View Point Health Basics of Supervision Module 5: Performance Management

Transcription

1 View Point Health Basics of Supervision Module 5: Performance Management 1. Basics of Performance Management 2. The Initial Performance Plan 3. The Performance Management Cycle 4. The Position Description and Performance Plan 5. Statewide Competencies 6. Individual Goals and Competencies 7. Performance Management Software 8. Mid-Point Reviews 9. Evaluating Hourly, Part-Time Employees 10. Coaching and Performance Documentation Revised November 2011

2 1. Basics of Performance Management VPH supervisors are accountable for assuring that subordinates perform their assigned duties, work their scheduled hours, follow policies on attendance, leave, and other issues, and meet all other expectations of the supervisor and agency. To facilitate supervisors carrying out this critical and often challenging responsibility, VPH offers a very structured and methodical process of performance management, which meets requirements established by the State Personnel Administration and our accrediting agency. The performance management process is based on an ongoing cycle of establishing performance expectations, communicating them to employees, coaching employees in meeting those expectations, and then evaluating their actual performance. The following information is intended as a brief overview of the process. You will learn the details as you are trained by your manager. 2. The Initial Performance Plan Performance management is an ongoing process. It begins at the time of hire when the supervisor provides initial on-the-job orientation and training to the new employee. This is a critical time period when the supervisor and employee begin to develop a good working relationship. The supervisor communicates verbally the basic job expectations as well as rules, policies, and practices. Within 45 days of the employee s hire date, the supervisor is responsible for providing the employee with a performance plan. They review it together, make any modifications, and agree upon and sign off on the plan. 3. The Performance Management Cycle The performance year for existing employees coincides with the fiscal year: July 1 of one year to June 30 of the following year. (Example: July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012). For a new employee, the cycle begins with the hire date and ends on June 30 of that performance year. The supervisor is responsible for preparing a performance plan for each subordinate and reviewing it with the employee. Having a performance plan is a sound management practice and also fulfills agency accreditation requirements. Throughout the year, the supervisor trains and coaches his subordinates and keeps notes related to when and where training and coaching took place as well as the employee s performance. Sometimes duties change or evolve during the performance year or an employee transfers within the agency. If so, the supervisor is responsible for revising the performance plan accordingly. Page 2 of 6

3 As a minimum, a performance review is done mid-year and at the end of the performance year. Additional performance reviews may be done at other times, if there are performance-related situations warranting that level of documentation. The end-of-year evaluation, which is done after July 1, requires assignment of performance ratings that determine whether the employee is eligible for a performance-based pay raise. The performance rating must be supported by documentation on the evaluation. The supervisor is responsible for forwarding a paper copy of the completed evaluation, signed by the reviewing manager and the employee, to HR by the established deadline each year. July 1 begins the next performance year and the cycle begins again with the preparation of a new performance plan. 4. The Position Description and Performance Plan Every position within VPH is assigned to a State of Georgia job title for which there is an accompanying job description. Because these state job titles and descriptions are so broad and generic, VPH has assigned working job titles to our positions and developed brief descriptions that provide more detail about typical duties performed by incumbents of those positions. Position descriptions are available to VPH employees on the VPH intranet website. (Go to click Staff Login, enter login and password, click Forms & Policies, and click Job Descriptions.) As a part of developing the individual performance plan, the supervisor copies the VPH position description and pastes it into the job responsibilities section of each employee s performance plan. The supervisor then modifies, deletes from and adds to the description to arrive at an accurate description of the individual s duties for his/her performance plan. All salaried employees, both full-time and part-time, get a performance plan. Our accrediting agency and other auditors typically require that every employee have a position description. The job responsibilities described in the performance plan and acknowledged by the employee s signature constitute the employee s position description for audit and accreditation purposes. Careful editing of the document for accuracy and completeness is essential. 5. Statewide Competencies Page 3 of 6

