When an employee appears to be performing poorly in their job, it is essential that you investigate the underlying causes for this. Poor performance could be related to:

• A lack of application to role and tasks
• Lack of capability or skills in general
• Lack of capability due to illness or injury.

A lack of application may occur when an employee has the necessary skills and abilities to perform the role but is not applying these and, as a result, there is a decline in their performance. A lack of capability could be a result of inadequate training or resources, provision of inadequate work instructions or a lack of appropriate skills. An employee's work performance may become impaired as a result of illness or injury. Each of these scenarios will require different remedial actions, so it is essential to correctly identify the cause of poor performance.

To explore this further the pharmacy manager could consider:

• How long has the employee been under performing? How well did the employee perform in the past? Is this unusual for this employee?
• Are there changes in staffing resources causing pressure?
• Have there been changes in the pharmacy, e.g. technology, which could be impacting on performance?
• Are you aware of any change in the employee's personal circumstances?
• Is there workplace conflict, harassment, bullying or victimisation?
• Are there any indications that the employee is suffering from work-related stress?
• Is the employee demotivated?
• Does their role need to be enriched? Are they bored with daily tasks?
• Is the employee suffering from external factors, e.g. the downturn in economy?

Considering these factors will enable the manager to build a more accurate and informed picture of the employee's performance and identify which, if any, factors could be affecting performance. Given the rising number of claims for workplace stress, the pharmacy should not dismiss stress as a cause of performance issues.