Supervisor Foundations · Lesson 5.2
IDENTIFY THE ACTUAL PERFORMANCE PROBLEM
Supervisors sometimes react to a general feeling:
“This employee is not doing well.”
That is not specific enough.
Ask:
What exactly is happening?
Is the issue:
- attendance?
- quality?
- speed?
- communication?
- follow-through?
- customer service?
- procedure?
- teamwork?
- judgment?
- conduct?
- documentation?
The more accurately the problem is identified, the more useful the response can be.
Poor
“You are not performing well.”
Better
“Three customer follow-ups were not completed by the agreed deadline this week.”
WORKPLACE EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 1
Supervisor says: “You are careless.”
Actual issue: Employee repeatedly submits invoices without verifying customer details.
EXAMPLE 2
Supervisor says: “You are too slow.”
Actual issue: Employee takes longer than expected on one task because the required system keeps freezing.
That may not be a performance issue.
EXAMPLE 3
Supervisor says: “You are bad with customers.”
Actual issue: Employee gives accurate information but speaks in a dismissive tone when customers ask repeated questions.
EXAMPLE 4
Supervisor says: “You are unreliable.”
Actual issue: Employee has missed two agreed handover deadlines without communicating.
Remember
Name the behavior before naming the problem.
Workplace action
Finish this sentence: “The specific performance concern is…”
Quick Check
Which statement best identifies a performance problem?