How to Effectively Manage Performance & Conduct - Part 1
PART ONE
Managing performance and conduct issues across your teams is hard (and I dare say, inevitable!) Not surprisingly, queries about how to do this effectively and efficiently are among the most common we receive. Sometimes we can easily ignore or bury our heads in the sand about performance issues, to the point where they slowly become a pattern of behaviour…until the time they feel insurmountable. But fear not! If done correctly managing performance and conduct issues can mean your team member/s feel supported, and you achieve the outcome you want! Over the next three blogs, we will delve into how to manage performance well, both formally and informally.
If you’d like to read more of this series, you can find parts two and three below.
A Managers role in Managing Performance and Conduct
The most important thing to acknowledge when managing any performance or conduct issues is that a manager plays the most important role in the success (or otherwise) of your team members. Managing performance is part of every manager’s role and doing so effectively improves productivity and ensures standards and rules set out by the company are followed. It’s also important to note that failing to manage performance or conduct issues not only impacts productivity directly but can also have longer-term impacts on the rest of the team – morale should never be overlooked. We have all worked with someone who doesn’t “pull their weight”. Persistent lateness, failure to take responsibility or an inability to take direction by a single team member can cause resentment, and a team can struggle to “pull together” when they see these issues are not addressed by their leaders
Certainly, managing performance or conduct issues should not only be treated as a “last resort” when things have moved to a critical stage (the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff is never a desirable scenario). Performance and conduct should be managed daily, weekly and monthly (as well as longer-term) and often, adopting this system means that longer-term / more critical points are never reached.
Ask yourself, as a manager, do you:
· Set clear expectations: During induction, at your weekly one-on-ones, as part of your team catch-ups… It’s also worth ensuring your job descriptions and company policies spell out clearly what your expectations are… the “what your role is” and “how we do things around here” should be written in plain English and can be referred to (living, breathing documents – see, policies can be fun!)
· Give feedback: Do you give feedback, and do you give it freely and constructively? Do you feel confident in giving it often and both individually and in a team setting with a positive mindset?
· Provide information, resources and support to enable your employees: Ensure that you set your team up for success, support them in their different learning needs and ensure they have the tools and systems they need to do their job well!
Doing the above regularly and meaningfully can alleviate the need to undertake formal performance management processes, which can be both time-consuming and costly (and can be draining on any leader). Effective, ongoing informal management of performance and conduct will often result in fewer issues arising in the first place!
Types of Performance and Conduct Issues
When considering any issues you are encountering and how they should be defined, it’s helpful to ask yourself what they are about. Are they about an individual’s ability to do their role (performance) or are they about how they do their role or the behaviours they display (conduct)? Once you have defined how an issue should be classified you are in a better position to choose the best approach for managing it.
Performance
An employee who fails to perform the requirements of their position to a reasonable standard (the standards of the company, or their manager). Examples may include, but are not limited to:
· Failing to meet sales targets
· Frequent errors in work
· Frequently late submitting reports
· Not undertaking part of their role
Conduct
Conduct is really about how someone behaves. They may well be performing in their role but are not acting appropriately. Conduct can be separated into Misconduct or Serious Misconduct according to the severity of the behaviour:
Misconduct
An employee who fails to act or behave in accordance with the company’s rules, policies or instructions. Examples may include:
· Frequently late to work, breaching the agreed start times.
· Swearing at other colleagues, breaching the Code of Conduct.
· Refusing to follow lawful instructions from their manager.
Although not serious in the context of a single incident, misconduct should be addressed (at a minimum informally initially) dependent on the specific misconduct. It’s important to understand why this behaviour has started (and continued) as there may well be other factors at play or mitigating circumstances.
Serious Misconduct
An employee who fails to act or behave in accordance with the company’s rules, policies or instructions resulting in a serious impact/risk to the company or being illegal in nature. Examples may include:
· Sexual harassment
· Fraud
· Violence
· Significant safety breaches
Serious misconduct should never be ignored and any complaints or allegations made (or behaviour noted) should be addressed immediately. Usually, it is not sufficient to address informally and a formal investigation or disciplinary process should be planned.
So now that we have defined what the issues are, how can we manage them well? How do we decide if it is appropriate to manage them via a formal process or more informally? What are the pitfalls we need to be aware of Stay tuned for Part Two. Remember, burying your head in the sand is never advisable so read on for more guidance on how to “grasp that nettle”.
Effective performance and conduct management frameworks can be tricky to implement. Not only are they time-consuming, but identifying and dealing with cases of employee misconduct requires the right personnel. At Core HR, we specialise in relieving the pressure that people processes can have on employers. If you need assistance with employee performance or conduct management, do not hesitate to get in touch