How's it going? with Greg Paterson, CEO REEF
How often do you ask
your staff this question?
How often should you
ask it? How often should
managers, coordinators and
team leaders assess the
performances of staff?
It’s generally recognised that this is
important in order to:
- Encourage good work;
- Develop improved performance;
- Eliminate poor work outcomes.
Annual performance appraisals may
address long-term issues but miss the
daily problems. Informal day-to-day
contact between a team leader and team
members is extremely important but
often difficult to achieve. Managers and
team leaders agree that every member
is vital to the team’s outcomes – and if
problems are occurring it’s much easier
to deal with them early. Managers and
team leaders should consider whether
a regular and planned performance
discussion should take place once a
month or, at the very least, once every
two months.
These meetings should:
- Be scheduled and not just slotted in
- Last about 30 minutes
- Be relatively informal
- Have a set format
- Record decisions in writing
- Provide the staff member with a copy of the record.
The role of the monthly/bi-monthly
performance discussion should be to:
- Provide feedback to the team member as a basis for regular improvement
- Assess how much progress is being made towards the employee’s goals
- Increase goodwill and motivation
- Improve the working relationship between the team leader and members of the team
- Identify training needs
- Stop grievance and work-related problems from becoming serious
- Ensure all job descriptions are kept up to date
- Find out more about the agency’s clients or prospective clients
- Reinforce new policies and procedures
- Facilitate actions as a result of the feedback.
The discussions will provide you with a
focus for your working relationship with
each of your team members. The time
spent in doing it will save much more in
the improvements that you get and the
problems you prevent from developing.
The Performance Discussion – a practical guide
A suggested format is:
- Step 1: Briefly run through any new policies, procedures, WHS changes and developments that have occurred since the last meeting
- Step 2: Ask the team member how he or she and the team have promoted the mission and goals of the agency
- Step 3: Discuss the goals that have been previously set and the progress that has been made. The goals can be readjusted and plans made for progress in the next review period
- Step 4: Ask the team member to identify what he/she has done well and what has not gone so well since the last meeting. This allows you to clarify how you see performance and give positive feedback
- Step 5: Discuss what can be done to help the team member in the next review period
- Step 6: Try to end on a positive note and make a date for the next meeting.
Specific Performance Problems
If before or during the discussion it becomes obvious there’s a specific performance
problem that has to be addressed (for example, a poor listing conversion rate), you
should make sure that time is given to this – but don’t forget the other parts of the
discussion. Also ensure the performance discussion is not confused with disciplinary
counselling or the investigation of a serious incident. These generally require witnesses
and a more planned and documented approach.
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