Perhaps you have experienced it before: an employee who cannot deliver what you expect of them, and/or one who is going through a rough patch. It boils down to the fact that this employee is failing to contribute their share to the whole. Of course, you know that you need to bring the problem up for discussion and address it, partly because the rest of the team is likely also aware of this employee's performance. Furthermore, you cannot remain silent and will need to maintain your credibility by taking action. But what should you say? Conducting an employee evaluation interview is essential in this regard.
The starting point of such a conversation is always to bring about a change in performance, which is a strong reason not to wait any longer to have this conversation. If you do not do this, the employee will consider this performance as sufficient. To help you get started, we describe some points that you can use in this conversation.
- Inform the employee of your concern
This is a serious conversation, so it's important not to beat around the bush. So you don't have to engage in small talk for half an hour before raising your concerns. By being clear right away, you also emphasize the importance you see of a necessary change.
- Share specific examples
Moreover, it is pointless to provide vague examples of something you notice; therefore, ensure that you can cite specific examples where the disappointing behavior manifests itself, or mention a performance that was disappointing and the cause you identify in it.
- What are the effects on the team?
Try to make a link between the behavior or performance and the impact it has on the organization. The consequences for a specific team may be even more relevant; perhaps undiscussed tensions arise between colleagues about disappointing results. If you cannot explain the negative impact of the behavior, it is more difficult for the employee to see why change is needed.
- What do you expect from the employee?
Furthermore, the employee himself may not know how to bring about a change in his behavior or performance. Therefore, it is important that you, as a manager, think about this in advance. How can you assist the employee, and what exactly is expected? Be clear when setting expectations.
- Be clear about the lack of change
The starting point of this conversation is obviously change, but also be clear to the employees about any next steps if there is no change in the employee's behavior or performance. Disciplinary actions do not necessarily have to be discussed directly, but the employee must know that it is a serious matter.
- The employee's own initiative
Next, ensure that you, as a manager, do not spoon-feed the employee all the steps; let the employee think for themselves and propose solutions. How do they want to bring about change?
- Schedule an evaluation moment
After the employee has agreed to work on his performance, it is important to immediately schedule a follow-up meeting.
- Finish with confidence
Furthermore, after such a conversation, it is important for you as a manager to also express confidence in the employee. The fact that you use this conversation to bring about change shows that you trust the employee is capable of bringing about change.
Such conversations can always be tense for both parties, so it is important to remember that the ultimate goal of the conversation is to help the employee. Here too, good preparation is half the battle!
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In short, you can find more background information on conducting an employee performance review at conduct employee evaluation interview (Wikipedia).