What to do if a team member is not performing well?

Question

What can be done if a member is not performing well in your team and because of him the whole team is suffering. Who is to be blamed, the team? Should the team cover his work or should the team manager be blamed?

Answer 1

Talk to him. We can't tell you what to do; we don't know him, and we don't know why he's struggling. Above all, he's your teammate and needs to be treated respectfully.

Answer 2

First talk to him/her. Possibly there is a reason for this, and maybe the solution is simple.

If there is a good reason and the setback is temporary, the rest of the team will be understanding for the extra work. But if there is no reason or the reason is unknown, there will be tension between the team players and that is never a good idea.

Answer 3

See also Making the most of below-average team members.

Answer 4

In my company we have a very well-documented bonus system. We get bonuses based on our own performance, that of our team, and that of the company as a whole. Because of that, if someone isn't carrying their load, we all know about it -- and we all act upon it.

The only real solution is communication. Start with talking to the poorly-performing team member -- perhaps with one or two others. If (s)he is unwilling or unable to change, then all you can do is state your concerns to your manager -- preferably as a team.

Answer 5

Um. Maybe blame issue should be tossed aside, and the team manager, should address the issue privately with the offending member? This is one of the things that management is for.

The other members of the team should go out of their way to set a good example.

Confrontation by the team should be avoided.

Answer 6

Talk to him in private.

Explain that there are some things he/she needs to improve. Be nice but firm. If you want to help make them feel at ease, do the sandwich aproach. You mix compliments in with your criticisms.

Answer 7

This thread also has some good tips for finding out why a person is under-performing.

Answer 8

I see one instant problem - you've used the word "blame" twice in your question. If people are looking for someone to blame, the problem's already gotten out of hand.

What should have happened is that an under-performing team member should have been identified after a number (usually three for me) of occurrences of the problem (missed deadline, shouting at others in meetings, whatever the problem is, only you know this).

They should have been taken aside privately by one team member (the closest to them) or the team leader, told that their behavior was causing a problem and offered any assistance that they thought was required.

This is positive help. An example of negative help would have been if you'd asked them why they were not doing their job. Positive help works 90% of the time, negative help fails about that same percentage.

Only if they refuse the help and their performance continues to be a problem do you escalate to the next level of management.

I must stress at all times, treat them with respect. The worst thing you can do in this situation is make them defensive since that means they think you're attacking rather than helping.

We had a situation about a year ago where one of our team was falling behind and, after discussion with the team leader (myself), it was found they had family problems at home. What did we do? We sent him away on paid leave for two weeks to get it sorted out and made it clear we expected improved behavior when he got back. He came back and outperformed all his previous reviews that year.

It doesn't always work - we had another person who became uncooperative and, despite repeated offers of assistance, he didn't take them up and refused to improve his behavior. He was "let go" (I love that phrase, it's so gentle just to let team members go rather than firing them :-) but only after two months of trying, and the team picked up his slack and delivered on time and almost on budget because the atmosphere was so much better.

At no time was he told he was a problem, although it was made clear his behavior was a problem (this is the same advice I received for treating our young children).

Answer 9

If you are the manager of the team then it is up to you to address the problem. Hopefully you have been consistent in your feedback about the team member performance. You will be working with them to close any skill gap that might be the cause of their under performance. If it is a behavioral problem then you will have informed them what they need to change and the consequences of failing to make those behavioral changes.

If you are colleague of the under performer and it has become a serious problem then I believe it is okay to raise your concerns to your manager. You need to let your manager deal with it from there.

But if you think you can help your colleague fix their problems then you should help them out.

Answer 10

1. Roles, measurements, and roadmaps should be established early
2. When in doubt, look above you for help
3. Never make it personal

Look to the project metrics for guidance. If documentation points to missed milestones, broken builds, and absentee reviews, then that's a case for managerial intervention.

If such documentation doesn't exist, then you're barking up the wrong tree. Check out the Joel Test