Last year, a Telstra employee made a successful workers' compensation claim against Telstra because she fell twice while working from home and claimed her injuries occurred in the course of her employment. Telstra were found liable to pay her workers compensation.
As a result of this and other similar cases, many employers have had concerns about allowing their employees work from home. Working from home arrangements don’t have to be to be feared but the risks do need to be managed carefully.
Under NSW OH&S laws, the employer is expected to maintain a working environment, equipment and systems of work that are ‘safe and without risks to health’. That includes your employees working at home. The employees working from home should have the equipment they need just as if they were in the office – a chair, desk, computer, adequate lighting, clear access to exits, a first aid kit and knowledge of safe working procedures.
What do your responsibilities include?
• provide or maintain a working environment that is a safe and without risks to health
• provide or maintain equipment and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health
• provide the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of workers
• make arrangements for ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of equipment and substances.
It is important to put in writing agreed procedures regarding working arrangements particularly regarding hours of work and access (eg. to check that the workplace is safe and that safe systems of work are in place, or to review systems and procedures following an accident).
A workplace assessment / risk assessment of the home environment is another step in identifying health and safety hazards, and deal with them. The person doing the assessment should focus on the part of the home which is used as a workplace - or you can give employees a checklist for self-audit rather than send someone in to tick the boxes.
This checklist – which confirms there is an appropriate desk, chair and lamp, for example, and that electrical cords have been tagged and tested – must be completed and handed back. The idea is that employees who want to work from home would need to complete a self-assessment form and sign up a document that frees you, the employer, from liability in the event of an OH&S issue.
Under NSW OH&S laws the following are some steps to follow when an employee requests working from home:-
Establish whether the duties are suitable for work from home – if special equipment needs to be used or work procedures followed that are not appropriate for home then the job may not be suitable for being done at home;
Establish what equipment will be necessary for the employee to safely work from home – ensure employee’s desk, chair and computer are suitable. Check if any other equipment is needed by the employee. NSW Regulations require that all places of work have a first aid kit. A basic (type C) kit is sufficient for most home-based work situations;
Establish that the home working environment is healthy and safe – ensure there is sufficient lighting, exits are clear, there is a smoke detector, sufficient power points (ensure power points are not overloaded) and if an earth leakage protect device is required;
Establish that the employee who will be working from home has the information and training necessary to do the work safely – ensure they have been trained on safe working procedures to prevent the occurrence of injuries;
Establish agreed hours of work and communication procedures -Establish the days and hours on which work from home can be done and agree on procedures for recording work hours, including actual starting and finishing times (this is important for workers compensation purposes). It is also useful to establish the way in which performance will be monitored and assessed and to establish communication procedures to ensure that appropriate information is passed between the person working from home and his or her co-workers and management;
Revise your workplace rehabilitation program – you may want to include a commitment to provision of suitable duties at the main workplace when this is necessary as a rehabilitation strategy, and to clarify arrangements for monitoring work from home rehabilitation programs.
It is important to monitor your employees working from home arrangements – things change, standards may drop so ensure there is open communication with these employees and a clear procedure where the employee reports any health and safety concerns or any incidents to you.
The Fair Work and Anti-Discrimination legislation allows employees to request flexible working arrangements in certain situations, so as an employer you need to have reasonable business grounds to refuse a request. If you do refuse a request inform your employee of the reasons and document these, keeping all records around this.
At Inspire Success, all our people work from home and we use a home based work agreement to outline who is responsible for what and get the expectations clear from the start.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
As 2011 comes to an end it is good for everyone to look back on the year that was. As a business owner it is very important to learn from the good times during the year, the accomplishments, the growth but also to look at any difficulties and challenges faced in the last 12 months and learn from them. A critical thing to monitor and be involved in is your organisation culture and to have a think about the general “feel” within your organisation as the year ends. As we have discussed in recent newsletters a happy workforce is a productive workforce. The surveys recently completed by fivefootfour and redballoon provide interesting reading on the happiness or unhappiness of Australian employees currently.
According to the fivefootfour survey the Australian workforce is largely unhappy. The report on the Australian workforce released by fivefootfour revealed some interesting results and certainly some food for thought. They wanted to look at how happy Australian employees are in work and the key things that motivate them.
The top 5 findings were:
Only 54% of Australian workers are happy at work, 25% feel depressed most of the day once a week.
