My Co-Worker is Underperforming

Handling Underperforming Church Staff: A Proactive Approach

In every organization, including churches, there can be circumstances where a staff member is underperforming. This delicate issue, if not addressed promptly and properly, can significantly impact the effectiveness of the church's mission.

Identifying the Problem

An underperforming member may manifest through reduced productivity, lack of motivation, a negative attitude, or even decreased involvement. All these issues can contribute to a perception of underperformance in the church staff and, if unaddressed, can affect the functioning of the whole team.

Avoiding Impulsive Reactions

When facing underperformance, it's understandable to feel frustrated or upset. However, instead of reacting impulsively, it's essential to approach staff members with humility, patience, and understanding. You need to remember that this is a pastoral issue, not just an administrative one. Every situation should be treated with the heart of a pastor, offering care and understanding as part of the approach.

Investigation and Improvement

Many factors can contribute to underperformance within your church staff. It could be a lack of motivation, qualification, or even personal life issues affecting their productivity. Irrespective of the reason, what's crucial is to understand the underlying issues and address them with a performance improvement plan.

1. Set clear expectations: Frustration and confusion often stem from unclear roles and expectations. Make sure to establish measurable goals and outcomes for each role, and how each contributes to the church’s mission.
2. Provide constant feedback: Regular one-on-one meetings offering constructive feedback are critical. These meetings shouldn't be confined to annual reviews but should occur regularly to address issues as they arise.
3. Provide Support and Training: Pair the underperforming staff member with a mentor or run training sessions to help bridge the skills gap. Small improvements must be celebrated to motivate continuous performance improvement.

Only by clearly defining roles, setting clear benchmarks, and offering regular feedback, can you hope to turn around performance issues. Underperforming staff members are not lost causes; with the right guidance and assistance, they can be restored to productive positions within the church staff.

Remember, addressing underperformance with understanding and empathy might seem challenging, but it can yield great rewards in the long run. Listen to today's Healthy Church Staff Podcast episode for a deeper discussion on this topic. We can join hands in making our church staff spaces a place of continuous growth and mutual support.