What is: Performance Management

Managing for high performance

As manager, you have the opportunity to bring out the best in your staff by giving them clear objectives and standards to meet, creating opportunities to develop their skills, giving them feedback and direction and holding them to account when they’re underperforming.

Why is this important and what’s my role?

Leading teams and motivating staff to perform well can be highly rewarding. On some occasions though, you need to address underperformance and talk to employees about issues like their attendance, competence, motivation and mindset. These conversations can be uncomfortable, but if you’ve established good working relationships with your team, they’re more likely to go smoothly and produce positive results. In fact, ‘managing performance’ doesn’t have to be negative. It’s about helping employees to understand their role and what’s expected of them and supporting them to achieve this.

What do I need to do?

Have regular performance conversations

Have regular two-way conversations with staff about their performance. These are an opportunity to discuss their work, give and receive feedback and plan development opportunities. Use the conversations to address the following.

Expectations—clarify what’s expected of them and what success in their role looks like.
Work plans—regularly review work plans and progress against them. When you need to, realign their performance priorities to align with overall objectives and to respond to change.
Development opportunities—discuss ways to develop their skills and capabilities to meet their career aspirations and the needs of the organisation.
Achievements—recognise and celebrate achievements so people feel valued and appreciated.
Underperformance—if employees are underperforming in an area, give feedback about what they’re doing, the impact it has and what they need to do differently in order to meet the standard expected of them. Address issues promptly. If you don’t address them, they can negatively affect the employee’s personal and professional development, the satisfaction of other staff in the work area and the quality of patient care.

Note: If there’s a significant or ongoing performance issue, contact your local HR Business Partner for advice and guidance.

Keep detailed records of these conversations, particularly when the employee is underperforming.

These conversations don’t always have to be formal. Having short, regular catch ups, will help to identify issues early and address them before they become entrenched.

Recognise good work

One of the most positive aspects of leading a team is recognising good performance and supporting people to develop their skills. Instead of only noticing what’s wrong, look for what’s being done well. Recognition can be as simple as saying ‘You did a great job’, or ‘You contribute such a lot to this team.’ You can also use more formal recognition programs available within the organisation. It’s about noticing good work and showing your appreciation in big and small ways. This makes staff feel valued and appreciated and motivates them to keep doing their best.

Develop and review Performance and Development Plans

All employees should have a Performance and Development Plan (PDP) which is reviewed at least every six months.

It’s your role as manager to:

regularly review roles and position descriptions to make sure they’re up to date
make sure your team members understand and can meet the requirements of their role
let the team know the standards of performance and behaviour expected of them
track performance against identified KPIs and identify any barriers
explore professional development opportunities for each team member.