15.How can pms assist with the up-skilling and development of employee?

 

One of the aim of setting up a PMS is to improve individual performance.Performance is improved when the development and up-skilling of the employee,both in the short team and in the long term are taken of.

During an appraisal meeting or even during the monitoring process,the performance of an employee is observed,taking into consideration in What and the How.
-What work he has achieved and what is his performance.
-How he is working,in what way he is doing things.

At the same time,if the employee is doing well,greater potential or new prospective may crop up and be observed.
Manager and employee may together decide that training can be considered for,future job prospects,job enlargement,multi-skilling.....

 Types of training can be planned,dependingon needs:

-Formal classroom training(courses)
-Coaching (receiving feedback&Guidance
-Job rotation(moving in another job to learn about it.

16. What role can HR play in improving organisation performance?

One of the role of HR in improving organisation performance is to recruite through a selection and recruitement exercise.It also make use of recruitment techniques skills in doing so.He is the body who gives incentives to employees for them to deliver better work performance and also motivate them.

  Four new roles of HR have been recognised as critical in most organisations to improve performance increase profitability and enhance employee satisfaction:

-A Strategic Partner
-An Administrative Expert
-A Change Agent
-Employee Champion

As a Strategic Partner HR role will be:
-To ensure that job objectives are well written and activities are prioritised.

As an Administrative Expert HR role will be:
-To provide proper training to management.
-To show and tell the management on the appropriateness of the pm process and system.

As a Change Agent HR role will be:
-To encourage employees to adopt the proper manner and behaviour.

As an Employee Chanpion HR role will be:
-To help employees in the skill of their job objectives wih training

14.How can performance management systems be improved?

Performance management system need to be carefully reviewed and adapted in terms of create,implementation and functioning so as to fit orgnisation needs and ensure that there is alignment between organisation objectives and employees performance.
 To ensure that the pms effectively achieves its aim,an evaluation must be done regularly and appropriate improvement be implemented.

The evaluation can be done though a investigation to asses the following points:

-If the individual job objectives are uptodate clear,well written and in line with organisational goals.

-Identification of an organisational training needs and system (IT).

-The properness,content of appraisal reviews and effectiveness of feedback.

12. What type of training is required to make adequate use of performance management systems?

These training helps provide support for an adequate use of performance management systems which Contribute to an organization's success by improving the performance.

The types of  training required are :

(1)   How to set up performance standard and objective

 To provide the employee with specific  performance expectations for each major duty and to carry out objective with the” SMART” concept.

(2)    How to measure performance.

To identify stars employee and underperformers , to implement career program, training, individual development plan

(3)How to provide feedback 

To Carry out an effective performance feedback process
4. Interpersonal skill:

• Two-way communication skills, for example oral and written, listening and questioning

•  Styles of behaviour, particularly emphasising the importance of a positive response and a confident professional manner, while remaining approachable and helpful.

• Leadership and team work.

4. Identify examples of financial and non-financial rewards?

Financial rewards refer to financial benefits and payments to employee provided recognition of their performance and contribution.

Examples of Financial Rewards are:

·         Basic salary

·         Performance Bonus

·         Overseas allowance

·         Travelling allowance

·         Pension scheme

·         Personal accident scheme

·         Medical scheme

·         Profit sharing scheme

·         Car grant

·         Company car

·         Refund of leaves

Non – financial rewards are any remuneration to a worker other than extra pay.

Examples of Non-financial rewards are:

·         Praise for good work

·         Recognition

·         Job autonomy

 

10. When developing a PMS, managers need to choose between various options or features of design available to them. Outline at least four such options. Your discussion should also outline the strengths and weaknesses of the various performance management methods.

When developing a PMS, managers should select options to assess the work skills, personality and behavior, to allow implementation of 360 degree feedback.

1.      Management by Objectives (MBO)

Management by Objectives (MBO) is a process of defining objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they need to do in the organization.

The essence of MBO is participative goal setting, choosing course of actions and decision making. An important part of the MBO is the measurement and the comparison of the employee’s actual performance with the standards set. Ideally, when employees themselves have been involved with the goal setting and choosing the course of action to be followed by them, they are more likely to fulfill their responsibilities.

