{"id":204328,"date":"2021-03-31T17:27:29","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T04:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/?p=204328"},"modified":"2026-01-21T11:34:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T22:34:02","slug":"informally-address-employee-underperformance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Informally Address Employee Underperformance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dealing with employee underperformance is an endless challenge for all growing businesses. Employers face the dilemma of needing to improve an employee\u2019s work output or quality while still being a good employer and treating the employee fairly and reasonably. The best way of doing this is by first addressing the problem informally. This article will set out several ways your business can manage an employee whose performance is below expectations. These involve: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an informal meeting; <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">thinking about external causes of underperformance; and <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">incorporating a regular feedback process. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Failing these strategies, you may even consider a more formal poor performance process.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Having an Informal Meeting<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Most methods of addressing employee underperformance will begin with an informal meeting. You can take this kind of meeting yourself, or a different manager at your business can. It is better if a person who knows the employee well can begin the conversation, maximising the chance of having an open and productive talk. At the same time, it is good to intervene early when there are performance issues. An informal meeting is a low-stakes way of doing so.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the informal meeting, you or the manager in the meeting should take an open mind. Ask questions and be open to what the employee might say about how their work is going. There may be additional factors that you might not be aware of. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--info\">\n    <!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The kinds of things you could be thinking about in the meeting include:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Does the employee understand what you expect of them?<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Have I (or their manager) communicated what is required from them clearly enough?<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Is their job description clear?<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Did they get enough guidance on the task?<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li>Are they receiving ongoing feedback?<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a general rule, do not draw attention to the employee\u2019s situation in front of others, but do not be shy about managing performance issues.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Considering the Bigger Picture and Possible External Factors<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is good to think about the bigger picture with an employee, including before an informal meeting with them. For the person taking the meeting, you or another manager should have:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a clear and unbiased understanding of the context around the employee and their work; and<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">an understanding of what is happening and what is going wrong.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You should know these facts before you meet with the employee in question. It may be worth checking with other managers who work alongside, or interact with your staff member, to understand what might be happening.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Often, employee underperformance is caused by factors outside the workplace or their actual role. A death in the employee\u2019s family<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or a relationship break-up can have a debilitating impact on an employee\u2019s output and quality of work for a considerable period. An informal process is the best way of working out why an employee is struggling.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div  class=\"box box--icon box--star\">\n    <p>Understanding certain issues in an employee\u2019s personal life is a valuable way to gain context as to their underperformance. An employee may be struggling with <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/supporting-employees-mental-health-problems\/\">mental health issues<\/a> that are unknown to you. However, respecting your employee\u2019s privacy is crucial, and you cannot push for specific details about their personal lives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If they are reeling from the death of a loved one, for instance, providing counselling or bereavement leave is a helpful way your business can help the employee. Giving an employee bereavement leave can help them personally and in terms of their productivity. This is a better alternative than undergoing a poor performance process which can create undue stress and pressure.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 text-2xl font-bold text-orange\">\n        Need legal advice?\n        <br>\n        <span class=\"text-lg not-prose\">\n                            Call <a href=\"tel:+64800005570\" class=\"not-prose\">0800 005 570<\/a> for urgent assistance.\n                <br>\n                Otherwise, complete this form, and we will contact you within one business day.\n                    <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n\n    \n\n<div class=\"not-prose flex justify-center text-left 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An employee may not actually know that their work is below expectations, and a feedback process can help with this. This can also happen alongside an informal meeting or as part of one.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Following an informal process or meeting with an employee, a future check-in with the employee is valuable. This allows you to discuss their performance and (hopefully) commend any improvements. Likewise, a secondary check-in enables both parties to acknowledge that the issue has been resolved, and provide positive feedback to the employee.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If the employee\u2019s performance does not improve following an informal process, you may need to take more formal action. This should include a performance improvement plan, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/how-to-give-formal-warning-to-employee\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>formal warnings<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/dismissing-an-employee\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>dismissal<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong> <\/strong>if the employee\u2019s performance does not eventually improve.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"my-7 lg:my-10 border-y-2 border-gray-100 py-7 lg:py-10 flex flex-col sm:flex-row items-start gap-10\">\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"w-52 mx-auto my-0! rounded\" src=\"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/12\/16124322\/performance-improvement-plan-wp-1.jpg\" alt=\"Front page of publication\"\n                 loading=\"lazy\" width=\"208\" height=\"298\">\n                <section>\n            <div class=\"text-2xl font-bold\"> Performance Improvement Plan<\/div>\n            <div class=\"body-text\">\n                <p>When your employee does not perform at the expected level, a performance improvement plan (PIP) may be required to get them back on track. Our free PIP template will assist. <\/p>\n            <\/div>\n            \n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/go.legalvision.co.nz\/performance-improvement-plan-NZ.html\" class=\" block px-5 py-3.5 max-w-fit bg-orange button__hover transition rounded text-white font-bold text-lg no-underline uppercase leading-tight text-center\" target=\"\" rel=\"\">Download Now<\/a>        <\/section>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are many ways to informally address employee underperformance and get them back to being effective and high performing. An informal chat or meeting is the typical way to do this. Be prepared before this kind of meeting, and fully understand the employee\u2019s work and where they are not meeting expectations. You should also have an open mind about the employee\u2019s underperformance. It is possible that instructions have not been made clear to them or that something has happened in their personal life to affect their work. In any case, implementing a regular feedback process is a good step to improve productivity and effectiveness in your business generally. