4 Questions To Ask UNDERPERFORMING Employees

The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a drastic change in the way businesses operate, shifting away from the traditional office environment to the majority of employees working from home if they’re able. Now more than ever, it is vital for organisations to regularly check in with their employees, as well as keep a close eye on their day-to-day performance. A dip in performance could indicate deeper underlying issues such as deteriorating mental health, burnout, or a lack of understanding of what is expected of them in their role. 

Approaching employees that are underperforming can be a tricky task, especially during a time in which all communication is online or over the phone. It’s also important to be empathetic when approaching these employees, keep in mind the hardships they could be experiencing during this tough time. 

In order to help your employees improve their performance, you first need to identify which part of their role they’re struggling with the most. So, here are 4 questions that you can ask underperforming employees in order to help them improve their performance when working from home. 

#1. What Do You Most Enjoy About Your Work?

If an employee is underperforming, it may be because they’re struggling to enjoy the work they’re doing on a day-to-day basis which can negatively impact productivity and therefore their performance.  Try having them write down a list of 5 things they most ENJOY about their work. This will help them to focus on the positive aspects of their job and will hopefully increase their motivation and overall productivity. 

#2. Do You Have The Resources You Need To Get Your Work Done?

As managers and supervisors, one of our main priorities is to serve our team, making sure that our team members have the necessary equipment, knowledge and time in order to complete their work. If a team member doesn’t possess any one of these essential resources, it’s going to be difficult for them to perform at the level that is expected of them. This question will help identify if any of these resources are yet to be provided to the team member and allow you as the manager to provide them with the necessary tools they need to succeed. 

#3. Do You Feel Like You're Being Set Up To Fail?

This question is particularly empowering for your team members as it gives them the opportunity to open up and have an honest conversation with you about how they’re feeling in their role and whether they feel like they’re being disadvantaged in any way, shape or form. It also provides you with an insight into problems within your organisation that could be negatively impacting the performance of other team members. 

#4. How Can I Make Our Expectations Of You Clearer?

It is absolutely essential that every team member fully understands what is expected of them in their role. If they don’t, this could be the reason why they aren’t performing up to standard. An effective way to ensure they fully understand their role is to ask them to recite what they think is expected of them to you. This will ensure that everybody is on the same page and reveal whether or not they know what is expected of them in their role. 

My advice to you is to avoid asking your team members these questions in a group setting. Instead, conduct private, one-on-one meetings with them to ensure you can respectfully identify the reason behind their drop in performance and come up with a practical solution for them to improve that performance and set them up for success. 

Keep learning, 

Kobi Simmat.