Who is responsible for managing underperformance?

Under-performance should be addressed by an employee’s direct line manager. Although a challenging and often uncomfortable process for both parties, under-performance needs to be addressed promptly and cannot be left until the formal performance appraisal process.

Possible negative effects of failing to address performance quickly include:

• Underperforming employees mistakenly believing their performance is satisfactory without feedback to the contrary;
• Underperformance may continue to decline which can infect the behaviour of others in the workplace; and
• Employees who are performing comparatively well finding the lack of management action as demotivating; leading to a lack of moral, respect for their manager and disengagement.

In order to handle situations of under-performance, line managers need clear procedures to follow, support from their organisation and training in how to manage these sorts of situations.