"The interview went great and I was confident the candidate was going to be a great addition to the team, so I hired her. After a few months, I noticed her work performance started to slip… but I shrugged it off, thinking maybe she was just having a bad day. Luckily, after a month, she was back to her normal high-performing self - it was such a relief and great to see! But then, after a few months, the work performance dropped again. Once more, I convinced myself to shrug it off… until I couldn’t ignore it, because it was becoming a concerning cycle, and I started to get worried. What should I do?"

Does this sound familiar? Have you ever been in this type of situation? If so, then this blog and the tips we will share are for you!

One of a manager's responsibilities is to regularly monitor and evaluate employee performance, commonly referred to as “performance management.” The goal of performance management is to maximize the value that employees create to achieve organizational objectives. Thus, it's a manager’s responsibility to find ways to maintain and bring out the best in their employees.

But what happens when you start to experience “peaks and valleys” with the performance of the person you hired? We see this a lot with our clients and often help them navigate their way through it. So if you are finding yourself in this situation, here are some steps totake:

1. Document, Document, Document!

A manager must consistently document the "good things" and the "not so good things " about an employee's performance. This creates a timeline to be able to easily reference to see if the employee’s performance is more good than "not so good" over a period of time. Regular documentation (by regular, we mean at least every couple of week) ensures there isn’t a long gap between each point of documentation. One of our favorite ways to keep this ongoing documentation is through creating a Google Sheet where you simply note the employee's name and then dates of when the instances, good or bad, occur with their performance. A Google Sheet works well because it can easily be shared if you want to share what has been going on with another manager, or HR. Now, it is still important to remember that this Google Sheet is intended to track instances, and should not be used in place of a formal coaching or disciplinary meeting (both with their own documentation) about the issues you have been noticing.

2. Look for Reasons/Root Causes

Is there a reason why the employee may not be performing to the expectation of their role? You can't take appropriate actions if you don't know the root cause. Ask questions and be careful not to immediately assume what is going on with the employee. Be curious about the “why” behind the issues by looking into areas such as:

• Work Environment: Are there unfavorable conditions impacting their productivity or work quality? For example, does the heating system overheat the office in the winter, or is the air conditioner lacking in summer? (We have all been there in offices where this is the case!)
• Flow of Work: Are there patterns to the "ups" and "downs" of this employee’s performance? For instance, does the employee get busier at certain times of the year, therefore impacting their performance during those periods? Does their work performance suffer when they have too much on their plate? Were there changes in the team dynamics recently or in past months, such as the loss or addition of a team member, which could have added extra stress and work to this person’s already full plate?
• Personal Issues: Might there be personal or non-work factors affecting this employee’s concentration or motivation? Consider asking the employee a simple question, “Is everything okay?” or "Are you ok?" to assess if there is something underlying that they need support around. (In our CEO's Amazon Best Selling book, Conquer Sticky Situations: A Fresh and Empowering Approach to Tough Talks at Work and in Life, she talks about this "Are you ok?" question as the Golden Question because it can often unlock lots of reasons why they may be behaving as they are. Grab the book to learn more about this powerful phrase!) If you ask the question and they start sharing medical or other sensitive information, be sure to direct them to HR before they elaborate. HR can best navigate the sensitive concerns. (Don't have HR in your organization? We can help. Check out the Expedition HR Subscription.) Managers should be careful never to probe if something is brought up medical-related and immediately direct them to the HR representative at the company who can ask the right questions to learn more to be able to potentially offer appropriate accommodations, time away from work, etc. It's important to note here that if the employee comes forward with concerns in response to the "Are you ok?" question, the issues with work performance don't just get tossed out the window... it's important that the other concerns are addressed appropriately and then the performance concerns can be revisited, dependent on the appropriate timing for the situation. 
• Skill Gaps: Is there a lack of necessary skills or training in certain areas, causing inconsistent performance? Might the employee be shy to come forward asking for support in this way? You as the manager need to ask the questions to ensure that a skill-barrier isn't causing these dips in performance.
• Motivation: Is the employee disengaged and/or just not feeling motivated? That, too, might explain these confusing fluctuations in performance.

