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Underperforming employees can cause a ripple effect throughout your organization. An employee that does not meet performance expectations can engender feelings of resentment from co-workers who are then required to pick up the slack in order to compensate for their colleague's shortcomings. They may also indirectly encourage co-workers to lower their own performance bar.

At the very least, they will create a disruption to your company's team spirit, which can significantly impact overall workplace production. Employees who don't care cause friction and lower office morale. With the current labor shortage situation, it's important for companies to get the most out of their work force. But how can you inspire underperforming employees to care about their role, improve their productivity and attain their full potential?

Learn to recognize underperformance.

There are several behavioral aspects that may indicate an employee is underperforming:

• Is the employee failing to comply with deadlines, complete tasks, or meet expectations?
• Does the employee seem disinterested in their role?
• Does the employee interact or socialize with their colleagues?
• Is the employee engaging in behavior that disrupts co-workers?
• Does the employee display a negative attitude about the work or the workplace?
• Is the employee chronically late for work? Do they often call in sick?
• Does the employee spend a lot of time on their phone? Do they take long breaks?

If you have noticed an employee displaying one or more of these behaviors, it is time to do an immediate assessment of their performance record for the past few months. This will help to pinpoint if the behaviors developed over time or if they have always been there. Something may have changed in the employee's work or homelife situation that has caused a shift in their focus. You can work to address this by discussing the situation with them and jointly developing potential solutions.

Discover the reason(s) behind the underperformance.

An employee may fail to meet expectations for a variety of reasons.

• Work stress. The role they have been placed into may prove to be more stressful than they anticipated, which is affecting the employee's ability to focus on the task at hand. Is there a high level tension with supervisors or other employees? Are there too many unattainable deadlines to meet? Are the employee's skills and experience insufficient to allow them to meet their expected level of performance?
• Workplace environment. Is the physical work space detracting from the employee's ability to perform? Does their work station provide sufficient light? Is there a source of noise or other distraction close by (such as co-workers who talk a lot)? Do they have access to all of the tools and resources they need to do their job properly?
• Inadequate training. There is no other single factor that will prepare an employee for their position than proper and complete training. If the employer fails to provide this at the outset, they are grooming the employee for failure.
• Lack of job satisfaction. The employee may have discovered that the job - and the company culture - is not what they expected. This leads to low morale and a lack of motivation to make an effort.
• No oppportunity for upward mobility. If there are no opportunities for career development, the employee may see the job as a dead-end situation. This again leads to a lack of motivation.
• Home life stress. There may be underlying personal issues that are affecting the employee's physical, mental and emotional well-being. These can range from marital problems to illness, substance abuse to financial worries.

Do the groundwork and prepare to meet with the employee.

• Talk to the employee's supervisor, department head, and other persons who have noted incidents of underperformance.
• Document each incident with respect to the employee's failure to meet expectations, including failure to abide by company policies, standards and codes of conduct.
• Schedule a private meeting to address the situation and try to discover what's behind the underperformance.
• Don't be confrontational and don't assume you know the reasons. You need to ask the right questions to get to the bottom of the problem.
• Start the meeting by reviewing the specific incidents of underperformance and explaining how it affects other workers and the company.

Work together to solve the problem.

• Discuss the issues with the employee and brainstorm ways that they can improve their performance. Provide them with clear benchmarks and be open about discussing current issues and obstacles.
• Set a reasonable date for changes to occur and for the two of you to meet again to reevaluate the situation.
• Sometimes a little break for reflection and a reminder of your support is all an employee needs to free themselves from prior restraints and make the improvements they had in them all along.
• Remember that not every person is going to be the right fit for your team.

Evaluate employees on an ongoing basis.

Employers need to continually monitor and evaluate the performance of all employees, regardless of how long they have been in the workplace. Daily tasks can easily become routine and bad habits can become engrained. Regularly remind your employees of the individual benchmarks they should be reaching within their positions. Be clear about what your expectations are.

Recognize an employee's progress.

Every improvement in the employee's performance level should be recognized and appreciated in a tangle way. Praise them for the progress they've made and make them aware of the positive impact that progress has had on the team. This will inspire them to continue to make improvements.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Every business, no matter the size, should conduct employee performance reviews at least once a year. This process gives employers a chance to let employees know that they are valued and that their efforts are appreciated, and it also affords an opportunity to address any areas that may need improvement.

