The success of a business or organization will always depend on the performance of the employees. If the employee is not performing as expected, the business process will slow down and the business won’t be able to hit its target. In fact, according to a study, over 68 percent of employees in an organization are disengaged. This is more than half which means most employees are not engaged and are not performing well in their job.

On the other hand, if all the employees are doing their job and accomplishing their tasks accurately and on time, the business will flourish.

The human resources are one of the most critical departments of an organization. They are responsible for finding the right person of the job. Also, they are the ones who will check if that person is performing or not. They will deal with the employee who is not functioning. Human resources play an essential role in the success of any organization as it handles the people involved.

There are ways to increase the engagement of employees and enhance their performance. Here are some strategies that human resources and organizations can use to improve employee engagement and performance.

Strategy #1 - Assess employees

Don’t just judge employees as underperforming. There are reasons why employees are not doing well at work. Sometimes, it is because of stress and family or personal problems. There are also instances that they can’t handle too much workload. There times that they are intimidated with their colleagues or their boss or managers. It can be also that they do not understand the business process and their importance in the company that is why they are underperforming or are disengaged with work.

Before judging an employee, it is better to talk to them and assess their situation on why they are not performing as expected. Assess the long-term potential of the employee. It can be that he or she is in the wrong department or position and may be good at a different role. Or maybe that he or she needs a vacation to refresh and be ready again for work. Give them a chance. Assess them very well, and see the goodness in them.

Strategy #2 - Learn to listen

Whether you are a manager or the human resources, or just a simple colleague, it is essential to have a listening ear in the office. If you are the company’s human resources and have conducted an assessment on the underperforming employee, talk to that employee. Listen to their stories, problems, and situations. Try to find out from them the reason why they are not performing well. However, be careful about how you approach the employee. It is a sensitive situation and when not handled well, can result in resignation and total disengagement of the employee.

According to Gallup, over 75 percent of employees resign because of their leaders or managers. Some managers and leaders fail to listen to their employees.

As leaders, it is important to lend our listening ears to our employees. Also, giving feedback on their performance will help to make them better. By listening and providing feedback, you are assisting in the improvement of their employee performance.

Strategy #3 - Give feedback

After listening, it is important to provide feedback. Whether good or bad, managers or leaders need to rely on their feedback to their employees. If they have poor performance, they need to talk to the employee and suggest ways to improve. Give them a chance to be better. Don’t just tell them to be good the next month or the next quarter. Give them concrete feedback that they can use to change and improve. Like for example, if they are falling short when it comes to hitting their sales, tell them to be more aggressive in talking to clients.

On the other hand, if they fail on hitting deadlines, tell them to create a schedule and manage their time wisely. Don’t be vague when it comes to giving feedback. Giving clear feedback will help employees focus on what needs to be done. As leaders and managers, we should know the areas where they should improve and tell them that.  

On the other hand, if they are doing well, they need to appreciate their hard work. In fact, over 69 percent of employees work hard for the organization if their leaders recognize their effort.

Strategy #4 - Create clear standards

One way that you can make your organization and business successful is by setting clear rules. If you have clear goals and standards, it would be easy for you to rely on it to your employees. It would also be easy for them to understand the purpose and what needs to be done to achieve their goals. Their role in attaining the goal is also clear and they know where to focus and what to do.

One of the reasons why organizations and businesses fail is because they fail to set clear standards and goals. Therefore, they fail to rely on it to their employees. Their employees do not understand the things that need to be accomplished. With this, they start to be disengaged and their performance becomes poor. If employees know what to do, they perform well and they are more engaged in the business and organization. However, if they are confused as to what needs to be done, they lose their focus and tend to underperform.

Strategy #5 - Provide support

Don’t just fire an employee because you think he or she is underperforming. It is possible that the employee is underperforming because he or she needs assistance in performing specific tasks. As a good leader and manager, you should know how to support and provide assistance to your employees. It would be best if you steered them toward improvement instead of letting them go. Look for opportunities where you can train them and provide the right resources that can help them complete their tasks. There are many things that you can do to support them. You just need to be sensitive with their needs and analyze what’s the problem why they are not performing well.

Strategy #6 - Monitor progress

After assessing their situation, listening to their problems, and providing support, it is vital that you monitor if there is progress on their part. You did your best to help them perform well, now is the time to see if they are using your help and support to improve. Monitoring the performance of your employees is very important. It will also give you ideas on how to deal with your disengaged and underperforming employee.