Have you been avoiding managing an underperforming team member?

Managing poor performance can feel time consuming, messy and risky. But with the right tools, techniques and processes, managers can handle underperformance in a way that preserves the dignity of the employee, sharpens the leadership skills of the manager, and ensures that others have positive perceptions of the manager’s competence.

This training is designed to give managers the tools, confidence, and practical steps they need to handle poor performance effectively, fairly, and consistently. With the right approach, managing poor performance becomes less about conflict and more about supporting improvement — while protecting the overall health of the team and organisation.

Topics covered

- Understanding why poor performance gets ignored, and the consequences of that
- Recognising and diagnosing the different types of underperformances, necessary for selecting the best process to move forward with
- Checking in with yourself, to be realistic about any part you have played in the employee’s drop in performance standards or underperformance
- Getting the poor performance conversation underway informally with compassion, paving the way for a performance improvement partnership
- Using our BE COOL feedback model to deliver feedback in a way that addresses the behaviour, not the person
- Setting clear goals and follow-up processes
- Recognising when it’s appropriate to start a formal performance improvement process
- Addressing behavioural issues with confidence and without backlash, balancing empathy with accountability
- Handling complaints about your staff in a way that ensures an unbiased view of the complaint and your employee’s behaviour or actions
- Recognising when to move to a formal disciplinary process
- Handling difficult responses and behaviours throughout the managing poor performance process

Find out more about this training here.