An employee that performs weakly is a serious detriment to any organization. Lost productivity alone can be a harmful drag on the company, but the attitudes engendered by weak performance are even more dangerous. Should an under performing employee not be dealt with promptly, their attitude could spread throughout the office, gradually lowering performance across the board. At the same time, it is important to recognize that weak performance may have a number of causes. Working with the employee to improve performance should be a serious priority for the human resources department.

The first barrier to weak performance is a consistent benchmark for performance evaluation. Nothing engenders weak performance more than an inconsistent evaluation process. If an employee feels that evaluations are ineffective and unrealistic, they are far more likely to put less into their work. An effective evaluation system rewards success and improves upon a lack of performance. Should that key ingredient be missing for whatever reason, an employee will put forth only the effort they deem necessary to avoid being fired.

Employee disengagement can be another productivity killer. Eventually, even the most motivated employee will become disengaged with their work if circumstances remain stagnant for too long. An employee that feels stuck in a position that no longer holds any interest to them will inevitably become less productive as their efforts wane. Opportunity and upward mobility are key to maintaining employee productivity. If there is no room to advance or try new things, employees will do only what it takes to keep a job.

Conflict within the office can be another source of weak performance. A tense and uncomfortable office environment can easily lead to lost productivity, especially in circumstances where effective communication is key to the work.

An employee that is shopping around for a new job may also tend to fall off in productivity. When an otherwise productive employee begins to perform weakly, they could very well be prepared to leave the organization. Entirely preventing this kind of situation is impossible, but providing a challenging work environment full of opportunity is the most effective counter measure.

It is entirely possible that a slump in productivity may be due to some personal factor, such as the failure of a relationship or the death of a family member. In these cases, a good employee will overcome the situation and begin performing as expected again.