Managing Poor Performance: Top Tips for Managers in Leading the Self, Others and with Context

Effectively addressing poor performance in the workplace is essential for organisational leadership, as it directly impacts efficiency, productivity, and employee development. When an employee fails to meet expectations, it not only affects team confidence but also undermines overall organisational success. Hence, effective management of poor performance is essential for maintaining a healthy work environment and achieving business goals. A variety of causes involved in poor performance in the workplace such as lack of knowledge or awareness, lack of skill or ability, lack of motivation and lack of resources, obstacles and personal issues (Marr, 2024; MTCT, 2024; The Peak performance centre, 2024).

Managers need to explore the root causes of poor performance before taking steps to address it. This understanding can help in developing effective strategies to support employees in improving their performance (Marr, 2024).

This paper explores a common case scenario of an underperformer, the reflective observations of the team in managing this person and Top Tips for managers supporting underperformers in the workplace.