60% of the Australian workforce is bored.
The three big issues behind workforce unhappiness are flexibility, creativity and the misrepresentation of Gen Y.
35% of Gen Y's will be looking for a new job in the next 12 months.
The ideal workplace composition consists of a mix of employees motivated by the following 7 drivers:
*Flexibility and balance (27%).
*Knowledge for growth (23%).
*Ambition to progress (16%).
*Creativity and freedom (16%).
*Mentoring and learning (11%).
*Variety and momentum (4%).
*Collaboration and interaction (4%).
Workplaces stressors such as lack of work life balance and a lack of job satisfaction are taking a toll on the health and well being of Australian workers. The report also found that 25% of Australians feel ‘blue’ or depressed most of the day once a week and 49% once or twice a month; 60% of the Australian workforce is bored in their current job; and that creative thinkers are jumping ship.
Trudi Sampola, co-founder of fivefootfour, commented:- “Australian businesses need to get more flexible and start recognising the importance of understanding their employees’ values and motivations on an individual level,” says Trudi. While a flexible and engaging workplace is a priority for many employees, 78% of Australian workers want a job that allows them to think creatively.“Businesses that identify the creative thinkers within the team, and give them the opportunity to integrate this value into their role, will reap the rewards,” says Trudi. 35% of Gen Ys (who make up 23% of the Australian workforce) in the survey said that they are likely to look for a new job in the New Year.
Trudi points out the German workforce have more worklife balance and flexibility and as a result are more productive in her comments -“Germans are very clearly output focused versus placing a currency on the number of hours spent in the workplace. Australia needs to change the workplace game, less emphasis on clocking up the hours and more emphasis on getting the job done,” says Trudi.
pay, benefits and conditions (38 per cent) - up 11 percentage points from sixth position in 2010
work-life balance (37 per cent) - up nine percentage points from third position in 2010
culture (36 per cent) - down three percentage points from second position in 2010
This is a shift from last year when the top motivation was brand or company reputation, dropping from 41 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent this year.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
360 degree respondents can be the employee’s peers, supervisors, managers, team members, other staff members, customers, suppliers – anyone who can provide objective feedback on the employee. Sources should be chosen on factors such as their knowledge of the employee’s performance, the importance of their relationship with the employee and their ability to provide objective feedback and use examples to back up their opinions. The process for identifying respondents should be clearly set out with employees having some opportunity to input. The feedback is typically provided on a form (paper or online) showing job skills/abilities/attitudinal/behavioural criteria and some sort of scoring or value judgement system. The employee should also assess themselves using the same feedback form. In order for the 360-degree feedback process to be effective, it is important that it be designed and used correctly. The confidentiality of everyone involved should be respected at all times and the feedback should be summarised and delivered to the employee by individuals trained in feedback techniques. Employees should always be offered support to act on feedback.
Why use 360 feedback:
360 feedback can help to identify strengths and development needs for the employee and also help managers by providing insights into their management and leadership role. 360 feedback can open up communications about performance because the process involves giving and receiving feedback from all directions in the organization. Understanding ourselves and how we interact with others helps us understand the impact we have on those around us.
Companies typically use a 360 feedback system in one of two ways:
1. 360 feedback as a development tool to help employees recognize strengths and weaknesses and become more effective When done properly, 360 feedback is highly effective as a development tool. Employees can gain insight into how others perceive them and have an opportunity to adjust behaviours and develop skills that will enable them to improve / excel at their jobs. It can tell you where the development is needed for your employees so you don’t end up wasting a huge amount of money on training that people don’t need.
2. 360 Feedback as a Performance Appraisal Tool
360 feedback focuses on behaviours and competencies more than on basic skills, job requirements, and performance objectives. These things are most appropriately addressed by an employee and his/her manager as part of the annual review and performance appraisal process. The 360 feedback can enhance your performance management system, by incorporating 360 feedback into a larger performance management process, but only with clear communication on how the 360 feedback will be used.
