05 Sep Poor performance is costing small businesses more than they realise
Small business owners are losing money because they’re not tackling underperformance quickly enough, according to a local HR consultant.
HR consultant, Nicky Buckley, says that one struggling employee can affect an entire team, leading to missed deadlines, unhappy customers and good staff getting fed up.
Nicky Buckley, who runs East Midlands HR, said “It’s not just about one person missing targets. It’s the knock-on effect – projects slip, clients notice, and you spend time fixing problems instead of growing your business.
“Business owners call me saying that they’ve got someone who’s struggling, but by then the problem has already spread throughout the whole team.”
The issue, according to Nicky, is that most business owners focus on the wrong things when performance drops.
“They think it’s about the individual – that someone’s being lazy or doesn’t care. But often the real problem is unclear expectations, poor systems or skills gaps that could easily be sorted.”
She says that the early warning signs often get missed because they start small.
“Someone who used to contribute ideas goes quiet, a reliable team member starts making mistakes or things take longer to get done. By the time it’s obvious, you’re already dealing with bigger problems.”
To tackle underperformance properly, Nicky suggests that business owners should look at four key areas:
- Make sure everyone knows exactly what they’re responsible for.
- Check your systems – poor processes create performance problems.
- Spot skills gaps early and provide proper training.
- Make feedback normal, not something that only happens when there’s a crisis.
Nicky helps local businesses to create clear performance management systems that catch problems early on and support teams to succeed.
She is offering a free guide “How to handle underperformance in your business” to help owners to spot underperformance before it escalates and build systems that prevent it happening again.
You can get the guide by email to nicky@eastmidlandshr.com or you can join a webinar on Tuesday 9 September at 2pm.
Performance Management for Small Business Owners Tickets, Tue 9 Sep 2025 at 14:00 | Eventbrite
East Midlands HR started in 2019 and works with small businesses around Northamptonshire, helping owners to hire better, reduce hassle and keep their teams performing. Other free webinars are available to book on Eventbrite East Midlands HR Events – 2 Upcoming Activities and Tickets | Eventbrite
