Talking to Underperforming Employees Doesn’t Have to Be Tense

The usual methods for holding people accountable still apply: Before you decide that someone is underperforming, ask yourself if the employee has been given clear, mutually agreed-upon goals and has received frequent and specific feedback. “You should be having a variety of conversations about how the employee is doing and how they’re feeling about their work before you ever come to the point of having a conversation about their performance,” says Liz Kislik, a management consultant and executive coach.

Managers should know if employees are experiencing any special challenges in their family or work life during this time. Even two people who appear to be in the same situation—say, both have young kids stuck at home—likely face different concerns that could contribute to varying levels of work performance. So don’t compare employees to each other, but rather to their own personal best, Kislik says: “Everybody has a different set of circumstances. You’re trying to figure out how to get the best from everyone.”

If someone’s work has taken a recent nosedive, the first step is to find out what’s changed. “Ask supportive questions that are not necessarily couched as performance coaching,” Kislik advises. Open-ended, sympathetic queries might reveal an obvious reason why your employee is suddenly struggling. Remember, it’s often difficult for workers to talk about performance problems with their boss. “There’s an inherent antagonism,” Kislik says. We exchange our labor for cash, and to say to the person who gives you that cash, “I can only give you 30% right now,” she adds, can be tough.

A conversational, humane approach is more likely to foster a helpful dialogue and forestall defensiveness. The more facts you can get, the more you can think about whether your struggling employee needs empathy, a pep talk, or a formal rearrangement of responsibilities. Can some deadlines be moved? Projects prioritized? Processes pared down?

If the person continues to struggle even with additional support, share your impressions of the situation. Kislik suggests saying something like, “I want to tell you the things I’ve been seeing, and then I want you to tell me all about it from your perspective.” Keep the focus on the facts and the effect on the business—missed deadlines and their impact on clients, for example—not judgments or assumptions. Ask if the employee agrees with your characterization, and how things should be going forward.

Kislik cautions against videoconferencing apps such as Zoom for tough conversations. She suggests a phone call. Video can be great for team meetings and presentations, but in performance discussions “it gets in the way,” she says. “You don’t know where to look.” If you look into the camera, you give the impression that you’re listening intently—but in fact, that means you’re actually not looking at the other person’s face, meaning you’ll miss nonverbal cues. And energy expended miming active listening behaviors—nodding, furrowing your brow—could be better spent listening or taking notes. “You hear what’s going on in a different way,” Kislik says.

The phone also makes it easier for employees to find privacy in crowded living situations. You can lock yourself in the bathroom if you need to, rather than trying to find a quiet and professional-looking corner. “If it’s the phone, I can literally sit on the edge of the tub and have more privacy,” Kislik says, “so I’m calmer and can have a better conversation.”

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