What does 360 Feedback measure
360 feedback measures competencies – for example leadership, decision making, problem solving, customer service, motivation etc
360 feedback can identify underlying attitudes and thinking patterns that drive behaviour and even help resolve what is causing counter-productive actions
360 reviews provide feedback on how others perceive an employee
360 feedback addresses skills such as listening, planning, and goal-setting
A 360 evaluation can identify and measure areas such as customer service, teamwork, training needs, work environment and leadership effectiveness. The feedback can then be used to create development plans to increase capabilities and performance.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
Rewarding and recognising your staff can be as simple as a pat on the back to a more structured salary review process. What is important is that your employees feel valued and know they are recognised for the contribution they make to your business. While it is true that people often do not move jobs for money alone, the remuneration on offer can play a significant role, both in attracting a candidate to join your firm, or leading a current employee to “look around”. Here we look at the salary review process.....
Why do a salary review
You can keep your salary review and performance review separate but it does make sense to bring the two together and allows you to reward your high performing staff. If you are managing both processes it is best practice for the salary review to happen immediately after the performance appraisals. For those who manage these processes they believe that being paid appropriately is a form of recognition and sends a message to staff regarding how much they are valued. Whilst money is by no means the sole motivating factor at work, if you underpay, it is a definite de-motivator, and in this employment market this is likely to lead to staff moving to firms who will pay them the recognition they feel they deserve.
In general, salary reviews are about two things:
How the employee performs their job.
Where that employee fits relative to the external job market.
Getting the right information for your salary review
It’s important when managing a salary review to look at what the market is paying. You can get information from contacts in your network, from industry information gained through salary surveys from various organisations and from Human Resource and recruitment professionals. Finding out what it would cost to replace an employee in the current market is revealing and valuable information.
Salary reviews are an important process and require care and preparation in order to meet your employees’ expectations and ensure that the review is a valuable process. It is also important that full explanations are offered as to the reasons and criteria behind why salaries are reviewed. Not everyone may receive a salary increase or at least an increase at the level they were expecting, so it is important that their expectations are managed correctly by fully justifying and preparing prior to undertaking the review. Likewise, you may be in a position to offer someone a pay increase at a higher level than they were expecting. Here, it is important that you fully utilise this situation by praising and congratulating on excellent performance or contribution.
Although companies have different approaches to reviewing and remunerating employees, simple considerations can help you make the process become more effective:
Tips for your salary review process
Have a good understanding of the objectives of your performance and salary review processes prior to beginning e.g. to align your business and employee goals, to recognise and reward well performing employees etc
The process should be carefully planned and documented from beginning to end
Ensure all your Managers are trained in the process being used and understand how the review should be conducted. Have template documents that are used so that employees are all treated in the same way and so fairly
Ensure feedback and decisions are objective and based on your benchmarking criteria and that they are clear and easily understood by your Managers and employees
Make sure your rating system is fair and easy for employees to understand. Have each rating translate into what the raise in salary will be (if performance unsatisfactory then there would not be a raise)
Ensure pay is reviewed in line with the Modern Award rates of pay
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
In recent newsletters we have discussed the importance of finding and employing the right employees, their induction and their probationary period. Hiring employees is just a start to creating a strong work force. Next, you have to keep them. High employee turnover costs you in time and productivity. Here we discuss ways to reward and retain those employees, the importance of showing employees why they should stay working for you and also how it can improve your reputation with future employees. Salary increases and bonuses are ways to reward and retain employees but in this article we will focus on non monetary ways for retaining that key talent in your business......
Why put so much effort into keeping them?
Retaining employees is a good measure of how healthy your business is. If you are losing key employees chances are that other employees are looking also.
There are a lot of benefits to retaining your employees and these include:-
Cost savings – the cost of staff turnover is very expensive as well as time consuming
Improved productivity – continued work efficiency and customer service. It also ensures a reliable knowledge base about your business processes, policies and procedures
Positive staff morale
Happy clients – clients have continued relationship with same staff members
Allows employees to build on their knowledge base and make career development
Positive culture for your business which is good for current employees and new recruits
Ways to reward and retain employees
It is important for your business to keep your employees motivated and engaged and in return retain them. As the saying goes; “A happy worker is a productive worker”.
Salary is not the only way to motivate staff. There are a number of non monetary ways to help your staff feel important and rewarded and keep them motivated and happy. These include:-
Incentivise your employees – there are low and no-cost incentives you can use to make your staff feel valued e.g. an afternoon off, cinema tickets, breakfast morning etc
Meet your employees regularly to talk about their work, what motivates them, their professional development and discussing the long term vision for them with your business
Good quality supervision of employees – supervisors have an important role in the retention of employees. Its very important the supervisor does not make the employee feel undervalued. Examples of good supervision include providing feedback about performance, having regular meetings and being clear about work expectations.
