One-on-Ones

Poor performance discussion template

Take time to talk to a team member who is struggling and uncover what is affecting their performance and engagement at work.

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Address poor performance at work the right way

Dips in performance can happen at any time. When an employee is not meeting their goals or role expectations, it can be for many different reasons. Sometimes it may be unintentional, while other times, it may a sign of disengagement. Part of a manager’s role is to spot underperformance and address it properly, with care and support.

To help you deal with this situation, we’ve created a poor performance review meeting template to use during one-on-one meetings. This template includes questions that will guide the conversation toward a productive and positive outcome. Remember that this is a coaching moment! Listen to their answers, give concrete examples of poor performance, and show them your support to get through this rough patch.

How to identify that an employee is struggling at work

It’s important to recognize the signs of underperformance so that you can use this one-on-one meeting template at the right moment.

Some common signs of underperformance are:

Making mistakes or missing deadlines more frequently than usual.
Being disrespectful to teammates, management, or clients.
Ignoring clear instructions without valid reason and not responding to constructive feedback.

Remember, these are only signs – not the cause. Our poor performance review questions will open up a conversation about the underlying issues. Use what you talked about in the meeting to find solutions together and set goals to capture commitments!