In the media, published in The Financial Times, July 17, 2011

Written by Virginia Merritt. This article is filed under: engagement, people, workforce management

The Careerist: Managing an underperformer

By Rhymer Rigby, The Financial Times

Underperforming underlings represent a huge challenge for any manager. Not only are they very difficult, but their poor performance can rub off on you. What do I look out for?

“The first thing to do is to trust your instincts as a boss,” says Virginia Merritt, a partner at strategy consultants Stanton Marris. “You notice very early on when someone isn’t performing at their best. But it is very easy to rationalise, make excuses and hope that by ignoring a problem it will go away.”

However, she adds: “You need to call it out as soon as you know it’s happening and sound a warning bell that it’s not acceptable.”