8 Ways to Track Underperforming Employees

8 Ways to Track Underperforming Employees When you hire an employee, you have certain expectations, you look forward that the employee will now add value to your company. The true measure of the value of any business is by the performance of the employees. However, there are times when employees do not perform as per expectations or their previous records as well. Underperforming employees are not good for the company, however, with effective tactics, you can make them efficient again. Research managers on average spend 26% of their working hours in coaching the underperforming employees. Bad hiring or inefficient staff will not make the company competent in a dynamic environment. In a study conducted in a Global staffing firm, CFO’S answered that 44% of the company’s growth is affected if the staff is incompetent. Let us understand that there are checks and tools that the management can use time and time again to track down their underperforming employees. This will help them to understand why the company is unable to achieve their ultimate goals. 1. Targets, goals, and objectives are never met In every department be it marketing, sales or even finance there are some pre-determined goals and tasks and even targets for the whole department. Other than the departmental goals, there are assigned individual targets as well. If the employee has been constantly failing to accomplish his goals and targets. Probably they are underperforming or slacking off work, which is not a good sign. Keeping track of the employee’s deadline and delay of work submission will help the management to understand his/her efficiency. 2. Check-in Now, check-in does not mean the number of hours they spend at the workplace. It actually means the number of hours they spent on their social media. Track their social media daily usage and the number of hours they had a social presence during work hours. In this  research conducted by redeapp, employees do get distracted by the social media once in every 10.5 minutes. And it takes about 23 whole minutes for the worker to get back to work after the social media encounter. So social media usage during work hours should be a big NO! 3. Accountability Sometimes employees do not feel valued enough in the organization which pushes them to underperform. They become lazy and stop valuing the work. The management can make them accountable and in charge of projects to see their leadership qualities. Accountability is one of the best ways to test if an employee can perform well up to the benchmark or no. So if as management you are in doubts, assign a task to the employee with complete independence and accountability. 4. Inefficient task Now even if the given work is completed in time, there are chances that it is a shabby work. If the assigned work is not done well and is not effective then is as equal to no work. Inefficient tasks are a big proof that the employee is underperforming. Keep a constant check on the work quality of the employee. Make sure there are signs of improvement. The quality of the work should not be deteriorating over time, especially after training. 5. Frequently absent Absenteeism at work is not a good thing. If an employee is constantly absent calling them sick or for multiple other reasons. They are not motivated to be present at work and have no willingness to perform well either. Companies, where the absenteeism rate of employees is high, are unable to achieve their vision and mission statements in the set time. So to check if your staff is underperforming, check their attendance and number of dedicated hours at work. 6. No regards with work policies Every organization has certain rules and regulations to be followed by every employee. If employees are not working according to the company policies and are misbehaving constantly they are not performing well at the workplace. A complete disregard for the organizational goals and policies is not what an ideal employee is supposed to do. Check if the employee is quite upbeat with the company’s vision, mission, and goal statements and other policies. 7. Wrong priorities If multiple tasks are assigned to an employee, he has to set his priorities straight. If the employee is unable to scan and complete the work with the utmost importance. He/she is not working with complete rationality at work. The employee should be efficient enough to scrutinize every opportunity given to him and make the most of it.   If they are unable to draw a roadmap to reach the final goal then they are underperforming and need training. Chaos at work and lack of clarity with given assignments can lead to bigger organizational problems. 8. Constant rectifications and errors. If an employee’s work needs constant rectification then here is an eye-opener that they are underperformers. Rectifications are through common as no man is perfect, constant rectifications are not good signs for an employee. Efficiency and effectiveness must be maintained with every assigned work. Checking an employee’s performance is no wrong, underperformers need constant motivation and training. A company cannot afford inefficient work and neither can keep firing employees, every organization wants to retain their employees. Having constant checks every now and then will be a big help to the company. Monitor the change and create an action plan for the underperforming employees. According to Willis Tower Watson, 96% of the employees believe that performance management is very crucial for the organization’s development. However, only 64% of the respondents in the survey felt that the approach to this was done in an effective way. Organizations should conduct performance assessment in an appropriate way that does not hurt an employee’s dignity at a workplace. Motivational tricks and other managerial strategies must be used time and time again so that the employees keep going. About the author:  Jasika Adams is a writer with a passion for writing on emerging technologies in the areas of human resources, startups and business management. She is a talent acquisition manager currently associated with Index Time Clock. In her free time, she loves to play with her kids and reading mystery books.