Employees that consistently ‘underperform’ are more of an issue for employers of 1000 or more staff than smaller businesses.

Three quarters of UK bosses (75%) and almost 80% of their staff (79%) believe that consistently poor performers are dragging them down.

These are the findings of Investors in People, the people quality standard.

Half of employees also admitted that they are working directly with someone who fails to do their fair share.

And it's not just employees who are feeling the strain. Nearly four in ten bosses (39%) also complain about colleagues not pulling their weight.

However, whilst bosses see deadwood as a problem in their organisation, it seems that they are turning a blind eye with 40% of employees saying their employer doesn't take any action to address the issue.

Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive of Investors in People UK says prevention is better than cure and warns of breeding resentment for bosses that bury their heads in the sand.

“It's vital that managers are equipped with the skills and confidence to tackle the issue before it becomes a problem.

"Prevention is always better than cure. Employers need to establish a clear approach that develops and motivates their staff to achieve their potential - and to deal with those who don't. It's key to the success and future growth of any organisation."

Investors in People offers the following advice to employers who think that deadwood is an issue in their organisation:

• Create clearer goals and objectives to ensure that your people feel
  valued and translate their motivation into productivity within their roles


• Provide your staff with a personal career development plan with
  appropriate training where needed


• Make sure that you don't neglect your recruitment process - getting
  the right person for the job sounds obvious, but it's surprising how many companies fail to give enough consideration to the type of applicant they need


• Take a look at yourself - you need to lead by example. If you're not
  motivated and giving of your all, how can you expect your team to deliver?


• Keep talking - ensure that you put in place a review structure to
  give your staff the ongoing feedback that they need to develop.