Slow and underperforming

[Ilikemywhiskysour]

I manage a team member who joined the company around 2.5 years ago. I came in about a year later to help turn the department around; the goal wasn’t to replace anyone but to rebuild a struggling team and improve performance.

This particular employee had been underperforming before I joined, but after some time working closely together, she agreed to go on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) and made real progress. Over the past six months, her performance had been improving.

However, there have been ongoing behavioural challenges; for example, inappropriate levels of socialising, excessive phone use (including watching Netflix during work hours), and conversations that are often quite morbid and disruptive. I’ve raised these issues multiple times and tried to reset expectations.

Unfortunately, over the past three months her performance has started to decline again. She has asked me to “micromanage” her and even to draft her reports for her, despite being in a senior role. I’ve explained that this isn’t appropriate for her level, and while I’ve offered the option of moving into a more junior role (which would come with a pay adjustment), she declined.

Last month she only met her targets because I personally coached her over the line which, while part of leadership, felt well beyond what’s reasonable for managing a senior employee.

I’ve considered putting her on another PIP, but given that the last one only produced short-term results, I’m unsure it would help. When I’ve asked her why she’s struggling to complete work, she’s said things like, “I don’t know … I get distracted.” I’ve suggested tools and strategies, and even arranged a course, but none of this seems to have made a lasting difference.

I really don’t like giving up on people, but I’m struggling to see a way forward. Has anyone navigated something similar where an experienced employee has the skills but consistently lacks focus, accountability, or self-management? I’d really appreciate any advice on how to approach this constructively but realistically.

Engage with your wider HR team and consider a referral to Occupational Health

Realistically you have to follow the process but kick it up a notch. Take guidance from HR. Another PIP, then a warning - whatever your HR performance management and capability process is.

She sounds lazy, quite frankly, and causing issues in the wider team eg distracting others with the excessive socialising and taking your time for additional coaching that, as you say, isn’t appropriate for her level.

Watching Netflix in work time alone would have been enough for a warning at my work!

As you haven’t mentioned it, I’m assuming she hasn’t declared any ND as the underlying cause of her distraction and struggle to focus.

She has anxiety, which we helped through therapy etc.

HR are sort of non existent, it’s an external company that covers our insurance and provides the policy. They’re not great tbh

Sounds like she’s building up to make a neurodiverse defence to her laziness and sense of entitlement. You will probably have to do everything absolutely by the book. Can you not discipline her for watching Netflix at work? That sounds like misconduct. Going down the disciplinary route will probably be easier than the performance route.

I’d put her back on a PIP and include something around requiring long term sustained improvement. I’d also add in that if there is a reduction in performance following the PIP you’ll move her on to the final stage of the performance management process which could lead to dismissal.

I've had this before - an improvement when the focus and pressure is on but then reverting to low effort once it was relaxed. It’s annoying and time consuming but manageable if you make sure the PIP is clear.

I would make sure you’ve documented the support offered for the mental health issues and follow that up in the PIP meeting to make sure you’ve covered it.

Thank you. I don’t believe she’s trying to make a case or anything, I just don’t get that vibe at all. I do believe she’s managed to coast through her previous jobs and perhaps she has failed to realise that consultancy work really highlights underperformance as it’s directly linked to raising invoices.

@Ilikemywhiskysour as you mention consultancy, does she do timesheets so that billable hours can go to the correct client?

Unless she’s listed ‘10-12 watching Netflix’ she’s falsified them.

@Madamswearsalot has given good advice. I feel for you; I’ve inherited an under performer myself and I was all positive with my boss that they might turn it round with my guidance, but he was correct and the person never did. Nine months later they left via a settlement agreement.

I’ve implemented timesheets this week, I was seeking to avoid using them as I find them overwhelming as does the two ND colleagues in my team.

she does claim she is working whilst watching Netflix so would argue she isn’t falsifying work sheets.

what is is showing though is that she’s taking 3x the length to do a project

How do you know that she was watching Netflix during working hours? That would be a trigger for immediate disciplinary action where I used to work.

You say that she is in a senior role, but her attitude and the handholding she needs to do her job to a satisfactory standard would not be acceptable at that level in most workplaces.

Because I sit adjacent to her and often catch her watching it on the sly. I tell her to turn it off and she does but she always claims it helps her concentrate.

I do need to be careful as she cries at everything. She cried the other day because other than the initial “good morning” I hadn’t spoken to her for the next 2 hours. I explained that I’m just focusing on my work, I didn’t have anything to talk to her about so why would I start a conversation (I wasn’t ignoring her, she hadn’t started a conversation either).

