The performance management meeting

By Susan M. Heathfield for About.com Human Resources
Abridged and adapted by Ross Woods

You can use the checklist below to guide you in performance management meetings and significantly improve your appraisals. Both supervisors and staff will feel better about participating and it could even improve employee performance.

Start with some good planning. You have less time to administer the system later on when you have set employee's developmental goals. For best results, take each of these steps with the participation and cooperation of the employee. For each employee, follow the steps below:

  1. Define the purpose of the job, job duties, and responsibilities.
    1. Define performance goals with measurable outcomes.
    2. Define the priority of each job responsibility and goal.
    3. Define performance standards for key components of the job.
  2. Hold interim discussions and give employees feedback about their performance, preferably daily, summarized and discussed, at least, quarterly. (Provide positive and constructive feedback.)
  3. Keep a record of performance through critical incident reports and notes in the employee file about contributions or problems throughout the quarter.
  4. Give the opportunity for broader feedback. The popularity of 360 degree performance feedback system comes and goes. It involves comparing the employee’s self-assessment with feedback from the employee's supervisors, peers, customers, and subordinates.
  5. If the employee is not meeting expectations, plan and implement a coaching program.

 

Just before the meeting

Schedule the meeting and define what you need to do with the employee to develop the performance development plan.

Develop a plan for the meeting that includes answers to all questions on the performance development tool with examples, documentation. etc.

  1. Get the employee to review personal performance, put self-assessment comments in writing, and gather any needed documentation. This might include a 360 degree feedback results.
  2. The supervisor prepares for the meeting by collecting data including work records, reports, and input from others familiar with the employee’s work.
  3. Both examine how the employee is performing against all criteria and think about areas for potential development.

 

The meeting

  1. Start by establishing a comfortable, private setting and rapport with the employee.
  2. Discuss and agree upon the objective of the meeting, that is, to create a performance development plan.
  3. The employee discusses his/her achievements and progress during the quarter. He also identifies ways in which he would like to further develop his professional performance, including training, assignments, new challenges and so on.
  4. The supervisor discusses performance for the quarter and also suggests ways in which the staff member might further develop his performance.
  5. The supervisor and the employee:
    1. discuss areas of agreement and disagreement, and reach consensus.
    2. examine job responsibilities for the coming quarter and in general.
    3. agree upon standards for performance for the key job responsibilities.
    4. set goals for the quarter.
    5. discuss how the goals support the accomplishment of the organization's business plan, the department's objectives and so on.
    6. agree on a measurement for each goal.
  6. If the employee’s performance is satisfactory, establish a development plan with him that helps him develop professionally in ways important to him.
  7. If his performance is less than satisfactory, write a written performance improvement plan and schedule more frequent feedback meetings. Remind the employee of the consequences connected with continued poor performance.
  8. The supervisor and employee discuss employee feedback and constructive suggestions for the supervisor and the department.
  9. Set a time-frame for formal follow up, generally quarterly.
  10. Discuss anything else the supervisor or employee would like to discuss, hopefully maintaining the positive and constructive environment established so far during the meeting.
  11. Both sign the performance development form to indicate the discussion has taken place.
  12. End the meeting in a positive and supportive manner. The supervisor needs to express confidence that the employee can accomplish the plan and give an assurance that he is available for support and assistance.

 

After the meeting

  1. If a performance improvement plan was necessary, follow up at the designated times.
  2. The supervisor needs to keep his/her commitments made in the plan, including time needed away from the job, payment for courses, agreed upon work assignments and so on.
  3. The supervisor needs to act upon the feedback from departmental members and let staff members know what has changed, based upon their feedback.
  4. Follow up with performance feedback and discussions regularly throughout the quarter. Employees should never be surprised about the content of feedback at the meeting.
  5. Forward appropriate documentation to the Human Resources office and retain a copy of the plan for easy access and referral.