A Publication of Lighthouse Consulting Services 3130 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (310) 453-6556
A supervisor was the subject of many complaints from his employees.  “I don’t know where I stand with him”, “I had no idea he was unhappy with my performance until my review”, “I never know what he wants or expects” were comments the department manager and human resources heard on a regular basis.  His own employees were afraid to go directly to him.  Finally, the issue was identified.  This supervisor was effective in most of his responsibilities, but he did not know how to effectively coach his employee’s performance.  Identifying this missing skill and providing this supervisor with specific training turned his employee’s concerns around and reduced turnover for his group.  In fact, he now has other employees seeking to transfer to his department! One of the toughest challenges and most avoided responsibilities of the manager is providing performance feedback to the employee.  Many managers will put off this important discussion, or gloss over real performance concerns.  Especially difficult is dealing with the employee whose performance is substandard. Not having an effective performance management process in place, and managers who are not trained to conduct a performance appraisal can lead to morale problems and potentially even leave your company open to legal problems; claims of discrimination and harassment.		Some of the obstacles to a successful appraisal process include the lack of skills or awareness of the supervisor.  Avoiding conflict is human nature and there is a tendency to avoid tough performance confrontations or to have an emotional, ineffective discussion when performance is addressed.  Fortunately, there are steps you can take to mitigate your risk. Tips for Legal Compliance: Performance ratings must be job-related, with measurable and quantitative performance standards.  Evaluations must be based on job responsibilities and a measurable standard must exist to compare employee behavior. Employees must be given a written copy of their job standards in advance of appraisals.  The courts have looked favorably on companies who clearly provide employees with this information and unfavorably on those companies who did not. Managers who conduct the appraisal must be able to observe the behavior they are rating.  A manager who works in another location from their subordinate must be careful to use facts vs. hearsay when conducting an evaluation.  Phone calls and email exchanges can be considered observable behavior.
Lighthouse Consulting Services  3130 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 550, Santa Monica, CA 90403 (310) 453-6556