In our prior blog series on managing mediocre employees, we address the middle of the road employee and suggest that managers take action to increase employee performance. Unfortunately, that may mean dealing with employees who need to change behavior and work product. So, every manager needs to understand how to get employee performance back on track and the role that the performance improvement plan, often referred to as a PIP plan, plays.

So what can you do to help those less than stellar employees reach a level where they want to give more to the company? Sit down with the employee and work with them to develop an employee plan of action to set them back on the right path. This is not an enviable task, but it will pay dividends in the form of employees who are giving more to the company or to clearly determine when it is time to part ways.

The Elephant in the Room

The first thing you will need to do is to determine the root cause of the employee’s problems. It could be something as trivial as boredom, which is relatively easy to fix, or it could be more complex and require an in-depth employee plan of action to get them back on track. Hopefully, the employee is not having personal problems that are drifting into their work life, but that is always a possibility. By talking with the employee, you will be able to determine what it is that is causing them to not give their all to the job each day. It is important to work with the employee, do not simply launch an investigation by talking to other people. Talking with other employees or customers will give insight, but due to confidentiality and labor law difficulties, this is not the preferred method to undertake.

Creating a PIP Plan

Once you and the employee have determined what is going on that is causing the employee’s work-life to stagnate, you need to take some time to put together an employee plan of action. This is where your leadership skills need to shine. Unless you are an HR professional you should consult with someone in HR as to the legalities that need to be followed and formatting the information contained. However, loosely, you will design the plan with the input from the employee and will specifically list the steps necessary to achieve success.

Desired Outcome

You want all of your employees to give as much as they can to their job, and by working to develop the employee plan of action, you will allow them the chance to. If the plan of action does not include goals that are attainable and can be monitored, you will not see success.  Make each step manageable so that the employee is not overwhelmed and discouraged.

Silicon Valley is filled with talented, skilled, motivated workers. Don’t allow poor performers to affect your company’s bottom line. Help them to be happy, contributing members of the team or part ways.

If you find that you have a vacancy to fill, contact Menlo Partners today.