5 TIPS TO MANAGE POOR PERFORMANCE WITHIN YOUR TEAM

Spreading Joy: Sharp Consultancy’s Annual Easter Egg Drive

At Sharp Consultancy, our annual Easter Egg Drive has once again brought together our team, clients, and community to support local charities and spread a little cheer. As a finance and accountancy recruitment business rooted in Yorkshire, we’re proud to use our network to give something back—and this year has been no exception.Led by Tom Davage, Senior Consultant in our South Yorkshire office, our team has been out and about collecting Easter egg donations from our fantastic clients. The generosity shown has been incredible, especially given the ongoing challenges many continue to face. Thanks to everyone who contributed, we were able to deliver meaningful support to three wonderful charities in our region: Paces, a specialist centre supporting children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders; St Luke’s Hospice, which offers compassionate end-of-life care; and The Family Works, a trauma informed, family support project working alongside underprivileged families.Tom, who organised this year’s initiative, shared: “When you hear the stories from the people working within these charities, it really opens your eyes to the challenges others face. If we can bring a smile to someone’s face—even through something as simple as an Easter egg—it makes it all worthwhile. Every bit of support counts.” Seeing familiar donators from past years and welcoming new ones has been truly heart-warming. It’s a testament to the kind and community-minded nature of the businesses we work with. To all our clients who donated, thank you. Your kindness and continued support make this initiative possible and help us make a real difference. If you’d like to get involved next year or learn more about the causes we support, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can keep making a positive impact—one small gesture at a time.

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Whether you are stepping up into your first line management role or are an experienced team leader, managing poor performance within your department can be a tricky skill to master. Addressing underperformance requires an approach which is both tactful yet decisive and gives a clear course of action to resolve any issues.

Here are our top tips and suggestions:

Take swift action

As soon as you have any concerns regarding a staff member or an area of their work, make sure you look to address any issues as quickly as possible. Not only will this hopefully nip any problems in the bud, but it will also give the individual the best possible chance to improve and develop; be sure to approach any conversations tactfully, ask what help and support they feel that they need and offer constructive suggestions and alternative solutions.

Encourage openness

You want to develop an open dialogue with the underperforming staff member so ensure that you are calm and give the person the chance to discuss how they feel they are dealing with a particular area of their work. Consideration should also be given as to why they are underperforming, particularly if they have a strong previous track record. Be mindful of anything which may be going on outside of work which could be having an impact and similarly consider if anything has recently changed within the team dynamic or role responsibilities.

Be prepared

Ensure that you are well prepared for any discussion by gathering specific examples to illustrate your concerns. The employee may or may not be aware that their performance has been below par; make sure that they are aware that the purpose of the discussion is not to discipline but to arrive at possible solutions together and ensure that they have the opportunity to respond to any concerns that you raise.

Review objectives and targets

If poor performance is relating to targets or objectives made during a previous review, consider if anything has changed which might have had an impact on the employee’s ability to achieve these. Has the business changed direction? Has a long-term absence in the team caused workload priorities to shift? Discuss what would be a realistic interim target if the overall objective currently feels too far out of reach to encourage and maintain motivation.

Set a timeframe

Put in place a realistic review programme alongside clear support tools and targets so both you and they can ensure that they remain on track.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to speak to a member of our team about your next career move.