73% of UK Bosses say they employ under-performing workers and they are unable to change performance

LONDON - Sept. 16, 2014 - PRLog -- 73% of UK employers say they employ under-performing workers, 61% admit all efforts to turnaround poor workers have been unsuccessful.

In a new survey released today by Peninsula Business Services  the employment law consultancy questioning 1229 UK employers:

- 73% of bosses admit that they employ under performing workers.

- 61% say they tried to turnaround under performing workers however they have had little success.

Alan Price, Employment Law Director for Peninsula Business Services said today: I am often asked this question, how do I reverse a under-performing worker? It’s advice I give daily and there are initiatives that you can introduce to help resolve the issue; however my advice is to be fair yet firm. Here are my 5 top tips to tackle an under-performing worker:

1/ Do not bury your head in the sand, the problem will not go away, be firm but fair, deal with the problem head on. The time to tackle the issue is now.

2/ Sit down with the employee, outline the problem, give them notice so they can prepare adequate reasoning to their performance related issues. If they wish to bring someone in on the meeting then you should allow this.

3/ Remember that the issue may well be personal, it can also stem from a workplace issue such as bullying or harassment so if they raise a concern then take  it seriously and act upon it.

4/ Give the individual an opportunity to rectify the problem, come up with a action plan and define time parameters. Ensure that you stick with both the plan and the agreed time. Even afterwards make sure that you continually review any issues so that you are reassured the underperformance behaviour has been resolved. If further training is needed then provide it.

5/ Finally if performance has not improved despite an action plan then you may need to take the difficult step of dismissing the employee. Ensure that you follow correct policies and procedures, make clear your appeal procedure and provide the employee with their relevant entitlements.

Always remember to deal with the problem of under-performing workers head on, the issue will not go away and as a business you cannot afford to carry passengers.

Notes to Editor:

- Alan Price is Employment Law Director for Peninsula Business Services.

- Peninsula Business Services is the largest employment law consultancy in the UK.

- Peninsula Business Services spoke with 1229 UK employers from a wide range of businesses via its telephone Advice Service.

- For further clarification please contact Sammual-James McLoughlin at Peninsila on 0161 827 8511.

http://www.peninsulagrouplimited.com