Warning Signs That Your Team is Underperforming


A productive and collaborative team is the backbone of many companies. You will likely notice more growth and success when your employees are working at their full potential. However, an underperforming team can negatively influence an organization, and you may not even notice it. A study found that poor-performing employees cost the economy $450 to $550 billion annually.

The key to addressing underperformance is identifying productivity issues and taking necessary measures to build employee morale. Look out for the warning signs that may indicate your team is underperforming, and learn how to solve the issues.

Communication Gap

One of the most important elements of teamwork is communication. Whether your team is split over different locations, working from home, or under the same roof – they must communicate. Lack of communication between employees leads to incomplete work, longer completion time, and lower quality work. Often, these issues can influence your product or service and lead to unsatisfied employees.

There are a few steps you can take to bridge the communication gap among your employees. Start by introducing more group projects that require employees to connect with other employees they usually don’t speak to. This will encourage them to get to know another person, resulting in better collaboration and productivity. You can also introduce different tools, such as messaging apps, document editing platforms, and file-sharing software, to encourage your team to stay in touch. Hosting frequent training sessions and team-building exercises also helps break the ice.

Lack of Creativity & Passion

Although some jobs require employees to perform monotonous tasks, this can demotivate employees and lead to underperformance. If your team must perform the same task for an extended time with no changes, they may feel bored and lose their creativity or passion. You will find it putting less effort into the process or spending less time thinking outside the box.

You can spark creativity in your team by switching tasks and encouraging them to be creative. Another factor that affects employees’ creativity is the space they work in. If your team spends five days a week behind their cubicle, it can be challenging to picture anything new. Consider switching to a hybrid work environment or letting employees occasionally work from home, as this may help get their creative juices flowing.

Same Tasks Need to Be Repeated

If your employees complete a task efficiently, they won’t need to do it again. However, if you notice numerous errors or the need to complete a task several times, it may be a warning sign that your employees aren’t productive.

Sometimes employees make mistakes completing their tasks when overwhelmed with too many tasks. The key to relieving their stress is dividing their workload fairly. Sometimes, this may require you to add a new member to the team to redistribute the workload. Hiring new people will allow your current employees to complete their tasks efficiently the first time around.

Consider working with a requirement agency to save time and ensure you’re hiring the right people. Depending on the type of role you want to fill, look for recruitment specialists for your hiring needs that are familiar with the role. Specialized agencies with extensive experience help you find the right candidate for the role and reduce the risk of staff turnover due to a bad hire. They can also help with the onboarding process to streamline the process of adding someone to your team.

Your employees play a significant role in your company’s success, so paying attention to their needs is important. Look out for the warning signs mentioned above and address them immediately to prevent them from seeping into your profitability.


Kokou Adzo

Kokou Adzo is a seasoned professional with a strong background in growth strategies and editorial responsibilities. Kokou has been instrumental in driving companies' expansion and fortifying their market presence. His academic credentials underscore his expertise; having studied Communication at the Università degli Studi di Siena (Italy), he later honed his skills in growth hacking at the Growth Tribe Academy (Amsterdam).

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