You have to document from the word go, follow perfect procedure, so that you can dismiss for performance if you need to. I did something similar where a more informal approach turned things around but then it went down again, and the fact that the earlier stuff was more informal when it got nasty bit me on the backside. I had to basically start the performance review over again but this time I documented every single interaction, emailing a summary after the fact and asking for the other person to add anything as required and let me know if there was anything else I should be aware of. This meant I was in control of the written record and when they tried to avoid accountability there was no where to go.

Would you mind expanding on how to keep written record of this?
so far I am ensuring I am emailing her with follow ups. By way of example, I have not been able to reach her on her work mobile this morning, she is WFH but should remain fully contactable

Is she watching Netflix on a work device? Can’t it be blocked by IT?

How are you ‘raising’ her ongoing behavioural issues? Is it just you? It might be helpful to get other managers involved.

I think I’d consider a PIP again. You need to document everything. Watching Netflix is really bad. Have you got that documented? Make sur enough keep asking her what the company can do to ‘help’ her. Just in case this ends up being constructive dismissal. Good luck with this I’d be nervous about her going off on long term sickness leave.

You need HR to explain the next steps if she doesn’t get through a PIP. In my old place it meant the person moved onto disciplinary and ultimately termination if performance didn’t improve. They should at least have a written policy for this if they are not available to provide any support. I would escalate to your manager as this will be impacting morale of the performers within the team.

How many days does she WFH? How are you going to follow up the fact you can’t contact her?

Something like:

Hi Jane, following our call today I'm summarising the key points below:

• it is not acceptable to watch Netflix on company time and you need to stop this straight away
• the deadline for project X is Xx/xx/xx. As per our discussion today you agree that is reasonable. Please provide me a status update at the end of each week between now and then, highlighting any potential delays immediately and your initial suggestions to resolve the issue ahead of our weekly Monday 1:1.
• as a senior XYZ preparing status update reports to a high level is part of your role. Please see a report attached with the expected level - 2 page summary. Concise, professional language, drills down into key risks and anticipates XYZ. You agree that future status reports will be of this quality. If you have any concerns or want to add anything please respond to the email. We will meet again on Monday Xx to review progress against the above.

You can soften the tone a little if you wish, but clear expectations, clear follow ups. So when project x starts to run over you have something concrete to hold her accountable - did she flag it early enough and come with proposed solutions? Did she then apply the agreed next steps (which you would have documented in the next email), etc etc. I got stung before on not documenting conversations where I didn't think anything of consequence had been said and then the person produced 'notes' that were fictional, but I couldn't counter them.

Also have a conversation about not being able to contact her (maybe it was an exceptional situation). But then email follow up stating expectations of being able to contact her, expect a response to a missed call or IM within certain parameters or the expectation that she'll let you know if she's going to be away from her laptop unexpectedly. Then you have the documentation to hold her to account. But always making the space for kindness, maybe there was an emergency. So curious first, set expectations, document, and hold accountable.

Okay that’s a relief as that is what I’ve been doing already. I do want her to turn this around, I know she is capable as I’ve seen it

I think you are scared of confronting her - if she is freely admitting to watching Netflix she is taking the piss. You are making a rod for your own back. She has already demonstrated that she can’t/won’t turn it around or knows she can get away with it because you are too soft. You will go through the whole process again and every time she slips back she will claim neurodivergence and you will be stuck in a frustrating loop. You need to immediately stop her watching Netflix and put her on a disciplinary if she does it again. I can’t believe what I am reading tbh. She is responsible for her behaviour and work, not you.

Completely agree with @Owly11. She cannot be doing quality work with Netflix ‘in the background’. Never mind all the other shortfalls.

This sounds like it’s only going one way, OP, and it will be really difficult while you go through the process.

So she watched Netflix in the office? On headphones I'm guessing?

I WFH and I usually have Netflix (or something else) on in the background whilst I'm working as the low level noise helps me to concentrate. I couldn't tell you anything that's happened in whatever is on.

I would suggest a referral to OH first and focus on her work rather than how she does her work. The issue isn't that she watched Netflix, it was that whilst she was watching Netflix, she wasn't doing the job she was required to do.

If she still can't do the job then she can't really stay in the role.

I need to make it clear that she is not permitted to watch Netflix in the office, I do tell her to stop and put it away. As she puts it away she then states she does it as it helps her concentrate. I explain it’s not permitted, her focus needs to be on solely work. I’m having to say it at least once a week and that is not okay. My issue is, I do not know how to correctly discipline her on this.

If there is no wider HR Team/Occupational Health within your workplace and you are uncertain of the way forward, I think perhaps you need to discuss this situation with your own manager. Is there any suggestion of unmanaged ADHD or anything like that? Because otherwise this is in no way acceptable, particularly as you describe her as a senior employee. You are effectively having to micromanage her.

You need to be much firmer.

Email her telling her if she’s watching Netflix etc during work time it will result in an investigation and potential disciplinary action.