3. Discuss the Highs and Lows

Be careful not to focus solely on the “negatives” about the employee's performance. Concentrate on discussing both their strengths and accomplishments as well as their areas for development. Reinforce the positive and share feedback on things that aren’t going well. When sharing that feedback on performance issues, call out where you notice the repeating fluctuations and, referring back to #2 above, ask questions, be curious with the intent to learn more. Make sure the employee understands the steps you are asking them to take to improve areas of low performance. Always end with “What questions come to mind about what we discussed?” or “Are you clear on what I’d like to see moving forward?” Send the employee an email following this conversation to confirm that they are clear on the expectation moving forward.

Here is some sample phrasing you can try when bringing up a concern about the “peaks and valleys” using the "is everything ok" question:

“Jane, you and I have had a few conversations about your work quality and consistency over these last few months, most recently on [INSERT DATE]. Is everything ok? I’m concerned about you.”

4. Set Goals

Ensure you are promoting effective goal-setting for the employee, based on the larger organizational goals - so they know the big picture for their work.

Whether you use the SMART goal-setting method or not, we will use that method here to share an example of how to work through this with an employee who is showing peaks and valleys in their performance.

Scenario: Erica is a sales agent. For the first three months, she exceeded her sales targets, showing exceptional performance. But in the fourth month, her performance dropped significantly. This pattern has repeated, affecting team planning and overall sales targets.

Specific: Erica will stabilize her sales performance to consistently meet or exceed her monthly sales targets.

Measurable: Erica’s sales target for the month will be set at 120% of her baseline target, and she will track her weekly sales figures to ensure she’s on track. She should use a performance dashboard to monitor weekly sales metrics.

Attainable: Erica will participate in a sales strategy workshop to address performance fluctuations. She will meet with her sales manager bi-weekly to review her sales strategies and progress as well as implement a personal action plan, including daily prospecting goals and follow-ups.

Relevant: Improving and stabilizing sales performance is crucial for meeting team planning goals and achieving overall sales targets. This goal aligns with Erica’s role and the team’s objectives.

Timebound: Erica will achieve at least 90% of her monthly sales target for the next three months. She should set up weekly progress checks with the sales manager to ensure she stays on track until that three-month measurement period.

By setting goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, and by clearly communicating the desired outcome, the employee will be better equipped to maintain more consistent performance. Remember to document the goal-setting process with the employee, so they can always refer back to it as needed.

5. Provide Regular Feedback

After you address your concerns with the employee, they need to know if they are improving. Providing regular feedback reinforces positive behavior and helps break bad habits. While they may still have areas to improve, be careful that you don't focus solely on the sub-par performance. Praise and reward good work, especially when you see improvements. And... you guessed it, always show gratitude for their work and the efforts they are making to improve.

The Bottom Line

By implementing these strategies, you are taking steps to stabilize an employee's performance, turning those “peaks and valleys” into more consistent and productive output. These steps also ensure that any fluctuations in performance are addressed promptly and effectively, fostering a workplace of regular feedback.

We'd be remiss if we didn't acknowledge that managing employee performance is hard! It requires effort and is an ongoing process that requires attention, empathy, and strategic planning – but if you start using these 5 steps, you are already on your way to creating an environment where employees feel supported and motivated to perform at their best.

Want to know more about managing employee performance problems? Check out our other related blog posts:

5 Steps to Take to Manage an Ongoing Employee Performance Problem

Coaching Approach to Employee Performance

Workplace Conflict: 3 Prong Approach to Tough Talks

Need support managing an employee performance problem? Or, need on-demand HR support when issues come up? We've got you covered with the Expedition HR Subscription. 

Schedule a FREE CONSULT today to see if Expedition HR services may be right for you.