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LegalVision provides ongoing legal support for all businesses through our fixed-fee legal membership. Our experienced lawyers help businesses manage contracts, employment law, disputes, intellectual property and more, with unlimited access to specialist lawyers for a fixed monthly fee. To learn more about LegalVision\u2019s legal membership, call <a href=\"tel:+64800005570\" class=\"AVANSERnumber dynamic-number\">0800 005 570<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/membership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visit our membership page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1617164421400\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What is employee underperformance?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Employee underperformance is when an employee is not completing their work to the standard you would expect or desire. It may not necessarily warrant a poor performance process. However, it typically is a yellow or red flag suggesting that some kind of additional feedback or process is required to get an employee\u2019s work back on track.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1617164437865\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>When should an employer take an informal (instead of formal) approach to employee underperformance?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">It is a good idea to begin with an informal approach when addressing underperformance. It may be that a simple conversation or some additional feedback is enough to help the employee. There also may be external factors affecting an employee\u2019s work, where an informal and sensitive approach may better serve the situation.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1617164450616\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Can underperformance lead to dismissal?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Yes, if an employee\u2019s performance does not improve following a formal poor performance process and warnings, it can justify dismissal. However, you cannot dismiss an employee for poor performance or underperformance after an informal process only.<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dealing with employee underperformance is an endless challenge for all growing businesses. Employers face the dilemma of needing to improve an employee\u2019s work output or quality while still being a good employer and treating the employee fairly and reasonably. The best way of doing this is by first addressing the problem informally. This article will<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;How to Informally Address Employee Underperformance&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13387,"featured_media":201638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"1383,204689,153,1171,1559,1176","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[25,54,431,729,730],"class_list":["post-204328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","tag-small-business","tag-medium-business","tag-employment-rights","tag-underperformance","tag-informal-meeting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Informally Address Employee Underperformance | LegalVision<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is an employee performing below expectations? 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This article details how to informally address employee underperformance in your business.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LegalVision New Zealand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalVision\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-31T04:27:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T22:34:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/img.legalvision.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/01\/17082830\/linkedin-sales-navigator-zmwpbOQkEig-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"792\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Louise Miao\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LegalVision_law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LegalVision_law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Louise Miao\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Louise Miao\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e238f6e07eb0ddf0d9edb02d9bfb965b\"},\"headline\":\"How to Informally Address Employee Underperformance\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-31T04:27:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T22:34:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":983,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/img.legalvision.com.au\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/17082830\\\/linkedin-sales-navigator-zmwpbOQkEig-unsplash.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"small business\",\"medium business\",\"employment rights\",\"underperformance\",\"informal meeting\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Employment Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-NZ\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/\",\"name\":\"Informally Address Employee Underperformance | LegalVision\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/img.legalvision.com.au\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/17082830\\\/linkedin-sales-navigator-zmwpbOQkEig-unsplash.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-31T04:27:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T22:34:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"Is an employee performing below expectations? 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It may not necessarily warrant a poor performance process. However, it typically is a yellow or red flag suggesting that some kind of additional feedback or process is required to get an employee\u2019s work back on track.","inLanguage":"en-NZ"},"inLanguage":"en-NZ"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\/#faq-question-1617164437865","name":"When should an employer take an informal (instead of formal) approach to employee underperformance?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"It is a good idea to begin with an informal approach when addressing underperformance. It may be that a simple conversation or some additional feedback is enough to help the employee. There also may be external factors affecting an employee\u2019s work, where an informal and sensitive approach may better serve the situation.","inLanguage":"en-NZ"},"inLanguage":"en-NZ"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/informally-address-employee-underperformance\/#faq-question-1617164450616","name":"Can underperformance lead to dismissal?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes, if an employee\u2019s performance does not improve following a formal poor performance process and warnings, it can justify dismissal. However, you cannot dismiss an employee for poor performance or underperformance after an informal process only.","inLanguage":"en-NZ"},"inLanguage":"en-NZ"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/13387"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204328"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":229857,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204328\/revisions\/229857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/201638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}