One of Bart Simpson’s claims to fame is: “Underachiever — and proud of it.” Most employees, though, aren’t nearly so honest – and there’s a good likelihood you could occasionally encounter one or two of them in your Purchasing/Procurement department.

Underachieving employees are a black hole for most companies. Research shows that only 14% of senior execs feel their companies do a good job with these workers. In many cases, it’s tolerated, or more likely, becomes “someone else’s problem.”

It doesn’t have to be this way.

The first step to getting rid of the “under” is to realize you’re dealing with a people problem, not a business problem.

Then, there are five steps you can run through as part of your rescue project:

1. Take charge. This is a problem for the employee’s supervisor — not for HR. You have the best knowledge of the situation.

2. No beating around the bush. Address the problem directly with employees — no sugar coating. Their work isn’t up to par, and it must improve.

3. Are we on the same wavelength? There are cases where staffers aren’t clear on their job duties and objectives. No wonder they’re underachievers. You can set them straight.

4. Are they equipped to do the job? Sometimes it’s a matter of proper training or even having the right tools to complete the job successfully — and underachievers can be afraid to speak up or ask.

5. Deliver progress reports. More frequent feedback can help employees improve performance. Don’t wait for annual performance reviews to announce there’s a problem.

Tags: employees, performance, purchasing