How to Discuss Performance Issues With an Employee

When an employee's performance is not living up to your expectations you have to straighten the issue out as quickly as possible. The longer you wait to resolve the issue, the more customers and profit the company can lose. On the other hand, telling an employee that their performance is sub-par can be uncomfortable for many managers, supervisors and business owners, especially when they must also include a stern warning about the fragility of the employee's future with the company.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Make your case. Before you meet with the employee, go through his work history with the company and pick out certain instances that you would like to highlight. This will help the employee understand what kind of actions are good for the company and what kind are bad for the company.
2. Point out the good things that the employee has done or accomplished. It is just as important to let an employee know what she is doing right, as it is to let her know what she is doing wrong. Giving both positive and negative feedback will help the employee understand that you are not just coming down on her all of the time, but that you are trying to help her improve her performance.
3. Show the employee how he could have handled the negative situations better and in a more productive manner that does not hurt the company. The employee just simply may not know what other options are available in a tough situation and may only be resorting to what he knows. If you teach him, he will know better next time.