Managing low performers

Summarizing some proposals, on how to deal with low performers, it is an evidence that the problem must be tackled bluntly, face to face.

No reason for changing the company to create a position for the low performer, or waste time and money in training, while there is not a deep insight in the situation

Having honest performance appraisal meetings ( at least yearly ), would be a structural method to avoid surprises.

As is has been criticed by Jack Welch, a manager can’t tell to an employee that he’s not performing as expected, after twenty years of service, when he has never received a single complaint, so he has defined himself the standard of quality accordingly to his daily performance

How should look the meeting ?:

- I’m not satisfied with your performance and we will try, together, to fix it.
- Can you describe your job?
- Do you have what you need for your job?
- Are you adequately trained?
- Is something at work preventing from doing a good job?
- Get commitment to improve
- Set short evaluation periods
- Check if low performer is moving up, or take the option of dismissal


Some sources:

http://www.mrcpa.org/pdf/606k.pdf
http://smartlemming.com/2009/06/low-performers-both-sides-of-the-coin-being-one-and-managing-one/
http://leanjourneytruenorth.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-deal-with-low-performers.html
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_80.htm