HRBP iconManaging Employee Performance

In working together day to day, it is normal for employees to occasionally have concerns or suggestions for improvement about their workplace. Human Resources provides tools to aid in successful continued employment and to work out solutions to problems as quickly as possible. It is the University鈥檚 view that most problems can be resolved through informal discussions between employee(s) and leader(s) in the department. Employees are encouraged to talk about work-related problems with their leader.

Leaders are encouraged to:
  • Develop and maintain a positive relationship with employees.
  • Support is provided through programs, guidelines and policies that ensure fairness, respect and consistent treatment for all employees.
  • Provide means for conflict resolution.
  • Assist in proactive training and development of employees and leaders.
To meet these goals, the Human Resources Business Partners provide the following support:
  • Review departmental guidelines for fairness and consistency with University policies.
  • Problem solve with leaders regarding employee and organizational issues.
  • Assist/coach employees in managing relations with their leaders.
  • Advise leaders when considering employment action to manage performance concerns to ensure compliance with University standards, and fair and consistent treatment.

Leaders may determine that a verbal discussion, coaching or remediation plan, or corrective action is required to address situations where an employee is not meeting the leaders鈥� expectations.

  • Performance concern 鈥� concerns with quantity, quality, accuracy, and/or timeliness of work (a 鈥渟kill鈥� issue). Addressing concerns of this nature may involve verbal conversations, coaching or remediation plan, or corrective action.
  • Conduct 鈥� concerns related to compliance with work rules (a 鈥渨ill鈥� issue). Addressing concerns of this nature may involve verbal conversations or corrective action.

It is important that the leader first has a conversation with the employee to learn more about the situation, relevant facts and information, and any mitigating circumstances. Each situation is unique. The leader needs to consider the nature and severity of the incident(s) and the time between the concerns and previous discussions when determining what action to take next. If corrective action is needed the leader should discuss the proposed corrective action with their leader and Human Resources to ensure appropriate applicability, documentation, and in accordance of procedure.

When a leader determines the need for coaching and corrective action, appropriate documentation is key. Apart from following thePerformance evaluation process, documenting various conversations and instances with employees is necessary because it may impact the type of corrective action that is taken.

Here are some tips for documentation for leaders:

  • Document performance and conduct conversations on the same day that the conversation takes place. If it is not possible to take notes during the conversation itself, take some time after the conversation to write down what was said. It is important to document both what you said as well as what the employee said.

  • Prepare notes before the conversation. These will help you recall all items that need to be addressed with the employee.

  • All documentation of conversations or instances should include the date and time, your name and title, and the employee鈥檚 name and title. This is important because as you or the employee change jobs in the organization over time, it is sometimes difficult to later put the record into context. Also, if the employee is experiencing similar problems throughout his or her employment, the employee鈥檚 next leader may need to use your record of the conversation for assessing how to deal with the employee.

  • Do not abbreviate, editorialize, or characterize in your written record. Write down what you said and what the employee said.Always include what the resolution was from the meeting in your documentation. State the action plan that was agreed upon, with clear expectations that were set for the employee to follow.

  • If you record your documentation on a computer, do not maintain them on a shared drive. Your relationship with the employee is between you and the employee.

  • Do not manage employees through email. It is fine to send the employee an email confirming the conversation but it does not substitute for having a one-on-one conversation and taking notes on it.

  • Keep a file to maintain documentation from meetings, etc. with employees. This could be a tangible file in your desk, or a computer file, or both.

  • You may need to transfer the employee鈥檚 department file to the new leader (if you change roles).

  • You should send the employee鈥檚 department file to Human Resources, if the employee leaves the position (whether to transfer to a new role in the University or outside of the University).

  • Use Outlook notes and reminders to schedule employee meetings and reserve time to work on documentation.

Reference the policies for additional information about managing performance and using the coaching and corrective action tools.

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SME: RR/LA/JE
Updated: 9/10/2024 NH