Allow employees to offer ideas, have open communication and give feedback – let employees feel comfortable doing this and encourage their involvement
Having a fair and equitable company – treating employees equally is very important in retaining them
Giving employees the opportunities to learn and grow in their knowledge, skills and career - coaching employees by Managers, attending seminars, training, conferences etc
Promoting from within whenever possible, having clear paths of advancement for employees
To retain staff you must make them feel rewarded, recognised and appreciated. It is good to be creative in (non monetary) ways of keeping employees happy and choose whatever works best for your business, even the simple act of saying “thank you” can go a long way…….
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
It seems that absenteeism is causing a
lot of stress for many of us – not only because employees who are
consistently absent or late to work cause headaches, but they also
impact on our bottom line!
Here are our top 5 tips for reducing absenteeism at your place:
1. Set standards of attendance
Start right at the start –your induction and your leave policy should
outline what you expect if they are going to be late or are not able to
get to work. For example employees should;
tell their manager they will be absent;
phone their manager within a
certain time-frame to advise why they are unable to make it to work, the
nature of their illness and when they expect to return;
know that they will be contacted if you haven’t heard from them about why they are absent; and
provide certain evidence that they
are unfit for work i.e. a medical certificate or statutory declaration,
in a certain way and within a certain time-frame.
2. Keep an eye on why people are absent
Collect information on patterns of absence, regardless of how many
employees you have. Only with these statistics are you going to know if
you have an issue in your workplace. Keeping an eye on these trends can
assist you to:
identify if you have a problem with absence at your workplace;
determine what type of absence
usually occurs in your workplace i.e. is it mainly Monday morning
’sickies’ or cases of longer-term sickness?; and
highlight patterns in absence
levels. For example, are absence levels higher in one particular team or
at a specific time of year?
3. Conduct return to work interviews
For longer term absences, a return to work interview allows you to
determine whether the employee is able to return to their duties and if
modifications to their duties are required. It also assists you to
determine if there is enough reason for disciplinary action. The focus
on their absence gives notice to the employee that it hasn’t been
noticed. Of course this will depend on the employee’s absence record,
and any patterns.
4. Promote opportunities for flexible work
We know it is a legislated requirement, but why not be a trail blazer
and help employees achieve a balance between their work, family and
lifestyle commitments? There are lots of statistics that show that
work-life balance reduces absenteeism. Just looking at your workplace
and the roles differently might unearth a few opportunities to work
flexibly that you didn’t know existed.
5. Make the job as good as it can be
Research suggests our people spend only 20%, or one day each week, doing
tasks for which they have a genuine aptitude. Of course they are busy
all the time. You can add real value and unearth strategies to engage
and fulfil your staff by identifying roadblocks and helping remove them.
In your informal discussions ask, "How can I help make your job more
fulfilling, engaging and productive?"
These conversations with your people have economic benefits. All investments yield a return. How can you get your staff to work?
Significant dates for new employees:-
Now you have completed your interview process and selected your new employee it is important to manage some critical dates. These include induction, probation and confirmation of the new employee. A very important step is to set a probation period for the new employee and for that length of time and the process to be clear to them.
Length of probation period:-
The length of the probation period and the terms around it should be set out in the terms and conditions of your employment and then be managed carefully. A ‘probation period’ is usually a three month period (based on calendar months) from the date of commencement of employment where you assess the suitability of the employee for the role and the employee has the opportunity to settle in and to determine if the role meets their needs. A key thing to remember is the probationary period must be set in advance and must be reasonable. Three months can be suitable for some roles but for a more senior role you could have a probationary period of six months (as long as there are reasonable grounds for this). For a ‘small business’, i.e. less than 15 employees by head count and including associated entities (see s.383 of the Fair Work Act), the period can be increased to twelve months.
Why have a probation period:-
The probation period is a time when you can validate your selection and ensure there is a good fit between the new employee and the job. It is a time when there should be communication between you and the new employee and some assistance given to them to settle in. In essence, an employee on probation has been appointed but not yet confirmed in a permanent role. The purpose of a probationary period is to provide:
Time for induction / onboarding and training
An opportunity to assess the employee and their ability to perform in the job
Time to assess fit into your business
Regular feedback to the new employee is important and should be provided throughout the probationary period.
