Occasionally a team member begins to underperform or produces a lower quality work than the company requires of them. This can be a gradual change or a quick one. There are often underlying causes, such as the team member dealing with changes in their own life, or they have encountered a problem in their work and are too shy to speak up about it. It’s especially easy for Virtual Assistants to have this issue, as they are not in physical contact with their employer and can feel uncomfortable about talking to them. The ability to manage an underperforming team member is what separates the leaders from the managers.

When you first notice this, start implementing some ways to motivate your team members. Here’s a list of ways to do that:

1.   Compliment something you were impressed by in their past work, and express a desire to see more of that in the future.

2.   Ensure that they feel valued and seen. Listen to them when they speak and take their ideas into consideration.

3.   Check in on them often and have open communication – a weekly catch-up will mean more to your team members than an e-mail.

4.   Ensure the work balance is even – someone with too much or too little work will feel underappreciated.

5.   Having a generally positive workspace is ideal for several reasons, but it will motivate your team to keep up their work and maintain a good environment.

If the underperformance persists, it is perfectly reasonable to approach a team member about their quality of work. Make sure to keep the first time casual and non-accusatory – try to find out what the issue is.

When bringing this up to a team member, use the ‘compliment sandwich’ approach. Begin the conversation with something specific that the team member is doing well – for example, their lead generation technique, or dedication to the company ethos. Then give them constructive criticism on what needs to be improved to meet business standards – don’t be cruel, take on an educational role. It’s possible they simply misunderstood something. If you are working with a Virtual Assistant, schedule a Zoom call to do this. It’s too easy for e-mails and messages to be misunderstood.

Follow up with another positive thing or an encouragement. This approach mitigates bad feelings and will get much better results than scolding. 

If the subpar output continues after it’s been brought up, attempt another casual approach. Dig a little further for the underlying problem, because more often than not there will be one.

Should the quality of work continue to be below standard, issue a verbal warning. It might be uncomfortable, but the team member is still an employee and is expected to meet company standards. Remember: reprimanding someone does not have to be unnecessarily aggressive!

If the quality of the team member’s work still doesn’t improve after a verbal warning, issue a written warning. It should explicitly communicate the need for the team member to improve their standard of work.