PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

 

Performance management is an ongoing process of communication between a supervisor and an employee that occurs throughout the year, in support of accomplishing the strategic objectives of the organization.

Furthermore Performance management is a communication process by which managers and employees work together to plan, monitor and review an employee’s work objectives and overall contribution to the organization. More than just an annual performance review, performance management is the continuous process of setting objectives, assessing progress and providing ongoing coaching and feedback to ensure that employees are meeting their objectives and career goals. There is much more to performance management than the annual performance review meeting. Performance management is a continuous process of planning, coaching and reviewing employee performance.

Planning Phase Overview 

The planning phase is a collaborative effort involving both managers and employees during which they will:.

• Review the employee’s job description to determine if it reflects the work that the employee is currently doing
• Identify and review the links between the employee’s job description, his or her work plan, and the organization’s goals, objectives and strategic plan.
• Develop a work plan that outlines the tasks or deliverables to be completed, the expected results and the measures or standards that will be used to evaluate performance
• Identify critical areas that will be key performance objectives for the year. The choice of areas may be determined by the organization’s strategic plan, by the employee’s desire to improve outcomes in a certain part of his or her job or by a need to emphasize a particular aspect of the job
• Identify training objectives that will help the employee grow his or her skills, knowledge and competencies related to the work..
• Identify career development objectives that can be part of longer-term career planning

SMART Goals 

Often, the most difficult part of the planning phase is developing clear and appropriate language to describe performance objectives and measures or indicators of success. Supervisors need to ensure that the performance objectives are a good representation of the full range of duties carried out by the employee, especially everyday tasks that take time, but are often not identified as significant accomplishments.

 

Set Performance Standards 

While goals tell employees what they have to do, performance standards tell them how well they have to do it. Listed below are some principles of writing good standards that can be used effectively to evaluate employee performance

Define Behaviors

The behavioral approach to the performance management system rests on the idea that you can get the right level of performance from employees based on a demonstration of desirable behaviors. This system contrasts with the outcome approach in which the results of employee work efforts are emphasized

Coaching Phase Overview 

Performance management includes coaching employees to address concerns and issues related to performance so that there is a positive contribution to the organization. Monitoring day-to-day performance does not mean watching over every aspect of how employees carry out assigned activities and tasks. Managers should not micro-manage employees, but rather focus their attention on results achieved, as well as individual behaviors and team dynamics affecting the work environment.

Provide Feedback

Feedback is specific information provided to the employee that communicates how the employee’s behavior is affecting the workplace. Feedback can be factual (based on observations of the employee’s behavior and its resulting consequences) or emotional (based on how other people react to the employee’s behavior). Ideally, both types of feedback should be shared with the employee in a feedback meeting

• Positive feedback
• Constructive feedback

Give Effective Feedback

 Effective Feedback is Specific, Timely, Meaningful, and Candid. With the right purpose in place, we need to think about the when and why of giving effective feedback. For psychologist Victor Lipman, this means your feedback needs to be: Specific: "Feedback should have a clear business focus," says Lipman.Sep 5, 2017

• Benefits 
• Highlights training needs
• Boosts morale.
• Helps with identifying the right employees for promotion.
• Supports workforce planning.
• Increases employee retention.
• Delivers greater employee autonomy.

Conclusion: 

Performance Appraisals is not only an evaluation process of a person's performance with reward / punishments as an outcome of it. Rather, its intent is to align and improve the performance of an individual to meet the overall organizational goal.

References:

https://www.iafc.org/docs/default-source/1vcos/ok-pmp-handbook.pdf

https://www.slideteam.net/setting-performance-standards-sample-ppt-files.html

https://www.naturalhr.com/2019/12/12/6-benefits-of-performance-management/