Good Performance Management

Do’s and Don’ts

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Mastering Good Performance Management is challenging enough for most of us, and can be quite confronting to less experienced people managers. However, it is definitely easier to get it right than it is to get it wrong.

What is getting it right?

You will be surprised to know that getting performance management right means making some mistakes along the way. Some managers are so afraid of making a mistake that they are reluctant to make a tough decision, which results in non-performance continuing in their business.

The only way to be sure that you do not make a mistake is to do nothing.

However, when managing employee performance you can minimise the chance of getting it wrong by being aware of some performance management do’s and don’ts.

Good Performance Management Do’s

• Respect your employee’s right to privacy (Even after they have left the business)
  
  
• All counselling must be in private, our of ear and eye shot of all other employees
  
  
• Be specific with your counselling, generally focus on only one behaviour or one issue at a time
  
  
• Seek all of the facts, and only facts
  
  
• Give feedback immediately, or as soon as you have gathered the facts
  
  
• Remain calm throughout your performance discussion
  
  
• Be fair and consistent
  
  
• Be firm, an expectation is an expectation
  
  
• Be friendly
  
  
• Listen to the employee, they may have a good reason for their performance
  
  
• Focus on the behaviour or the issue
  
  
• Seek to resolve the behaviour or the issue, always seek a positive outcome
  
  
• Be willing to go the extra mile to help your employee to correct their performance issue, be willing to invest your time to see them being successful

Good Performance Management Don’ts

• Raise your voice or become angry, when you become angry you loose!
  
  
• Get caught up in a long list of excuses “I understand, however let’s stay focused on your performance issue….”
  
  
• Make excuses for your employee’s behaviour
  
  
• Be general in your counselling, the employee must clearly understand the issue for which they are being counselled
  
  
• Fail to document evolving performance issues, you need an evidence trail
  
  
• React to a hostile employee response, remain calm
  
  
• Delay taking action
  
  
• Be vague with your examples
  
  
• Overlook the other persons point of view
  
  
• Hold a grudge, remain friendly with the employee after the counselling

The upmost important thing to remember when preparing for an employee performance discussion is that the employee is a human. In your position of authority, you are seeking to resolve a performance issue, not to seek revenge. If you can do that without harming the employees self esteem then you have mastered performance management.

Good Performance Management Tips

You can minimise this risk of a harassment claim by giving regular feedback to your employee, to find out how take five minutes to review our one-on-one section.

If an employee threatens to file a harassment claim, show them how to go about it, you can not stop an employee from going down any path they like, however you can show that you are not afraid or have nothing to hide.

Give of yourself Good people leaders do so much to help their people to overcome their performance issues that their people thank them for their effort.

Self-Solving When you manage employee performance, you will find that a large percentage of your poor performers will seek alternative employment, rather than wait out the counselling process.

Demonstrating Importance
If you delay giving feedback to your employee, your employee can rightfully assume that the issue is not that important to you. Timely feedback implies “this is important”.

Good performance management is within your grasp, these tips and techniques should help you to handle most performance issues.

What should I do now?

Switch your career into top gear by learning the top 8 employee motivators