More than ever before, performance management of employees is critical.

The new Unfair Dismissal laws require this as well as does the need for businesses to focus sharply on costs and efficiencies in times of economic slowdown; so it's important to ensure that we have the right employees to do the job.

Performance management issues can be difficult to confront. Many employers are uncomfortable dealing directly with performance issues and would prefer to work around them. This approach can lead to inefficiencies in the way the workplace operates and to eventual unavoidable unpleasantness, when the situation becomes intolerable. It also gets messy and upsets the morale of a business.

Thus, there are  operational imperatives for adopting a best practice to managing employee performance apart from any legal issues involved. After July of this year, the importance of adhering to best practice performance management processes may be heightened by employees' increased access to unfair dismissal redress.

There is often a gap in workplaces between what we know and what we do. While most employers have an understanding of what should be best practice in this area, practical implementation is another matter.

• Identify the work standards and goals expected of employees;
• Recruit employees who will be able to meet these standards;
• Put probationary periods in place so that the employee's ability to meet expected standards can be assessed;
• Put in place a performance review process to discuss expectations and achievements
• Advise employees in a clear and timely manner if their performance is not up to standard;
• Discussions with employees about performance should be specific-using particular work examples and giving an indication of the corrective action required. The focus should be on observable or measurable behaviours, not generalisations.
• Discussions with employees about performance should be positive and constructive. The focus should be on what the employee can do to improve, not just on what the employee is doing wrong.
• Avoid becoming personal in these discussions
• Provide training and mentoring opportunities and hence reduce the possibility of the need for future termination of employment.
  

Your HRmanager can be contacted for guidance on any situation where employee performance is not meeting expectations. In addition, clients of the Your HRmanager Retained Employer Advisory Service can easily download templates on disciplinary procedures and policies and on the performance review process. Companies that wish to tailor this to their own business, by identifying specific job competencies for key roles, are welcome to contact us for assistance.