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Do you have the confidence to resolve identified performance problems in your business? Having good tools and templates to guide you through the performance management process will increase your confidence. You will find these tools and templates in any good performance management pack.
What is in a good performance management pack?
A good performance management pack will contain the following items:
- A performance management flowchart identifying the key steps to take when confronted with an employee performance issue
- Templates to help you to document your employee performance issues
- How to guide for conducting a performance discussion
Often managers will cite a variety of "reasons" for not confronting performance issues in their business. However, it is rare for a manager to use the reason "I do not know how to get started"
Regardless of the reasons offered by the leaders, a substantial lift in employee performance will result from a "Getting Started with your Performance Management" coaching program.
It has been our experience that, within a few weeks of starting a coaching program, most managers are capable of addressing performance issues with increased confidence.
What changed?
Our experience suggests that there are three reasons why mangers do not address employee performance issues, (the managers source of resistance), they
- do not know how to get started
- have concerns on how to handle employee responses
- lack a compelling reason to get started
To assist leaders to overcome their resistance to performance management we have used the following approach
- Firstly, provide a framework to operate within, including
- a flowchart of the performance management process,
- how to guide for conducting a performance discussion,
- templates to assist with documenting the performance discussion,
- templates to help you to clearly define a performance problem.
- a flowchart of the performance management process,
- Then,
participate in a discussion session where the leaders are encouraged to
role-play the running of a performance discussion. Ask your HR
professional to provide you with an opportunity to respond to your
questions on how to deal with specific performance issues and possible
employee responses.
- Finally, understand that your role, as a leader, comes with responsibility. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your employees meet the minimum standard for both performance and conduct. If you accept any level of performance below the minimum then you are not doing your job.
The Performance Management Process
Managing employee performance is one of the more confronting activities that modern leaders are required to do. However, early intervention will reduce the need to conduct formal performance sessions.
We recommend that for routine performance issues that you adopt the following process
- Step 1: Fireside Chat
The fireside chat is immediate, as soon as you identify a performance issue; you will have a friendly chat with the employee about your concerns, for example: "John, I have noticed that you are falling behind, this is unusual for you, is everything alright"
- Step 2: Verbal Warning
The verbal warning is not long after the fireside chat, "John, a couple of days ago you were slipping behind, when we discussed it you said there were no issues. However, you are still not meeting the required standard ………. If this continues you will give me no choice but to go down the formal performance management line with you, I don’t want to do that as until recently you have been a solid performer."
- Step 3: Formal Written Warning
During your first formal performance discussion, you will have agreed a time line to see improvements in employee performance. At the agreed time, if performance has not improved inline with expectations you will issue a formal written warning.
- Step 4: Final Warning
During your formal written warning performance discussion, you will have agreed a timeframe to see improvements in performance. At the agreed time, if employee performance has not improved inline with expectations, you will issue a final warning.
- Step 5: Termination
During your final warning performance discussion, you will have agreed a timeframe to see improvements in performance. At the agreed time, if employee performance has not improved inline with expectations, you will terminate.
You may find that due to the valid mitigating factors you may not issue warnings inline with this process.
Note: You should never terminate an employee’s contract without seeking advice from your Human Resources Advisor. Where possible, always discuss the employee’s specific case prior to taking the next step in your performance management.
If you follow this process, before you know it you will be on top of all performance issues in your business.
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