Janet, a young personal support worker (PSW), had been on staff at a retirement residence for over a year when her supervisor called her in to discuss a problem. A resident and her family had complained that Janet was rough when providing personal care. Her supervisor noted that three months earlier, another resident, now moved to long-term care, had the same complaint.
Since Janet was not a great communicator and the supervisor focused only on discipline, the management team did not know that Janet had not been informed in either case that the residents had painful arthritis. So the supervisor removed Janet from providing care for this particular resident, and the client was satisfied. But Janet, otherwise a conscientious, hard-working and dedicated member of the team, had a disciplinary note on her file.
Janet could not understand why this was happening to her. All the other residents at the home and their relatives loved her. She felt her supervisor was not supportive, so when a job opportunity came up at the residence down the street, she took it.
Too often as managers, we miss opportunities to build a great team. A closer look at her file would have shown Janet’s probationary and first annual performance review were positive.
The above scenario is not uncommon. Initially, every employee dreads the annual performance evaluation. Then after a few years, the employee learns it’s not a big deal, only a formality supervisors need to go through to meet their own responsibilities. It’s just more paperwork that ends up in a filing cabinet, of no real benefit to anyone.
What should real performance management look like?
If you, as supervisor, are managing an employee’s performance in a progressive and result-oriented fashion, the two of you have ongoing performance discussions throughout the year. Both sides bring forth challenges and together put an action plan into place.
Often, an action plan involves providing the employee with further education and training, upgrading or replacing old equipment, improving front-line communication on resident care and services, and giving regular feedback. The employee increases her or his awareness of duties and responsibilities, and buys into the action strategy.
When it comes time for the annual performance appraisal, an employee is clearly aware of the challenges through the previous year, and has been part of the solutions. The performance review becomes an opportunity to look again at these challenges, to celebrate the accomplishments and to set goals for the upcoming year.
By investing in discussions throughout the year, you let employees see they’re important to you and to the organization. Not every employee will succeed through performance management, but clearly, this method will help you separate those who excel from those who are not a good fit with your organization.
Performance management must be fluid, an ongoing part of how you operate your residence. It’s as much a litmus test of the manager’s and supervisor’s performance as it is of the employee’s performance.
Using our approach, Janet’s supervisor would meet regularly with her one-on-one to discuss performance and job issues, as with other employees. The supervisor and employees would discover communication gaps in the operation, as well as education and training opportunities. Janet, aware of the particulars of resident care and feeling herself in a supportive environment, could be approached directly with concerns about the resident’s pain. Together with the care team and the resident’s family, the supervisor and Janet could create a proactive, not reactive, plan.
Then if Janet noticed an ad in the local paper for a PSW position with slightly higher pay at the residence down the street, she would be unlikely to pursue it. And you, as the supervisor, would have just increased your employee-retention rate, made your workplace a more attractive place to seek employment, and provided a vehicle for increasing customer satisfaction.
How do you make this positive move?
As a leader, the general manager must make sure each supervisor understands the importance of education and experience. Each supervisor should meet directly with employees for a performance discussion on a quarterly basis. Seek success stories to share, not just shortcomings. The same goes for department-head performance reviews.
A general manager once told me about an employee who wasn’t performing to standard or showing much dedication. To make matters more difficult, the employee was also the union steward. But six months into the implementation of the performance management program, a remarkable change occurred. The employee began sensing management was not only interested in the bottom line. The two of them began to work collaboratively on solving residence issues. At the employee’s annual performance review, an extraordinary improvement was noted and many union-management issues were no longer a problem.
About Yoav Bohbot
