Problem at Work 3: Poor Performance or Productivity

This continues our series on problems at work that could get you fired or stall your career

Your performance and productivity affects how your supervisor perceives your value to the company. Great performance and productivity reflects well on future raises and promotions. Poor performance and productivity, however, decreases your perceived value. Continued poor performance or productivity jeopardizes your job and future career.

Why Poor Performance or Productivity Stalls Your Career

Your company hired you to produce a certain amount of product or service. They pay you a salary to perform as they expect. Failure to produce what they expect indicates that they will not see a positive return on their investment. Continued poor performance and productivity leads them to believe that you will never deliver what you promised when they hired you.

How to Resolve Poor Performance and Productivity

You might improve your performance and productivity with the following steps:

• Clarify exactly what they expect of you in terms of
  • Productivity: how much they expect you to produce or deliver
  • Effectiveness: what they want that to accomplish
  • Efficiency: how much time, money, or resources they expect you to use
  • Quality: the excellence of the work the company expects of you
• Identify a mentor and network of connections to help you improve your performance. Let them assist you to
  • Nurture your skills and abilities
  • Understand how the company works more effectively
  • Connect with the people who contribute to your production
  • Set realistic goals to improve your productivity and performance
• Increase your productivity and performance until they meet expectations
  • Work harder based on the advice of your mentor
  • Work smarter using the information and abilities your network gave you
  • Work faster, but more accurately, under the direction of your supervisor
• Measure your performance each day, week, or month
  • Compare actual performance to expectations and performance goals
  • Create a graph to easily see your progression and improvement
  • Create home run statements that illustrate your improvement
  • Show your graph, and share your home run statements,  with your supervisor

Improving your performance and productivity restores the company’s faith that you provide a good return on investment.

Join me on Monday when we discuss the problem of cantankerous, obnoxious, & rude behavior