Companies are increasingly becoming less tolerant towards underperformers. Leaders should take regular corrective measures on them as right mentoring can help in turning them around, says Mahima Puri
1 Give Regular Feedback “Give the employee constant and constructive feedback on his performance. However, this should be done in a non-threatening manner, says P Dwarakanath, director-group human capital, Max India. “Give the employee constant feedback on what he has done well and which areas need to be improved,” he adds.
2 Guide and Counsel “Managers should be patient when dealing with underperformers as the factors affecting their performance could be varied, says Divakar Kaza, president-HR, Lupin. Dwarakanath adds: "It is important for a team leader to tell the employee how he can improve upon things. Doing a bit of hand holding and mentoring is crucial."
3 Train to Enhance Skills An underperformer may lack certain skill sets for the job, and the organisation could look at job rotation and upgrading the skills of the employee. It could also look at giving the employee a lighter task if he feels pressurised in his current role.
4 Set Time-frame Once the manger has identified the issue and has provided coaching and mentoring, the employee should be given a time-frame to improve his performance. The time-frame can vary from company to company, but 3-6 months is considered a preferable time period.
5 Prepare Exit Strategy If nothing seems to yield results despite the coaching, and mentoring, then the employee will have to be asked to leave. "To avoid a sudden lay-off, managers should become more firm with regards to communicating the feedback," says Rajendra Ghag, HR head at HDFC Life. Their language should change to 'we cannot go on trying endlessly, we have to get results for our business’, he adds. At HDFC Life, underperformers are given the required hints a couple of months before their exit, which gives them time to look around.
(The Economic Times, Mumbai, 29-06-2012)
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