Employee performance management
is a vital part of your organization's human-resources management strategy. The work the employees of your organization perform in front of the public and behind the scenes affects your organization's reputation in the community and the profitability of your company. Develop or update your employee-performance management program to equip your employees with the information on their performance that they need.
Identification
Employee performance management is more than just analyzing your employee's performance periodically through a formal or informal performance appraisal process. Rather, a complete performance-management strategy continually examines your employee's work quality, relationships within the workforce, and watches for performance issues and provides a way to reward quality employees. Annual performance appraisals, progressive disciplinary actions and a periodic comparison of an employee's job functions to his job description are all part of a complete program.
Legal Benefits
In the event that you find yourself in the position of needing to terminate or discipline an employee, sound employee-performance management procedures can help you respond to a legal challenge or make it easier to answer an equal-employment opportunity commission complaint. Set up your progressive discipline system with the assistance of your attorney. Generally, if an employee fails to meet your performance standards, ask the supervisor to verbally warn the employee. Move to written warnings, disciplinary time lines and termination if the problem continues.
Feedback for Employees
When your employees understand your expectations through regular evaluations and feedback, they may find it easier to perform their job. When you evaluate an employee's performance you can give her specific objectives, strategies to increase her productivity and ways to improve her value to the organization. If an employee struggles in one aspect of her performance, understanding the consequences through clear communication from her supervisor or manager may give her the encouragement she needs to improve and continue her employment with the company.
Benefits to Management
Even small organizations will benefit from establishing a performance-management system. The supervisors of your organization will appreciate having the ability to clearly define expectations for their employees. In addition, your supervisors and upper management can use an employee's performance appraisal as a means of rewarding outstanding employees both financially and verbally. In the case of an employee who regularly fails to meet your organization's expectations, an easy-to-follow performance-management process allows supervisor's to counsel employees and salvage employees who need extra attention. You may find your employee-performance management system a good recruiting tool for potential employees when you explain the process of regular evaluations and the potential for financial increases.
