If you've ever had an employee who seems disengaged, unmotivated, or simply not hitting their targets, you're not alone. Every manager encounters performance challenges at some point but the real question is: what can you do about it?
Instead of jumping to conclusions, it’s important to understand that underperformance can stem from a variety of factors. Luckily, McQuaig’s talent solutions are designed to address these challenges. Whether it’s due to a poor job fit, a mismatch in expectations, or even personal development gaps, McQuaig can help you find the root cause of underperformance—and the solution to get everyone back on track.
What is underperformance?
When we say “underperforming” we don’t mean those employees who have the occasional hiccup on the job. After all, everyone makes mistakes. But when these mistakes become chronic the impact can be felt both in terms of productivity but also team morale. Not to mention if left unchecked, that poor performance can rub off on others and effect the business’ reputation and goals. Signs of underperformance can include (but aren’t limited to):
- Failure to turn in work on time or to standard
- Being late or missing work without notice
- Disruptive behaviour
- Endless excuses for poor work
- Being overwhelmed by instructions or tasks
- Not asking for help when needed or asking for too much help for simple jobs
Once you notice this behaviours happening, you’ll have to decide how to address it. Turnover is not always the answer. Instead, think about how your employee is positioned on the team and if there is training or support you can put in place to turn things around.
Here’s where McQuaig comes in
You’ve probably used McQuaig tools to help you hire and recruit but did you know they can help improve your management style and team dynamics? Let’s review a few common causes of underperformance and how McQuaig can offer some support.
1. Identify role misalignment
Maybe your employee is underperforming because they aren’t suited to the job they’ve been assigned to. One way to identify this is to turn to the McQuaig Job Survey, which hopefully you used when you were hiring. The Job Survey allows you to build a benchmark of what a successful candidate looks like for a given position. Once you’ve gained consensus on what traits and skills an employee should have, you can use that ideal profile to match how well candidates, or in this case your underperformer, align to the benchmark.
If you find there is a misalignment, this can cue you to look more deeply into the employee’s strengths and gaps to see what they need to learn or work on to move closer to the ideal profile. Employee development, training, and coaching can all help close the misalignment gap without needing to remove the employee from the role.
Read more: Check out these reasons why you should invest in employee development
2. Personalize development plans
If you find there are some areas an underperformer could improve on to be better at their role, then it’s time to make a plan. How can the employee grow their skills? That’s where a development plan can come into play. The McQuaig Self-Development Survey empowers employees to take charge of their own growth. The results of the assessment will highlight an employee’s strengths, gaps, motivations, work style, management preferences and more so that you can build a plan together to get the employee up to standard. Better still, the assessment allows you to create a personalized development plan that is aligned with your employee’s goals and the company’s needs. As a bonus, this approach encourages a culture of continuous learning, keeping employees engaged and motivated.
3. Staying on top of team dynamics
What about the possibility that the underperformer has the skills to do well, they just aren’t. Well then it’s time to take a look at their working environment. Are there factors at play impacting motivation and performance? Because if one employee feels the team environment is off, others might as well.
That’s why it’s important to consider team dynamics. What is the culture of the team? Is the underperformer feeling isolated, is the culture too competitive, is the workload too daunting? All of these factors can derail a great employee.
McQuaig’s newest tool, TeamSync, can help you gain a better view into the different personalities on your team and how they can best integrate together. TeamSync provides actionable insights into individual strengths and team interactions, fostering a collaborative and productive work environment. By understanding and leveraging the unique qualities of each team member, TeamSync helps build cohesive, high-performing teams. You can use the tool to compare teammates to find the best pairings for group work, review benchmark alignment to identify areas for support, access tailored coaching advice, and see how the whole team aligns together to identify potential sources of conflict.
Improving the team culture can reengage low performers while creating a more positive space for other teammates as well. Win win, we say.
Read more: How can you generate higher employee engagement
4. Investigate management style
You've probably heard the old dating adage, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Well, sometimes that’s true in the working world too. Underperformance might not have to do with individual factors or the team environment, it might come down to management. We all know management style can have an incredible impact on team motivation and productivity. If employees are underperforming, it’s worth considering if you are helping or hindering your team with your leadership approach.
But how can you tell if you’re a good leader or not? For obvious reasons, team members can be hesitant to give honest feedback when asked. After all, they won’t want to say anything that can make their work lives harder. That’s where a 360 tool like the McQuaig 360 Leadership Review can come in handy. The 360 Leadership Review collects anonymous feedback from teammates, peers, management, and any other stakeholder you choose to include. The insights are compiled into recommendations of what a manager should do more or less of. This is a good way of getting an honest view of what your team thinks of your leadership style and what you can do to improve. If you find you’re having a larger negative impact on performance than you knew about, the assessment’s recommendations can help you get back on track to lead your team effectively.
Underperformance doesn’t have to be the end of the story
Next time you spot an underperformer on your team, don’t panic. There are strategies to try that can help turn the tide around without showing the employee the door. By leveraging McQuaig tools to help you identify gaps, leverage strengths, create development plans, improve team dynamics and dial up your management skills you can help your employees work to their full potential.
Underperformance isn’t the end of the road. With McQuaig in your corner, you have the tools to help your employees, and your company, thrive.