4 In addition to the performance of his duties, the employee is responsible for meeting five State-wide competencies: Customer Service Teamwork and Cooperation Results Orientation Accountability Judgment and Decision-making The details of these state-wide responsibilities are pre-established on each performance plan and cannot be edited by the supervisor. 6. Individual Goals and Competencies Every VPH employee has the same three Individual Goals and Competencies : Individual Contribution to Program Success Commitment to Excellent Service Flexibility Some positions have additional standard responsibilities. Like the job duties, Goals and Competencies are available on the VPH intranet site for copying and pasting. 7. Performance Management Software VPH uses internet-based performance management software called eperformance, which is specifically designed to support the state performance management process. It is a designed to be a paperless system, but supervisors should provide hard copies of plans to employees who do not have ready computer access. VPH also requires that signed, paper copies of the actual evaluation be submitted to HR at the end of each performance year for placement in the employee s personnel file. eperformance is accessed through the Employee Self-Service or Manager Self- Service feature of the State Personnel Administration s temporary alternative to the Team Georgia web site: Built-in security features allow confidentiality of all performance information. Only the supervisor, the reviewing manager, and HR have access to information about a specific employee. An eperformance Step-by-Step Guide to Plan Creation is available on the VPH intranet site. (Go to click Staff Login, enter login and password, click Training Events, and click Supervisor Tools.) Page 4 of 6

5 Each performance plan has four components: State-wide Competencies Individual Goals and Competencies Job Responsibilities Individual Development Plan VPH has greatly simplified the process for creating the plan in eperformance by placing on the VPH intranet site the VPH Individual Goals and Competencies and a basic description of job responsibilities for each VPH job. Supervisors can copy and paste these into the employee s plan. Once the performance plan is created in eperformance, the reviewing manager must approve it prior to its presentation to the employee. eperformance allows the approving manager to approve electronically the initial plan and to do subsequent approvals of the supervisor s final evaluations. Likewise, once the supervisor meets with the employee to discuss the plan, the employee may sign off on the plan electronically. The eperformance software also has a feature that allows the supervisor to keep performance notes about each employee during the year. Or these notes can be maintained in a paper-based productivity file for each employee. The productivity file is handy for reference for completing the mid-point and final yearly reviews. The end-of-year review is completed in eperformance, but unlike the previous processes, the final review is printed out. The supervisor and the employee sign the evaluation, make copies and forward the original to HR. 8. Mid-Point Reviews January marks the mid-point of the performance year. The employee s compliance with the requirements listed in his performance plan is evaluated using a paper form supplied by Human Resources. Any performance deficits should be carefully documented on the mid-point review so that the employee has an opportunity to improve before the end of the performance year. The midpoint review is also a good time to review the actual performance plan for continued accuracy and make any changes to it. 9. Evaluating Hourly, Part-time Employees Hourly, part-time employees do not have performance plans and are not eligible for performance-based pay increases. Nevertheless, the supervisor should Page 5 of 6

6 communicate expectations and meet with the employee periodically to review progress and provide coaching as needed. In the spring of each year, HR forwards a performance checklist on each hourly employee for completion by the supervisor. The form provides space for documentation as needed. The supervisor meets with the employee to discuss the contents and sign the form. The original is returned to HR for the personnel file. 10. Coaching and Performance Documentation Performance management actually begins with the hiring of persons who have the aptitude, capability, and motivation to perform the duties of the job. The new employee receives training during enrollment and orientation regarding overall agency expectations. The supervisor continues training once the employee arrives at the work site and as he/she provides teaching and coaching throughout employment. Keeping notes of all training and coaching sessions is an essential part of supervision. The actual end-of-year performance evaluation is not a stand-alone document. It is supported by observations and notes done by the supervisor throughout the performance year and communicated to the employee. Documentation of aboveaverage performance is just as important as it is for sub-par performance. In both cases, the supervisor must be able to present solid evidence supporting the performance rating. Contents of a performance evaluation should not be a surprise to the employee. Every supervisor is trained, coached, and evaluated by his own supervisor or manager on all aspects of his management of subordinates work performance, including their evaluations. The performance evaluation constitutes one of the bases for decisions that involve each employee s future, such as pay raises, promotions, transfers, and in some cases, terminations. Performance management is advantageous to the employee and critical to the agency s mission and success. Thank You for helping us to monitor and document our employee s efforts in the service of our clients! Page 6 of 6