Imagine this scenario: You have been offered a position that is a dream job, right in your chosen field with excellent compensation and benefits, maybe some stock options. You and your future employer have agreed to sign an Employment Agreement as a precondition. Don't panic! Keep calm and read on.

An employment contract is the business equivalent of a prenuptial agreement and just about as uncomfortable to ask for. How will you know what items should be included in the contract, or if some important element is missing? All of this can be very anxiety-making.

Of course the wisest course of action would be to review it with a lawyer. But if you decide to go it alone, here are some basic guidelines as to what you should look for in the agreement.

NEEDS: Provisions That Absolutely Should Be Part of Your Employment Contract

1. Parties. The parties (both employer and employee) must be clearly and correctly identified by name.
2. Nature of the Relationship. Is the relationship between the parties described as being an employment relationship, i.e. that of an employer and employee? If not, you could be designated as an independent contractor and that would make you responsible for paying your own payroll taxes, worker's compensation and other required remittances.
3. Job Description. The agreement should clearly define the position and the duties and responsibilities that you will be expected to take on.
4. Scope of Position. The agreement must set out whether the position is full time or part time, permanent or temporary.
5. Start Date. The start date for the position should be stated and if the employment period is for a fixed period of time, the end date should also be stated.
6. Compensation. The starting salary and all other compensation must be clearly stated: base salary, any commissions, bonuses and other remuneration - how much (fixed amounts or percentages) for each type of compensation, and the pay periods for each.
7. Benefits. What type of benefits will you be eligible for? When do they kick in and what is the accrual? Are the benefits taxable?
8. Time Off. The agreement must be clear on vacation time and holidays. It should address how and when you will be compensated for holidays that you worked and for vacation time that you accrued but did not take.
9. Termination of Employment. What are the provisions for termination? During and after probation, minimum / maximum notice by the employer with and without cause; minimum / maximum notice by employee; what would constitute just cause for dismissal.
10. Offer and Acceptance. Lastly, the agreement must state that the employer offers you employment on those terms, and must include a statement that by signing the agreement, you accept employment on those terms.

WANTS: Additional Provisions That May be Negotiating Points

The list below contains just some of the types of additional provisions that may be included in the Employment Agreement. Some of these may actually be required by law in your area. Check the current labor laws to find out which of these provisions are statutory and would therefore apply to you.

1. Performance standards that the employee must meet.
2. Qualifications required for advancement, bonuses or other extra compensation.
3. The reporting relationship - to whom do you report, and how often or under what circumstances?
4. Limits on the employee's authority (e.g. purchasing, order approvals, etc).
5. Performance reviews - how often are they conducted, what is the procedure?
6. Travel and vehicle allowances, reimbursement for other expenses.
7. Moving expenses if the employee has to relocate for the job.
8. Is there a probation period? If so, how long is it, what are the expectations, and what are the consequences for not meeting expectations?
9. Salary increases - how often, how much, what factors determine the amount?
10. Sick days, personal days, maternity leave, bereavement leave.
11. Provisions for disability or long-term illness.
12. Confidentiality, non-solicitation of customers, suppliers and other staff, non-competition provisions.
13. Ownership of inventions or innovations made by the employee during the employment period.
14. Severance pay.

Keep in mind that while items like the company's stock options plan or medical benefits package should be described in the Employment Agreement, it is unlikely that these issues would be negotiable. Your best advice is to review the Employment Agreement with a lawyer. He/She will be able to tell you if it's in our best interests to sign it as is or if there's anything extra that you should be asking for. You can also have your lawyer negotiate those extras with the employer.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Listening is often more effective than talking for establishing rapport with employees. A good manager must also be a good listener. When an employer listens to employees and demonstrates that they have heard and understood an employee's concerns, the employee feels more at ease and less anxious about the interview.

Developing good listening skills can be a major challenge, but there are some guidelines you can follow to hone your skills and learn to really hear what your staff are saying.

The "art of listening" can be broken down into three main skill types, all of which are equally important:

• Selective Listening, which means hearing everything that is said but screening out all but the key points that are pertinent to the issue at hand, and reacting to them.

