Underperform

How it is used

A neutral, professional way to say that someone is not doing well enough. Managers deal with underperforming employees through feedback, support and, if needed, a performance improvement plan. The noun is underperformance.

Example sentences

1. The Ankara branch has underperformed for three quarters in a row.

2. Before you call someone underperforming, check whether their targets were realistic.

Common collocations

• underperforming employee
• consistently underperform
• underperform the market
• deal with underperformance

Related terms

• performance improvement planA formal written plan given to an employee who is not meeting expectations, setting out specific goals, the support offered and a time limit for improvement.
• performance reviewA regular formal meeting in which a manager and an employee discuss how well the employee has done their job, agree on a rating and set goals for the next period.
• targetA specific number, level or result that a person or team is expected to reach within a set time, such as a sales figure or a cost limit.
• KPIShort for key performance indicator: a number that shows how well a person, team or company is doing against an important goal, such as monthly sales or customer satisfaction.
• feedbackComments on how well someone has done a piece of work or behaved, given so that they can keep doing what works and improve what does not.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• underperform · Human Resources

More terms: Performance Management

• benchmark
• appraisal
• SMART goals
• 360-degree feedback
• talent management
• stretch goal