7 Causes of Employee Performance Problems and How to Deal With Them

For most managers, one of their most anxious moments is confronting an employee with performance problems. Yes, it's part of the job, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less nervewracking. If the performance problems persist, termination is often a consideration; but it's possible to turn that problem employee’s performance around. In so doing, you'll create a happier and more engaged member of your staff.

7 Common Causes of Employee Performance Issues

So how does one start turning around a problem employee? The first step is to find out the reason why their performance has slipped. Getting to the source of the problem is critical before you can fix it. Many employee problems fall under a handful of causes. 

1. Don't have a reason to care: As a manager, you must provide constant feedback to your employees and you should expect to get some in return. Carefully explain the employee’s role and how important it is to the organization’s overall health. More importantly, make sure they know how important their duties are to their co-workers and to you. Provide specific examples of their past contributions to make your case. If employees have a sense of ownership, they’ll work with a sense of purpose.
2. Don't know what their job is: If their job description isn't clear, that could explain why they're not doing it. If this is the case, define the job for them as you see it. Take a look at theire job description and see if you can pinpoint any discrepancies; look over it with the employee. Ask them if the definition of the job makes sense, and if not, ask why. This is the point where you solicit their views on how it might be better defined, which increases buy-in. Finally, put it in writing so there won’t be any disagreement about what was said later.
3. Lacking knowledge, tools, or skills: Lacking the time, money, personnel, or supplies is the easier thing to address. Sit down with the employee and have them cover every tool they need for success, and remind them to not be afraid to come to you if there's a problem. If it is not a simple matter of skillset, decide if the employee is miscast in this role. It's good to upskill your employees, but consider if the timing might not be right. Offer the opportunity to get them training, and check-in to monitor their progress.
4. Frustration over obstacles to their work: In a normal office environment, there can be a number of obstacles that crop up at any time. If the employee already feels as though their problems don’t matter to management, they may remain silent about the problem and try to guess the best way to continue. These obstacles can be technological barriers, interpersonal issues, information blocks, accessibility issues and more. It's critical to find out what is blocking the employee from doing their job and figure out what you can do to help.
5. See no reward: Do you praise and reward your employees for good work? There are times when it's easy to lose track of this when things get hectic. However, most employees will eventually slide into a negative pattern if their good work goes unnoticed and unrewarded too long. To counter it, establish creative incentives and publicize good work. Incentives and rewards don’t have to cost much money, if any at all, in order to be effective. Emphasize the value of peer respect for a job well done and give your staff several ways to show appreciation for their co-workers. Often, peer support and respect will alleviate all but the most severe causes of an employee’s unacceptable performance.
6. Expect a reward regardless of performance: Some employees expect a medal just showing up. It should go without saying that managers should never reward mediocre performance, nor should they ignore poor performance. Quickly address an individual’s performance problems, but establish department-wide parameters for performance as well. Help them understand what is worthy of reward, and what isn’t.
7. Illness or other personal issues: Life forces itself into the workplace sometimes. As much as the employee would like to use their work as a distraction, the stress might be too overwhelming. Even your strongest employee has a breaking point. If you find out there are outside forces negatively affecting your employee, remember to be patient, empathetic and, above all, discreet. Contact your HR department for guidance if you're unsure how to handle something, but mostly just remember to talk with them one-on-one and to not tell others more than the employee wants known.

Above all, keep communication lines open. Managers talk about being “kept in the loop,” but then fail to reciprocate. That causes confusion and frustration among the staff. Stick to an open door policy and make a daily effort to talk to your employees. Talk about everything, from the frivolous to the important, and you’ll stay on top of these common causes long before they become problems. Identifying the root cause of the performance problem is key before you can find the right solution.