• 1. Write down what good work looks like
  • 2. Pick a few measures, not a dashboard

To improve workplace performance in a small business, make expectations clear before you judge results: write down what good work looks like for each role, check in on a fixed schedule, and give specific feedback while the work is still fresh. When someone's work slips, find the cause before you act, agree on a short written plan with dates, and follow it through the same way for everyone.

A team meeting around a conference table

This page is about day-to-day performance in a small team. For formal reviews, see employee performance evaluation. For the habits and values behind the work, see how to create a company culture, and for handing work over, see how to delegate tasks effectively.

1. Write down what good work looks like

For each role, list the three to five results the person is responsible for and how you'll know they're done well. Write a sentence such as Client reports go out by the 5th of each month, checked by a second person, not Keep clients happy. Share it on the first day, and update it when the role changes.

2. Pick a few measures, not a dashboard

Choose one or two numbers per role that the person can influence, such as jobs finished on time or quotes sent within two days. Keep the list short, and say which one matters this week.

3. Check in on a fixed schedule

Hold a short one-to-one every week or two to catch problems while they're small. Use the same three questions each time: what's going well, what's in the way, and what the person needs from you. Write down anything you both commit to.

4. Give specific feedback soon

Say what happened, when, and what it affected, within a few days. The last two estimates went out without the materials list, so the client called twice to ask is something a person can fix. Your work has been slipping isn't.

5. Find the cause before you act

When performance drops, ask before you assume. The cause might be an unclear instruction, a missing skill, a tool that gets in the way, too much work, or something outside work. Match your answer to the cause.

6. Remove the friction you control

Look for the steps that slow everyone down: retyping the same details, hunting for files, waiting on approvals. Fixing one of these can help the whole team, not just the person who raised it.

7. Match training to the gap

If the cause is a missing skill, choose training that covers that skill: pairing with a colleague, a short course, or a written guide to the task. Check after a few weeks whether the work has changed.

8. Recognize good work specifically

Say what the person did and why it mattered: You caught the pricing error before the invoice went out. Name the specific behavior you'd like repeated.

9. Put an improvement plan in writing

If the work still isn't where it needs to be, agree on a plan with the person: the result you need, the support you'll give, check-in dates and the date you'll review it. Keep a copy each.

10. Follow through, the same way for everyone

At the review date, compare the work with the plan. Apply the same standards to everyone in the same role. Before any formal warning, change of role or dismissal, talk to an employment lawyer or an HR adviser, because the rules depend on where you operate and on any contract you've signed.

Worked example: what regular check-ins cost

Sample figures, for illustration only. A manager has 5 direct reports and holds a 20-minute check-in with each one every week:

  • 5 × 20 minutes = 100 minutes a week, or about 1 hour 40 minutes.
  • Over 46 working weeks: 100 × 46 = 4,600 minutes, or 4,600 ÷ 60 ≈ 77 hours a year.

Compare that with the time it takes to fix one missed deadline or redo one job, and decide whether weekly or every two weeks suits your team. Run the sums with your own team size.

Where Billed fits

If your team bills its time, timesheets show where the hours go. Billed's time tracking page says: "Billed breaks your time down by day and by week, so a missing entry is easy to spot before you bill." Billed's features page says: "Collaborate and track your team’s time in one place."

Mistakes to avoid

  • Judging people against expectations they never saw in writing.
  • Saving all feedback for an annual review.
  • Treating every slip as a motivation problem without asking about the cause.
  • Setting an improvement plan with no dates.
  • Holding one person to a standard you don't apply to the rest of the team.

When this guide isn't for you

If a performance problem involves harassment, discrimination, a safety risk or a possible dismissal, get advice from an employment lawyer or an HR adviser before you act. If you work in a larger company with its own HR process, follow that process.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do first when someone's work slips?

Talk to them soon, describe what happened and what it affected, and ask what got in the way. Find the cause before you decide on training, a change in workload or a written plan.

How often should I check in with each team member?

Weekly or every two weeks, on a fixed day, and short: around a quarter of an hour to half an hour. Use the same questions each time so small problems come up before they grow.

Should I put an improvement plan in writing?

Yes. Write down the result you need, the support you'll give, the check-in dates and the review date, and give the person a copy. Before any formal step, ask an employment lawyer or an HR adviser.

Can Billed show how my team's time is spent?

Billed's time tracking page says: "Billed breaks your time down by day and by week, so a missing entry is easy to spot before you bill."

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