9 Psychology Tips to Motivate Under Performing Employees

Hi all. Found an excellent article that I am sure many will relate to. Hope you get something useful out of this...

An underperforming employee is something every manager or leader will have to face sooner or later, but what’s the best approach?

Some will tell you that poor performance is solely down to a lack of ability or self-discipline. Others will duck the issue and just try to remain ‘friends’ with everyone on the team. As with everything in business the balance lies somewhere in the middle.

Let’s take a look at how you can use the power of psychology to get inside the head of the underperformer and finally figure out what’s making them tick.

1. Outline the basics of good performance

First things first, you need to set out your stall and be clear about what you’re all shooting for. There are more than a few occasions when you’ll have left a meeting thinking everyone is up to speed with what you want, only for the canteen to be full of confusion the moment you leave. To get the best out of everyone you need to redefine what you expect, so here’re three ways you can do it: Create daily, weekly, and monthly targets that are easily quantifiable

Emphasize when someone does a great job, and use it as a case study for the rest of the team to learn from

Come up with a 5-line job description so everyone knows what’s expected of them

2. Talk about how you will assist with training needs

Poor performance can often be a great chance to identify gaps in people’s training. The best way to do this is to first ask the employee in question what they’re currently struggling with. Keep it to an informal chat rather than an all-hands meeting and you’ll find they’re far more likely to open up. Once you’ve taken on board what they have to say, go through their original job description and add in anything else you think they could benefit from.

3. Approach the top performers in your team to lend support

There will be a stark impact on organizational goals when you have a chronic underperformer onboard—proof that a team really is only as strong as the weakest link. To this end, you need to get the stronger members of the team to step up and provide expert input. They’re far more likely to be seen as equals or peers by the employee you’re trying to help, so ask them for assistance in a way that won’t come across as patronizing or overbearing.

Looks like really useful info, eh? Just click HERE to find out more! If you’d like to share perspectives or discuss how it relates to your business, email me at [email protected]