What are the benefits of a well managed probation period:-
allows the new employee settle into the workplace
provides a focus for you and the new employee on what knowledge and skills are required to be developed during probation for them to succeed in the job
provides some structure for the new employee on the key aspects of their job and the key people they will be interacting with
allows you to give and receive feedback on a new employee’s progress during probation.
If you are generally happy with the performance of your new employee but continue to have a few concerns at the end of their probationary period, then you can extend the probation via a review on or before the end of it. You will also need to provide information in writing, detailing the period of the extension and the areas which require improvement. Provided you act sensibly, you can let the person go if they are not working out without having to carry out the usual disciplinary procedures once an employee is confirmed.
Review the new employee’s progress regularly and provide them with feedback so they know how they are progressing – either with praise or with explanations as to where improvement is required. We think it is a good idea to do a Probation Review at the mid point of the probation period.
Overall, the probationary period is an excellent tool to ensure that the new employee is performing in the way you want and is motivated, committed and happy working with you and your organisation. It allows you to be fair and highlight areas which require improvement, and it provides time and scope for the new employee to improve in those areas. The result should be that at the end of the period, the decision to continue or not is easy and clear for both parties.
Confirmation of appointment:-
As the probationary period nears its conclusion, you need to decide whether you wish to retain the new employee or not. If you do, then confirmation of appointment is the process used to end a probation period and appoint an employee permanently. Ideally, a letter is given to the employee confirming the date their probation period ended and affirming the details / conditions previously agreed upon of their employment. The letter states that the employee's performance has been satisfactory and it confirms the employee's appointment to the job. It is good practice to give your new employees a confirmation letter when they successfully complete their probation but it also provides affirmation to the employee that they are doing well in their role and have peace of mind that their job is now confirmed.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Inspire Success for further information - kate@inspire-success.com
These notes are provided to give you a head start when you are managing poor performance or behavioural issues which result in the discipline of your people. It is our intention that with knowledge and a plan, you will assist your people to improve (if they can and desire to) or to assist them to leave the business with dignity. Good luck – let us know how you go!
General points
Examine the workforce profile for distribution of groups of employees across the organisation, consider what is the most appropriate way of evaluating their performance and behaviour.
Implement a consistent method of doing this; eg probation reviews, quarterly reviews, anniversary reviews, always using self assessments, formal and informal discussions.
Make sure you train the staff that is assessing the performance and behaviour.
Keep good records so you can justify your counselling discussions.
Setting Expectations
It is critical that your employees know what is expected of them. This can be done early by using up to date position descriptions during the Onboarding process and taking new starters through all relevant workplace policies.
Ensure that you are only assessing performance against the agreed (and current) position description and workplace policies.
Ensure there are no unnecessarily restrictive English language qualifications on roles that do not require them.
Be specific in your assessment. eg, does “needs improvement in communications skills refer to talking on the phone to customers, writing reports for management, instructing technical operators, inter-cultural skills or teamwork?
All employees need to be advised how their performance will be assessed: probation reviews, quarterly reviews, anniversary reviews, always using self assessments.
Let them know what the expectations are for improvement. Who is responsible, when will the improvement need to occur?
Employees should be made aware of your company grievance procedure. What do they do in the situation that they disagree with a performance or disciplinary counselling meeting? This should be clear and easily accessed.
The Counselling Session
Give comments with care. Focus on the performance or behaviour of the employee rather than them personally.
Avoid comparisons with other employees.
Show empathy - try and understand the employee’s perspective. Be prepared to step back from your position if something you didn’t know comes up.
Be a positive listener.
Advise the employee what has happened that you are not happy with. You should give reference to the tool that has set the standard (this could be the policy or the position description).
Be specific and compare current performance to expected performance or behaviour. Give examples.
Establish how and when to follow up on commitments for improvement. There should also be a date set to review.
Close on a friendly note, keeping the lines of communication open for future discussion.
Counselling Forms
Make sure that the language and length of the form (and process) is relevant to the performance of the job.
Do not include any invasive or irrelevant questions.
Predetermine to what use the information collected will be put and ensure no discrimination.
Ensure strict confidentiality.
Appropriate personal attributes for the reviewer
Praise for good performance.
Give examples of bad / unacceptable performance.
Criticise gently and constructively.
Be assertive, stick to the facts and be empathetic.
