Performance Management

How do you get the best out of your people?

How do you develop them to be able to successfully manage a team?

Improving the skills required to manage the performance of an individual, or a team, sometimes seems to fall into the “I will do it tomorrow” category. Sometimes this is because managers/leaders lack the confidence, skills, or knowledge to effectively manage performance, rather than lacking the desire to do it.

The individual or team that is focussed, motivated, and has clear targets, will have a very positive impact on your business/organisation and its performance. Performance management should be an ongoing, lifelong process, rather than a task to be completed and then forgotten. It should describe the levels of individual performance required in order for the organisation to achieve its goals, and the way in which that performance will need to be continuously reviewed and improved.

Role Clarity
Role clarity is essential in order for individual employees to know what is expected of them and for managers to be able to effectively manage their performance to these standards. Job Descriptions are a good place to start, along with Job Specifications and Person Specifications, which identify the critical versus the desirable attributes of the role and the ideal candidate for it. For management roles, it can also be a very valuable exercise to research and develop a set of role competencies. This clarity over the role can be invaluable in recruitment as well as in performance management.

Setting Objectives
Clear objectives, along with a clear understanding of the actions required to achieve them, can significantly improve performance by providing clarity of direction. If the individual or team 'owns' the objectives (you might call them targets) success is much more likely. Setting objectives is a bit of a mystery to many managers and employees, but with a simple, structured approach, the process and results can be transformed.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
What are the key measures in your business? Do your employees and managers all know what the targets are and how they, and the business are performing against them? Setting out clear KPIs and then reporting progress against them, can really focus in on your strong and weak performers and on business improvement opportunities.

Giving Feedback
To manage performance effectively requires regular, but not necessarily lengthy, review meetings. A 10-15 minute one-to-one each week can really keep momentum behind progress. Managing feedback sessions without getting into confrontation requires skill, but this can be taught to most managers.

Appraisals
Avoided by some managers and employees, at all costs!

Why is this? – well usually because:

• managers 'don’t have the time'
• employees think that six months to a year’s worth of 'feedback' is coming their way
• both parties fear confrontation or disagreement
• neither party sees the advantages

The art is in the planning and preparation, plus being clear about the purpose and goals of the appraisal. It should be about celebrating success, identifying opportunities for development, and looking ahead, whilst not avoiding the necessary discussion on problem areas – but don’t store up the positive and negative feedback for months on end waiting for the next appraisal!

Personal Development Plans
Many of the areas discussed here need to have a focus to bring them all together into an action plan. One method of doing this is for individual employees to have their own Personal Development Plan, which will set out their personal objectives and the methods for achieving them. This plan can then be reviewed on a regular basis by the individual employees on their own, or with their line manager. The plan should be an evolving document rather than a static one. Those employees who are particularly committed to their personal development may also want to maintain a Continuous Personal Development record. These are required by some professional bodies, such as the CIPD (Personnel), but are useful for anyone who is motivated to invest the time.

Career Coaching
Sometimes people, particularly long servers, just get 'lost'. They lose direction, sense of purpose and motivation. This is almost certainly not doing them or your business any good and you really have 3 choices:

1 – do nothing
2 – understand the issue and then re-train or re-energise them
3 – dismiss them from the organisation

The second option must be the first action. Only when that has completely failed should you consider option 3. Option 1 is not even an option really! There are many ways to approach this issue, which will vary depending on the individual and their situation.

Recognition
Good performance and the achievement of objectives must be recognised. Financial rewards and incentives play their part of course, but never underestimate the power of praise, feedback and recognition of a job well done - both publicly and privately.

Discipline or Dismissal
Unfortunately, despite all of your best efforts, some employees will simply be unable or unwilling to perform at the standard that you expect of them. When training, development and encouragement have failed, you will need to tackle the issue of the employee’s capability. This may mean finding alternative employment for them, or ultimately the termination of their employment. The way that this is handled is critical, not only because it is important to treat the employee with respect and give them every opportunity to improve, but also because your actions will be reviewed in detail should the employee decide to pursue a claim against you in an Employment Tribunal. Tribunals not only look at whether a decision to dismiss was fair, but also whether the process used to arrive at that decision was fair. If you think you may have to go down this route, please contact us for advice at the earliest opportunity.

 

We have only been able to give you some ideas and food for thought here. If you would like to know more, please call us for advice, or to arrange a meeting.