• Responsive Listening, which involves verbal and non-verbal acknowledgment (such as nodding) that what is being transmitted is, in fact, being received by the listener in non-judgmental fashion.

• Empathetic Listening, which involves communicating that you have internalized what has been said and that the message transmitted by the speaker is one now shared with the listener.

Your level of involvement in a conversation will greatly influence what the speaker chooses to say and to what extent they decide to open up to you. The more they feel they are being heard, the more likely they are to tell you what it is they really want to say.

There are several rules to follow if you want to learn to listen effectively:

1. Envision your mind as a clean slate.
2. Listen sincerely and earnestly.
3. Listen "naively", without prejudice.
4. Listen empathetically.
5. Keep your ego in check.

17 Ways to Improve Your Listening Skills

1. Shut up and listen. This is the #1 most important guideline. It's impossible to talk and listen simultaneously. When you are engaged in listening, let the speaker have the floor.

2. Show genuine interest. While listening, you should convey a lively curiosity and concern to the speaker. This listening style will encourage the employee to speak freely. The open dialogue that follows should allow you to learn about their career aspirations, fears and doubts.

3. Focus on the speaker. Are you giving your full attention to the person speaking or is your mind wandering? Concentrate. Shut out background noise and distractions. Ensure that the meeting spot is relatively soundproof and that other people in the workplace cannot overhear what is being said.

4. Empathize with the Employee. Each employee has problems, needs and concerns that they consider vital and personal. Put yourself in their shoes and try to see the workplace environment as they see it.

5. Make sure you understand. If you feel you don't fully understand something or feel you may have missed a point that the speaker was making, ask for clarification now before it catches you up later.

6. Hold your fire. Plan your response only after you are certain you have a complete picture of the employee's point of view. Don't jump to conclusions. A pause by the speaker – even a long pause – doesn't always mean that they have finished. Rather, it can signify a regrouping of thoughts in the person's mind before they carry on.

7. Watch the speaker's body language. Be attentive to the person's physical motions and gestures. Actions can impart as much information as words, and often are a better indicator of the speaker's frame of mind.

8. Listen for concepts, not just for words. Take a mental step back and try to visualize the larger picture instead of just picking up on isolated words and phrases in the person's dialogue.

9. Interject on occasion. An occasional "Yes, I see," or "I wasn't aware of that" shows the employee that you're tuned into their message. But don't overdo it, or you could come off sounding patronizing.

10. Block out your own concerns. Personal fears, worries, and problems of the listener can make focusing on the speaker's message difficult. It's not easy, but it is essential to check your personal concerns at the door.

11. Prepare in advance. Remarks and questions prepared in advance will free your mind to listen. Before the interview, write up a checklist of items you would like to discuss with the employee.

12. React to ideas, not to the person. Don't allow personal quirks and mannerisms of the speaker distract you from the content of their conversation. Focus on the issues at hand and try to overcome any emotional attitudes or prejudices you have.This can be difficult if the person is someone who often makes complaints about co-workers, is habitually absent from work or displays other characteristics that may make them difficult to work with. Those traits may be a symptom of work-related fears which your discussion may help to uncover and alleviate.

13. Don't anticipate the outcome. Avoid mentally jumping ahead of the speaker, anticipating where the conversation is going. Instead, sit back and let the speaker steer the discussion.

14. Take notes. Make notes of the important points of the conversation so you can refer back to them later.

15. Ask questions. Monitor your own attentiveness by asking questions to confirm that you have understood the employee's points. Asking questions will help you to distinguish valid concerns from internal fears and anxieties.

16. Listen to others as you would like to be listened to.

17. Ask others to rate your listening skills. Practice on a spouse or family member.

_{Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay}

Building a business is hard work, and building a successful business is even harder. It takes commitment, nerves of steel and a dedicated team. Every SMB owner can point to one or more employees who have gone the extra mile for the good of the business. These people are the backbone of your team, and their efforts, dedication and loyalty should be rewarded with something more than an extra couple hundred bucks in the Christmas card.

Nothing inspires dedication, hard work and above-and-beyond effort than ownership of the company. When your future is tied to the future of the business, you do tend to feel a bit anxious over the bottom line.

We've all had one - an employee who just can't seem to get to work on time. Whatever the reason, chronic lateness attracts the attention of everyone in the workplace and affects productivity. That's why a tardiness policy is so important.