To all the managers out there, have you ever had that sinking feeling when a usually top-performing employee appears to be having difficulty with their work? Whether it’s personal problems, burnout, or other factors, it’s vital for managers to step in and offer support.
In such cases, prompt action is key. Here are 15 effective tips when assisting your employees in overcoming challenges and returning to their peak performance in the workplace. Let’s get your team back on track and thriving!
1. Take a deep breath
Breathe. This is the first and most essential thing you should do. Just take a breath. When we stop to ground ourselves, we are better able to define what it means for the employee to be “off their game” and choose whether or not this calls for proactive intervention, more investigation, or no action at all.
2. Encourage them to reset and refuel
Everybody experiences moments of being out of control or in a bad mood. Even Kobe Bryant, who embodies the “Mamba mentality”, has his share of down moments. The best course of action is to give the employee time to recharge by letting them press the reset button, which can last for an hour, a day, a week, or any other duration.
To put it briefly, top achievers need to reset in order to recover and resume their work.
3. Hold individual meetings
It would be best for you to speak with the underperforming worker one-on-one. You will then have a better understanding of the circumstances, be able to pinpoint any influencing elements, and come up with a plan to assist the employee in returning to their peak performance.
In this process, being clear when communicating and paying attention are essential.
4. Conduct an honest conversation
You should speak with the employee honestly and transparently. It is your responsibility to inquire about any concerns that they may have and make an effort to empathize with them.
By speaking to the employee, you will be able to comprehend the problems that are keeping the employee from performing at their best.
5. Appreciate, then offer assistance
Talk, ask questions, and understand. Could it be a personal challenge? Is there insufficient assistance or tools? Have they briefly lost sight of the big picture? Does the company have an issue with its culture? Has someone been unkind to them? Do they criticize themselves too harshly? Do they think they’re not valued?
These issues won’t go away quickly. As soon as they start to resolve, continue to stand by them.
6. Take a holistic view of colleagues
It’s simple to assume that a decline in performance is the result of a problem in the company, and occasionally, this is the case. However, you need to communicate with your team as a whole. Professional performance can often be impacted by personal lives. Your goal should be to improve the lives of staff members.
7. Call for a private, informal meeting
Show empathy and arrange a discreet, informal meeting—perhaps over a delicious lunch offsite—to openly inquire about any personal or work-related concerns that might be the reason for the employee’s decline in performance.
In addition to encouraging the employee to talk about genuine problems, this will serve as a subtly sent message to the supervisor that something is wrong and that they are worried. This encourages the employee to get back on track quite a bit.
8. Give them the gift of time
The majority of top-performing workers have a distinct “rhythm”. When something starts to go off course, they need you to intervene, help them figure out what’s wrong, what might have changed, and assist in finding a way to get things back on track.
Understanding that this is new ground for them as their boss and providing them with additional inspiration, support, and encouragement will help them tremendously during this period.
9. Take them out for coffee
As a manager, it’s crucial to take a high-achieving worker out for coffee if you see that they seem to be struggling. You can then evaluate and address any personal or professional challenges they may be having in this casual situation, and then provide support to help them get back on track.
10. Discuss their performance
Talk about how their performance falls short of both the company and personal standards that they have set for themselves. This frequently starts a conversation in which they bring up any problems that might be interfering with performance. Allow the worker to discuss any externalities.
In this manner, you’ll avoid coming across as obtrusive about private matters.
11. Express your commitment to them
Take them to a nice restaurant for lunch. If you don’t inquire about the issue, you won’t be able to assist. This is their opportunity to let you know what can be done if they are not happy with their job. If it’s personal, you can extend your time and offer more assistance. Your best opportunity of getting them to reaffirm their devotion to the business is, in any case, to see your investment in them.
12. Pay attention and offer help
We frequently move so quickly that we overlook the fact that our employees are our most valuable resource. Take it slow and make sure you’re in. Make sure they know you are there to support them as you pay attention to what they have to say. Make sure you give them all the materials they might require. Ensuring that they have what they require to feel supported is crucial, and this requires constant follow-up.
13. Consider how you can be of assistance
Talk to them openly to find out what’s going on and how you can support them. It is advisable to hold this chat somewhere other than the office, like a coffee shop, to avoid making them feel confined to their workspace.
Usually, a personal issue could be the cause. Make sure they know you are available to support them in returning to their high-performing level and that you understand.
14. Determine the cause of the issue
The first thing to do is to have an honest and open discussion with the person in question, as they wouldn’t be acting strangely if there was no major cause for it. Look into the underlying source of the issue and, if you can, assist them in coming up with fixes. If not, at least make an effort to comprehend their circumstances.
Sometimes all we need is support from others to start taking action toward our difficulties’ resolution.
15. Communicate but respect personal space
The secret is to communicate. The manager-subordinate dynamic needs to be strong enough for you to inquire as to what might be going wrong and how best you can assist the employee in getting back into shape.
Personal issues could be at play here as well as business-related ones. While honoring that healthy space, we should also make an effort to understand what could be upsetting them so that we can offer support.
(Tashia Bernardus)