Performance management training falls short

Managing underperformance is a critical issue, yet line manager training on dealing with underperformance is often ineffective, XpertHR Benchmarking research finds.  Nine out of 10 employers surveyed by XpertHR say that individual underperformance is a problem for their organisation.  Underperformance issues are particularly acute at the largest organisations.

Subscribers to XpertHR Benchmarking can drill down into the complete results data from our 2012 survey of employers' performance management training arrangements. 

The survey is based on responses from 170 organisations, with a combined workforce of 453,778 employees. 

Capability is most common area of individual underperformance

Across the whole economy, the two most common poor-performance issues facing employers are capability and absence. 

However, this picture changes markedly in the public sector:

• For respondents from the public sector, absence is the most widespread performance issue by far. 
• Employers in the public sector are also significantly more likely than those in the private sector to have to deal with poor-performance issues arising from poor attitude/behaviour towards colleagues. 

Line managers play key role in managing underperformance

Line managers take sole responsibility for managing underperformance at three organisations in 10, and they share these responsibilities at a further two-thirds. 

In the public sector, just under three-fifths of line managers assume sole responsibility for managing underperformance. 

Performance management training for line managers falls short

Despite the crucial role played by line mangers, line manager training in performance management could be falling short. 

Our survey reveals a mismatch in what employers identify as the priority for performance management training, and what is covered by the actual training provided:

• Employers consider developing "performance conversation" skills to be the most important aspect of performance management training. 
• Yet only one employer in five makes training in "performance conversation" skills mandatory for managers. 

How does this compare with your organisation's experience of managing individual underperformance? Please do get in touch and let me know. 

Michael Carty, benchmarking editor

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