Use statements and questions to get more information.
Base the review on the typical performance for the entire period.
Base the review on accurate records.
Be prepared to ‘retreat’ if they have information which contradicts your perspective.
Don’t let salary or length of service affect the review.
Speak with other supervisors who work with the employee and ask them for specific examples of how they meet or do not meet the expectations of the role;
Show empathy - try and understand the employee’s perspective;
Be a positive listener;
Give comments with care. Focus on the performance behaviour of the employee rather than them personally;
Avoid comparisons with other employees;
The employee should complete a self assessment before the interview. This should form the basis for the discussion with the manager;
Work through each section of the review form, asking for the employees perspective and then discussing yours;
Be specific and compare current performance to expected performance, give examples of good and not so good performance;
Where there is agreement, congratulate the employee and use your copy to make the appropriate notes;
Where there is disagreement, ensure you have examples which are specific and allow the employee to understand what you mean.;
Establish how and when to follow up on commitments for improvement;
The employee should review the points made during the appraisal and summarise them;
Encourage the employee to make comments in addition to the appraisal comments;
Discuss the employee’s aspirations, potential and development needs;
If they are unrealistic, explain the processes required and encourage more attainable goals;
Set action plans detailing the person responsible and a time table for completion;
Set a date for review of the performance issues and / or development requirements;
Close on a friendly note, keeping the lines of communication open for future discussion.
Setting employees up for success in a new role requires planning and action. There are times that things won’t go according to the plan, but the system should be flexible enough to allow for this, and help it get back on track.
As business owners we are operating in one of the most challenging times ever. Many of us have had to change the structure of our business, lay off staff and rethink our priorities.
We have people in our organisations that we trust with the vision for our business and we are working hard to maintain productivity levels and customer satisfaction results. What can we do to make sure we keep our people fired up and excited?
These 5 key elements to effective performance reviews are presented to give you a head start when you are managing the performance of your people.
1. Be consistent;
2. Train everyone;
3. Keep good records;
4. Set expectations early;
5. Follow up.
It is our intention that with knowledge and focus, you will set your people up for success and improve individual and team performance and productivity! Good luck – let us know how you go!
1. Be Consistent
Implement a consistent method of reviewing performance at your place. This could mean having a 6 weekly mid probation review; meeting for 30 minutes every 3 months; a six monthly catch up or anniversary reviews. Always use self assessments and let people know what will happen after the meeting.
TOP TIP: As you bring on a new employee, schedule the review meetings in your diary so you are prepared and don’t miss any.
2. Train Everyone
Have you ever felt like you were ‘pulling teeth’ when meeting with your staff? This was probably because they were unsure of the reason for the meeting and what their role was. Make sure you not only train the staff who are conducting the performance reviews, but also those who are being assessed. You will get MUCH BETTER results if everyone understands the objectives and the best ways to participate.
TOP TIP: Give out an FAQ sheet with the review forms so that the reviewer and reviewed can benefit from previous experience and plan for their meeting.
3. Keep Good Records
Keep good records so you can refer back to the meeting content, justify your performance ratings and follow up. Always bring a copy of the position description, any previous reviews, any notes on file and your semi completed review form to the meeting. It is critical that you base the review on the typical performance for the entire period.
TOP TIP: If you can, have someone else making the notes and get everyone to read them and sign off at the
end.
4. Set Expectations Early
Prospective employees should know during the recruitment stage that you have a performance management process – don’t make it a secret! Make sure that performance is assessed against the information in the position description and only refer to tasks, skills levels, experiences that are required to carry out the duties of the role. Let them know what the expectations are for improvement. Who is responsible, when will the change need to occur?
TOP TIP: Your position descriptions are a practical tool that can be used from recruitment, to Onboarding, training and reviewing performance gaps – make sure they are reviewed before each vacancy is filled.
5. Follow Up
Is the change required skills based or attitudinal? Is it more related to continuing development? It is imperative that you do what you say you will – when you said you would! If it is your responsibility to arrange training or a buddy, get it done straight after the meeting so you don’t forget!
TOP TIP: Schedule appointments for follow up discussions and invite the right people as soon as possible so you don’t get side tracked and end up weeks overdue for a critical performance discussion.
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Rae Phillips, founder and Director of Inspire Success shares tips, tricks and FREE articles on how to get the most from your biggest asset - your People!
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