Reply to Poor Employee Performance Discussion 2

Reply to Poor Employee Performance Discussion 2

Q – Please read the discussion below and prepare a Reply to this discussion with comments that further and advance the discussion topic.

Please provide the references you used.

Discussion

Poor Employee Performance

Performance management involves two crucial aspects: an employee’s conduct and achievements and the consequences that stem from those actions. These actions and results are considered “performance” and possess two distinct characteristics. Firstly, they are evaluative, indicating that their impact on personal and organizational efficiency can be harmful, neutral, or positive. Essentially, their value is determined by how much they help achieve individual, team, and corporate goals. Evaluating an employee’s performance involves considering numerous factors and one effective method is using a competency scale with varying proficiency levels. Several elements can affect an individual’s ability to succeed, such as context, knowledge, skills, and personal traits and capabilities, such as cognitive abilities, steady motivation, and physical attributes. Job-related attitudes, adaptable motivation, and knowledge and skills are crucial factors. There are two types of knowledge and skills: declarative, which is information about task requirements, and procedural, which is knowing how to perform a task. When discussing performance management systems, it’s essential to consider the surrounding circumstances, including organizational culture, national culture, HR policies and procedures, leadership, concerns about timing and scheduling, and the resources employees have access to perform their jobs effectively. Furthermore, performance management systems generally measure outcomes or results that are believed to be directly linked to employee actions (Aguinis, 2023).

In my capacity as a former leader, I had the opportunity to observe an employee who was acting out towards his supervisor. Specifically, the employee raised their voice, disregarded instructions, and failed to provide feedback. As a result, I took several steps to address the matter. Firstly, I gathered all relevant information from various sources, including emails, feedback from the supervisor, and input from trusted team members both within and outside of my department. This approach ensured that I was fully prepared for the meeting with the employee. During our meeting, I provided honest feedback on what I had observed. I elucidated how the employee’s conduct would impact the individual, the supervisor, the work environment, and the organization. I also afforded the employee the opportunity to share his feedback and learned that he believed the supervisor was targeting them personally. However, I provided evidence to refute that claim. Together, we established a performance improvement plan encompassing a range of actions, such as anger management and training on understanding different perspectives. Besides, activities were intended to help the employee better comprehend how to lead and cope with work-related challenges. We agreed upon review meetings and criteria for measuring progress, including key performance indicators on providing updates, supervisor and colleague feedback, and observations. As a result, the employee’s conduct and overall performance improved significantly, which is a testament to the efficacy of the performance improvement plan.

In conclusion, enhancing employee performance requires both their willingness to improve and understanding gaps from the manager’s perspective. By addressing both, poor performance can be treated effectively.

References

Aguinis, H. (2023). Performance management (5th ed.). Chicago Business Press. ISBN: 978-1-948426-48-0