How To Help A Perfectionist Employee

High standards are something all good employees strive towards. Those who are an asset to the company take on board their goals and do all in their power to meet these objectives and surpass them. But when does enthusiasm for work cross the line from dedication to obsession? When does perfectionism cloud ambition? So few of us know what perfectionism truly means. In its truest sense, perfectionism is a daily struggle for employees. It can also pose an HR nightmare regarding performance management, often resulting in missed deadlines, burnout and elevated stress levels, which have far-reaching consequences. But what is perfectionism? How does it impact a business, and how can we help a perfectionist employee?

What is clinical perfectionism?

To many, perfectionism means that you try your best and you often get good results. However, in reality, clinical perfectionism is far more complicated. In essence, perfectionists live with rigid and usually impossible self-imposed standards. They expect a lot from themselves, and regardless of their achievements, they frequently berate themselves for not doing more or not performing better. As such, they rarely feel a sense of accomplishment. No matter how satisfied their managers are with their productivity, they feel an innate sense of failure for not achieving more in a shorter amount of time. Perfectionists seek a level of flawlessness that is not achievable. For this reason, it is linked heavily with other clinical diagnoses, such as anxiety and depression.

Often, perfectionism presents itself in one of two ways. Individuals might dedicate themselves to a given task at the expense of everything else. This can be taxing, leading to exhaustion, burnout and, inevitably, dissatisfaction, as perfectionists are rarely completely happy with their work. Alternatively, a perfectionist will recognise that they cannot achieve the given task perfectly, so they avoid the task entirely.

Signs of perfectionism in an employee

An employee with perfectionism often sets unachievable goals or standards for themselves. They will then demonstrate an obsession to reach these goals at all costs, as achieving these objectives directly relates to their self-worth. An employee with perfectionism will never seem completely content. They will always feel like they could (and should) have done more. For this reason, they will continuously raise their standards. Be wary of this, as an individual with perfectionism will never be entirely satisfied with their own performance. Finally, watch out for signs of avoidance or employees who spend a disproportionate amount of time on seemingly unimportant tasks.

Why is it a problem for HR?

So, what aspects of perfectionism, in particular, cause a problem for HR? Of course, it’s not all bad. Perfectionists generally contribute a lot of high-quality work, display great attention to detail, and often spot areas for improvement that have been overlooked. However, the negative aspects of perfectionism can be costly.

As mentioned above, people with perfectionism often suffer from burnout. They rarely have the ability to prioritise tasks, as they believe all tasks are equally important and should be done equally well. This places an impossible standard upon the employee, and in their mission to excel, they often work themselves into the ground. They become frustrated, stressed, and exhausted, which might result in absenteeism due to ill health.

Often, perfectionists can have an unintended negative impact on those around them. They can hold others to their own exacting standards, which are unfair and impossible. Other employees might begin to complain, or their work might suffer.

Despite their mission for perfectionism, these same people often miss deadlines. They reason that a task isn’t done well enough and need more time to get it up to scratch. According to one source, perfectionists are 66% more likely to miss deadlines for this reason. Finally, an employee might not meet their deadlines at all due to avoidance.

How to help a perfectionistic employee

The idea isn’t to remove all traces of perfectionism from your employees. It’s to help them manage their expectations and behaviour to be happier, more productive and more efficient.

Managers and employees must collaborate on setting SMART goals to manage expectations and objectives. This way, managers can ensure that goals are attainable. Managers should watch out for employees who constantly stretch beyond what is realistic. Ambition and dedication are great, but ridiculously high standards just set employees up for disappointment. Performance management software can be used to set up and track these goals so everyone involved can remain up to date with progress.

Regular feedback is suitable for all employees but is essential for perfectionists. Modern performance management systems are moving towards continuous performance management, where employees and managers meet up for regular, informal discussions relating to work. This allows your perfectionist employees to discuss progress, expectations, frustrations, and issues impacting their productivity. Be sure to demonstrate to the employee that you are thankful for their efforts, but you don’t want them to overtax themselves to the detriment of their health.

Finally, encourage your perfectionist employee to accept occasional failures. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes, but we must learn from them rather than beating ourselves up. In this respect, we will encourage employees to be positive, independent and enthusiastic assets to our organisation.