Being able to recognise a false performer is the first step towards successfully being able to manage this negative form of unethical work behaviour.
A false performer is an incompetent employee who deliberately presents themselves as being better able to perform in a job role than they know themselves to be capable of. They typically engage in deceptive behaviours (e.g. task avoidance). Unsurprisingly, the false performer’s actions can cause harm to both the organisation and the wellbeing of their co-workers.
To ignore false performance is to risk allowing incompetent employees to enter and even thrive in your organisation. This can lead to negative repercussions, including reduced productivity, increased work errors, and a decline in team morale.
A false performer’s co-workers can become demoralised if they observe false performance being rewarded, for instance through positive evaluations, thus impacting negatively on trust that one’s colleagues are competent and acting fairly.
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My top five practical tips for HR professionals on how to recognise false performers include the following, but this list is certainly not exhaustive.
Be alert for:
- Interview candidates who exaggerate or lie about their qualifications and/or work history. Verify a candidate’s qualifications, work history, CV, and references to help prevent a false performer from entering the organisation.
- Employees who claim credit for collective team efforts rather than explaining what their own individual contribution was. Where possible, encourage employees to explain: “I did this…and the outcome was…”.
- Instances of work errors, where individuals are quick to dismiss the problem or shift the blame to co-workers or other factors (e.g. technology) to hide their incompetence. Investigate such episodes carefully and speak to all involved stakeholders.
- An over-emphasis on past achievements. False performers may try to divert attention from their current job performance by talking about previous successes. Keep the focus on the here and now, and current key performance indicators.
- False performers who use persuasive language or superficial letters after their name to give the impression that they are more competent than they are. Again, rely on objective measures rather than being distracted by impressive words.
The benefits of recognising and actively managing false performance is that false performers are much less likely to succeed at interview stage or, if they are appointed, they will be detected earlier.
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The performance appraisal presents a valuable opportunity to identify organisational charlatans as false performance behaviours are likely to be heightened in response to this formal evaluation of job performance.
HR leaders who are trying to reduce false performance could develop training for managers in how to detect and manage false performers at the interview stage, during employment, and in performance appraisals. And, rather than relying on 1:1 appraisals, organisations could benefit from 360-degree feedback from multiple stakeholders such as co-workers, managers, and customers, to obtain a more realistic picture of employee performance. False performers risk going undetected in organisations where their sole testimony remains unchallenged.
In summary, HR professionals should take a systematic approach, to reduce and eliminate false performance from the workplace. The positive outcome of that approach will be improved selection and appraisal processes, increased productivity, and enhanced co-worker trust.
Marie Dunnion is a chartered psychologist and research fellow at the University of Birmingham
