Poor performance does not always warrant a firing action; if you know that the employee in question has the capacity and the will to perform well, it is important to give him a chance to prove his worth even if he has disappointed you previously.
A letter of concern can be written to an employee who has not been performing well as a means for motivation. Letters of concern can be considered warnings to employees as well – with a gentle touch. When an employee receives a letter of concern, he automatically understands that there is need for him to “click his heals and fly to Kansas.”
Since poor performance can transpire for many reasons including the inability to understand project goals, personal problems or general incompetency, it is important to address the right issue when writing a letter of concern. You can also invite an employee to indulge in dialogue to settle the issue through a letter of concern. The contents of a letter of concern may vary depending on the individual situation but you can write yours along the lines of the following one.
Sample Letter of Concern for Poor Performance
December 13, 2014
Jason Donovan
Sales Manager
Macy’s
3077 Homestead Road
Palm Desert, CA 92660
Dear Mr. Donovan:
I was in the process of looking through the weekly sales reports dating back to May 2014 and was quite alarmed to see that your department has not met sales targets between May and November 2014.
As you know, Macy’s existence in Palm Desert (since we are just one year old) depends highly on not just meeting but exceeding the sales targets that we have been provided with. Failure to do so can result in the company deciding to close down this venture which can have catastrophic effects on our jobs and the company’s reputation.
Taking the liberty to interview some members of your team before writing this letter of concern to you, I have determined that you have been “strangely withdrawn” during work hours, as one of your underlings states. You and I have collectively brought this branch into existence and I believe that we can be candid with each other if there are any problems that are keeping us from performing our work properly. Please remember that poor performance will reflect negatively on the years of struggles that you have gone through to get to this position so if there is anything that is bothering you, please be honest about it so we can nip it in the bud.
I am available to talk or discuss any issues that you may have so you can contact me at any time of the day. I will appreciate open-mindedness from your end so that we can resolve this issue immediately and get back on our feet so that we are able to exceed targets and bring Macy’s to a whole new level!
Sincerely,
James Worth
Director Sales
Macy’s
Tel: (222) 222-2222
Email: