What’s my motivation?
Q. What’s this “performance management” that I keep hearing bandied around? Isn’t it just HR speak for taking someone through the disciplinary process before you sack them? Why does it have to be wrapped up in some ambiguous phrase as if there was some great mystery to it?
A. Believe me, I dislike jargon for jargon’s sake as much as you appear to do. But there is rather more to the idea of performance management than simply making sure you sack people the right way!
I’ve touched on this in a couple of previous columns, but if you turn the phrase around and consider how to manage someone’s performance, it is slightly clearer. What tools do you have at your disposal to ensure that all your staff’s performance is the best it can be? And this means the successful ones as well as the less successful ones.
I’ve talked about the benefits of effective appraisals before. These are also part of your performance management system. It’s often the case that high performers are left to their own devices since they are doing well and apparently don’t need help. Whereas those who are struggling take up a disproportionately high percentage of your time.
You need to retain your star players as much as you need to figure out ways to address those who may not be living up to expectations. Performance management is simply doing that in a structured way rather than leaving it to fate!
Your stars will shine brighter with praise and clear career paths set out for them. As for those who are performing less well, you can indeed invoke the disciplinary process, but to use a well used phrase, “it’s not an unstoppable train”! The idea of disciplinary processes is to ensure a dialogue between you and your employee, that they understand precisely what is expected of them and what help you can give. There are few greater feelings than to see a previously poorly performing employee turn themselves around and become happy and successful - contributing to the company and with a bright future in front of them. Ultimately that would be the most successful outcome of a disciplinary process.
However, the stigma attached to the disciplinary process is because of its apparent inevitability moving towards dismissal. I suppose the word “disciplinary” in itself is no help. In the US, there is a trend towards having “developmental reviews” which at least suggest some form of assistance or guidance. However, don’t be afraid of using the disciplinary process to provide a structured path to success.
HR jargon such as “performance management” does not make the process itself any less valid. If you provide your employees with all the tools that you can for them to succeed, only the least of which is clear goals and career paths, you will not only be managing their performance, but getting the best out of them and getting the best for your company at the same time!
March 2006
FX Magazine