When a team or individual starts to underperform it's important to establish why this has occurred, as each scenario will need a different approach to resolve issues. Good performance is much more than doing the job required, and specialists in this subject describe four main areas.

Experts note that in order for someone to complete their given tasks, they must have the skills needed to reach the objectives. Secondly the colleague has to be driven to finish assignments to a standard acceptable for the firm they work for. As well as these two factors, the worker requires an understanding of their role, so they know what's required of them. Lastly, the workplace has to be set up in such a way that they can carry out their jobs adequately.

The many faces of poor performance

As there are several different factors that make up performance, there can be many different reasons why workers do not perform at their optimum. For example, where a lack of skills is concerned, there may be clear, obvious signs that an employee is struggling with objectives. Work may be turned in late and be below par, or they may miss deadlines as their lack of confidence in their talents means they overcompensate with time in order to make the most of what they feel is a bad job.

Lack of motivation will present in a similar but different way. A colleague underperforming because they are not driven may also miss important meetings or deadlines, simply because they are not motivated. These situations may differ to the last in that workers could display a lack of anxiety or stress in their poor performance, which may be tricky to manage. Employees who appear more than competent, but who still slip up and make mistakes may have a lack of understanding regarding the scope of their roles.

They could contribute to some parts of a project well, but fail to complete other tasks at all, indicating that clarification is needed. Some employers and employees get so used to the way tasks are carried out at their workplaces they stop seeing how methods could be improved and stick to the status quo. This acceptance may not apply to other colleagues, especially those who have just joined firms and then struggle to finish assignments within time limits and to the correct level of quality.

Where do you go from here?

Although there are several different reasons why a worker is underperforming, some experts suggest taking a similar approach in getting to the source of the problem, whether this results from a lack of skills or problems in the way the workplace is structured. In fact, many managers like to sit down with their staff and establish whether the way the workplace is structured is the major contributor to performance. For example, the colleague concerned may have to attend many meetings with others at a similar time in the week, which could make it challenging to prepare and take part in if they are scheduled closely together.

Extending the employee the relevant minutes or changing dates of group functions could help free up more of their time. Once you've taken this approach, experts suggest you then work out how clear the colleague is about their job description. This tends to occur during the appraisal process, but important parts of their job role may have been overlooked.

Re-establishing responsibilities can prevent colleagues from performing poorly because of a lack of knowledge. The final area of performance to address is the motivation levels of the worker. There can be many reasons why an employee is not driven to succeed in firms.

There could be personal reasons, or professional in that they don't feel challenged by their role. Getting to the bottom of these issues can be tricky but once they are clarified you're able to build a structure to help colleagues progress through the firm.