A performance gap is the difference between an employee’s current performance and their desired performance. Put simply, an employee has a performance gap when they have to perform a certain task in their role, but they don’t know how to complete it.
Examples of performance gaps include:
- An employee needs to keep checking their email, but doesn’t know how.
- A sales employee has a quota to meet, but comes up short that month.
- A retail employee is expected to complete taking inventory in 4 days, but it takes them 5.
Ready to learn more about performance gaps? Let’s dive into what performance gaps are, examples of performance gaps, and 3 types of gaps to look out for.
What Is A Performance Gap?
A performance gap is the difference between an employee’s current performance and their desired performance. Put simply, an employee has a performance gap when they have to perform a certain task in their role, but they don’t know how to complete it.
Often used as part of a performance management process, performance gaps are a result of a lack of knowledge, expertise, or skill in a specific area pertaining to an employee’s role.
How Are Performance Gaps In Employees Formed?
Performance gaps could be the result of a variety of issues, including:
- An employee doesn’t know the expectations of their role
- An employee doesn’t have the necessary tools (e.g. software, internet access, equipment) to complete job-related tasks
- An employee doesn’t complete comprehensive onboarding that trains them on critical information (e.g. hardware operation, software usage, completion of key processes)
- An employees doesn’t have the knowledge and skills to be successful
To close performance gaps, we recommend that organizations examine their existing workforce’s performance by scheduling employee evaluations with employees and their manager. Additionally, organizations could look into completing a training needs analysis to unveil whether or not performance gaps are a training issue.
3 Examples Of Performance Gaps In Employees
Although it varies across industries and positions, common examples of performance gaps include:
- An employee needs to keep checking their email, but doesn’t know how.
- A sales employee has a quota to meet, but comes up short that month.
- A retail employee is expected to complete taking inventory in 4 days, but it takes them 5.
Read More: Is A Training Needs Analysis Really Worth It? 3 Reasons To Conduct A TNA
