard evidence to support your conversation

- Set a timeline for improvement

- Acknowledge your underperformer may not even know there's a problem

- Act quickly

- Avoid letting your discomfort with conflict stop you from possibly saving a good employee and your reputation

DON'T:

- Make excuses for your underperformer

- Make excuses for your own lack of action

- Ignore red flags (that's why they are red, you can't miss them and everyone else is seeing them)

- Discount others complaints about your underperformer

- Justify underperformers behavior when they are an occasional top performer

- Blame your workload for not taking action, that's lame and won't hold up.

You've got this!