In general, there are two kinds of problems a manager has to handle with staff: poor performance, which results when an employee does not or cannot perform the job properly, and personal problems, which often interfere with collaboration among employees or affect an employee's motivation. If you find that an employee is not working as effectively or productively as you had anticipated, find out why and correct the situation. Poor job performance may occur because an employee:

• Doesn't fully understand the duties of the position or how to carry out the assigned tasks;
• Is not properly trained for the position;
• Has a personality conflict with a colleague which is interfering with the work;
• Is bored by the work or lacks motivation;
• Feels she or he is not being properly or adequately supervised;
• Is unable to adjust to the local environment.

If, after collecting information on the current situation, the solution is not immediately obvious, begin trying different approaches to see if any of them improves the employee's performance. For example, if an employee has been working independently, try providing closer supervision and see whether the employee's performance improves. If an employee's job involves repetitious tasks, you might consider providing her or him with a new challenge.

To understand the job performance problems of one or more employees, you must look at a variety of factors, including the employee's employment history, training, transfers, performance, and qualifications. You may also wish to consider the employee's work interest, attitudes, and ambitions. Keep in mind that the employee's performance problem may not be due to an inability to do the work, but rather to personal problems, such as financial, family, or health problems.

Find out whether the employee has been adequately supervised.

• Does the employee fully understand what is expected of her or him? How do you know?
• Has the employee received proper guidance when performing her or his work?
• Has good performance been recognized? When? How?
• Has the employee received constructive help to correct a bad job? When? What was the result?
• Has the employee had the opportunity to advance in her or his work? Has she or he had the opportunity to assume new responsibilities? What was the result?
• Has the employee been encouraged to improve? In what way? What did she or he do?
• Are the employee's work conditions satisfactory? What are they?

In answering these questions, the negative responses will indicate where improvements in supervision may be able to solve the problem.

Determine the nature of the employee's problem.

• Has the employee adequately carried out her or his duties?
• Does the employee have a negative attitude?
• Is the employee's work deficient?
• What would the situation be like if everything were running smoothly? What will prove that the problem has been solved?

If the poor work performance seems to be a result of the employee's not fully understanding her or his duties, as the supervisor you should immediately take the following steps:

Compare the employee's performance objectives and job description with her or his work performance. Review any previous disciplinary action that may have been taken against this employee. Look at the nature of the problem and what the organization's rules and procedures are.

Try to determine the reasons for this gap between objectives and results before interviewing the employee by looking at:

• The employee's personal circumstances;
• The employee's relationship with other employees;
• Whether there have been any recent changes in the nature of the employee's work or in the staffing of the unit.

Talk privately with the employee. Go over the employee's performance objectives and instructions and:

• Find out how well the employee understands the work assignment;
• Ask the employee for her or his assessment of the situation;
• Determine the employee's attitude toward work;
• Determine whether the employee is capable (properly trained, physically and mentally able) to do the job;
• Ask the employee how she or he thinks the situation can be corrected and decide, together, what is needed to perform the job.

Take measures to correct the problem:

• Go over the tasks and instructions, making sure the employee understands what is expected of her or him.
• If additional training is called for, arrange for the employee to have the necessary training.
• Give close supervision and help, making sure that the employee has all she or he needs to carry out the tasks and that the employee knows that she or he can call on the supervisor for help.
• Let the employee try to improve her or his performance and then check the work again.
• Congratulate the employee on the improved performance.
• Replace the employee if she or he isn't capable of doing the job; don't keep an unsatisfied employee if you can help it.

Vignette - Managing a Performance Problem

Sometimes a problem that arises from a personality conflict between two or more employees will lead to disputes or will keep the employees from working together as they are supposed to. This ill feeling can infect other employees, so such conflicts must be addressed right away. As a supervisor, you may have to settle such a dispute between two workers. Proceed by taking the following steps:

• In order to find out what is the real cause of the quarrel, interview each of the people involved separately.
• Ask each person how she or he thinks the argument can be resolved and if she or he is willing to be reconciled.
• When there is a proposed solution, try to persuade all sides to accept the solution, to stop arguing, and to work together.
• If no agreement can be reached, tell the employees involved that they will have to agree to differ, that they should not argue about it any more, and that it must not impede their work in the future.

Personality conflicts may be the most difficult kind of problem a supervisor has to deal with. They can be emotionally charged and generally don't go away of their own accord, as people's personalities are not likely to change. When faced with this situation, a supervisor needs to establish reasonable ground rules to minimize the conflict, such as the following:

• If one employee criticizes another, she or he must also supply suggestions for improving the situation.
• No one may make attacks of a personal nature on another person.
• Grievances must be brought up with the supervisor because complaining among the staff will not improve the situation.
• Personality clashed must not be allowed to hinder work.
• Employees will be rewarded for helping and cooperating with others, not for succeeding at the expense of others.

The problem may be a conflict between the employee and the supervisor. The employee may feel animosity toward the supervisor and react to this by not carrying out her or his assigned tasks or by doing them poorly. This is a difficult situation, and there is no guaranteed solution for it. The supervisor and the employee will need to sit down in a private meeting to air their grievances and problems. As the supervisor, you should then go over the grievances and outline which complaints you can do something about and which you cannot, what can be done, and whether these changes will make the situation satisfactory for the employee. If the complaints that have no solution are very irksome to the employee, she or he might wish to consider leaving the job.

In this meeting, you must be careful to remain non-judgmental, concentrating on finding a solution and not letting yourself respond angrily or in an accusing manner to the employee's grievances, as this will only make the employee defensive and angry and will make it much more difficult to work out a solution. Both of you should try to think rationally and not emotionally. As the supervisor, it is your responsibility to make sure the meeting stays calm and controlled.

Supervisors can maintain a helpful, cooperative, positive atmosphere by examining their own behavior toward their employees. Use the suggestions in Improving the Work Environment to identify ways to improve the work environment of those you supervise. A supervisor must avoid falling into bad habits which can negatively affect the work environment and the employees' job performance; employees who feel their supervisors are unjust, vindictive, or ineffectual will feel trapped in an unhappy position and may lose their motivation to work.