Performance Management or Performance Punishment

A primary managerial responsibility that managers have is to plan, direct, and monitor the work of others to achieve the results they have been tasked to achieve. This involves informing staff about job responsibilities, setting and interpreting job performance standards, and providing appropriate feedback by providing examples of job performance and behavior.

One of the main causes of workplace discomfort and low job satisfaction is poor performance management, especially with staff not performing to required standards.

Research shows that poor performance management is one of the leading factors contributing to absenteeism and staff turnover. A manager’s inability to provide performance feedback in a timely and appropriate manner often causes the staff member to become distressed and behavioral changes that affect the staff member’s performance become apparent.

Performance management involves managing the effective job performance of staff as well as managing challenging behaviors that affect individuals, teams, and the overall performance of accomplishing tasks in the workplace.

The introduction of performance appraisals in organizations a few years ago seemed to be the answer to address and meet benchmarks for continuous improvement. Performance reviews help identify skill gaps and training needs; areas provide for praise, promotion and, in some cases, a salary increase. However, they are sometimes seen as a huge “waste of time” and cause manager and staff member anxiety. A performance appraisal is a tool that can identify what knowledge is needed, available, missing, applied, or contained.

Poor performing managers ‘punish’ the performance of their staff and create situations such as overlooking achievements; the focus is on what staff are doing wrong; taking credit for someone else’s work and instilling ‘fear’ in staff members. Sometimes it can simply be the ‘language of the message’ a manager uses, rather than ‘the message’ being delivered, that causes a staff member to misbehave.

To manage performance effectively, a manager must be in tune with the team, its members, and the tasks. A manager needs a good understanding of himself and others, with an awareness of his weaknesses and strengths.

Most employees want to do a good job; however, when they do not know what is expected of them, they cannot perform at a satisfactory level. Therefore, an agreement between a manager and each member of his or her staff on what needs to be done, what results need to be achieved, and time use priorities is essential to successful performance management.

Performance management is a constant and ongoing process in which praise is given for work well done, as well as feedback on work done incorrectly or not to standards. A manager who has the skills required to manage performance consistently has a gift for understanding human behavior. A manager who practices performance punishment can learn new skills to make the necessary changes in her management style and, in turn, reap the rewards of a high-performing team.

It is true that today we operate at the ‘speed of life’; we are constantly under pressure to meet deadlines, produce more in less time and with fewer people. A manager can easily feel pressured instead of having a good rhythm. A skillful manager with excellent performance management skills is aware of the talents, strengths, and weaknesses of her staff and can assign tasks and activities accordingly. A team that runs smoothly is a well-managed team.

Performance management includes activities to ensure that objectives are met consistently and effectively. It focuses on the performance of the organization, a department, the processes to build a product or service, how teams work, or how individual employees operate.

Performance management focuses on tasks rather than behavior. Although behavior impacts tasks, the focus should be on the task, the impact on the team, or the overall effect of the goal objectives.

The easiest way to achieve behavior change is to focus on the positive instead of trying to change the negative.

Provide opportunities for employees to receive and give feedback on their performance in a positive and safe environment, such as team meetings, and support the behaviors you want. This leads to fewer errors and waste, higher productivity, better quality and service for customers, as well as increased employee motivation, engagement and sense of ownership.

Leadership, Training, Coaching, Jan Sky, Sky Training, http://www.skytraining.com.au