2.      Critical Incident

The Critical Incident Technique is a set of procedures used for collecting direct observations of human behavior that have critical significance and meet methodically defined criteria. These observations are then kept track of as incidents, which are then used to solve practical problems. Critical Incident Technique  is also widely used in organizational development as a research technique for identification of organizational problems. Critical Incident Technique is used as an interview technique, where the informants are encouraged to talk about unusual organizational incidents instead of answering direct questions. Using Critical Incident  Technique  deemphasizes the inclusion of general opinions about management and working procedures, instead focusing on specific incidents.

3.      Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS)

Behaviourally anchored are scales used to rate performance.It is an appraisal method used to describe a performance rating that focused on specific behaviors or sets as indicators of effective or ineffective performance, that aims to combine the benefits of narratives, critical incidents, and quantified ratings by anchoring a quantified scale with specific narrative examples of good, moderate, and poor performance.

4.      360-degree feedback

360-degree feedback, also known as multi-rater feedback, multisource feedback, or multisource assessment, is feedback that comes from all around an employee. Feedback is provided by subordinates, peers, and supervisors. It also includes a self-assessment and, in some cases, feedback from external sources such as customers and suppliers or other interested stakeholders. It may be contrasted with "upward feedback," where managers are given feedback by their direct reports, or a "traditional performance appraisal," where the employees are most often reviewed only by their managers.
The results from 360-degree feedback are often used by the person receiving the feedback to plan training and development. Results are also used by some organizations in making administrative decisions, such as pay or promotion

The table below shows the strength and weakness of each option/features chosen to develop a performance management system .

	Strength	Weakness
Management by objective	·         Motivation ·         Better communication and Coordination		·         It over-emphasizes the setting of goals over the working of a plan as a driver of outcomes. ·         When this approach is not properly set, agreed and managed by organizations. In this case, managing by objectives would be counterproductive.
Critical Incident	·         Flexible method that can be used to improve multi-user systems. ·         Data is collected from the respondent's perspective and in his or her own words		·         critical incidents often rely on memory, incidents may be imprecise or may even go unreported.
Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales	·         Ratings are not easily subjected to different interpretations of raters.		·         Requires observational skill and proper determination of critical behaviors ; inadequacies can lead to misleading data ·         Time consuming process time
360 degree Feedback	·         More complete view of employee’s performance ·         More valid and objective because of multisource		·         Sometimes honest due to peer pressure

5. What is a code of conduct ?

A code of conduct  seeks to define the acceptable set of behaviour that are expected from all employees in the performance of their duties. A code of conduct also relate guidance for ethical issue that may affect the working environment .

A code of conduct addresses issues like:

• Conflict on interest
• Independance
• Work place harassment
• Equal opportunities
• Pretection of confidential information
• Respect from colleagues and clients
• Obeyed all application laws and social regulations
• Support employee diversity and employee integration.

Code of ethics will address issues like :

• Honesty and integrity of employee.
• Professional behaviour.
• Accountability.
• Objectivity.
• Confidentiality.

11. What guidelines for framing and communicating performance feedback would you recommend to a manager about to conduct formal performance reviews for the first time?

Performance Review is an annual or periodic process ,which helps employees to identify ways of improving their ability to work and output performance, in order to achieve the company’s goals and objectives.So it could be a very stressful situation for a novice to conduct a performance reviews for the first time .

 

Guidelines that are recommended to a manager about to conduct formal performance reviews for the first time are:

•      Feedback should be given on a regurlar basis not only during performance reviews.
•     Create the right context for the discussion
•      Encourage 2-way communication during the session
•      Recognise effective performance through praise
•     Focus on solving problems
•    Focus feedback on behaviour or results, not on the person
•     Minimise criticism
•     Agree to specific goals & set a date to review progress.

13. Outline the importance of giving feedback?

Feedback is a way to let people know how effective they are in what they are trying to accomplish, or how they affect you. It provides a way for people to learn how they affect the world around them, and it helps us to become more effective. If we know how other people see us, we can overcome problems in how we communicate and interact with them.

Feedback is a must for people who want to have honest relationships. A powerful and important means for communication, giving feedback connects us, and our behavior, to the world around us. Feedback helps us to become more aware of what we do and how we do it. Receiving it gives us an opportunity to change and modify in order to become more effective. To be helpful, feedback needs to be given in a concerned and supportive way and to include both positive and negative observations. In giving feedback, try to focus on:

·         The behaviour rather than the person.

o    What he does rather than what we imagine he is.

o    Use adverbs which relate to actions rather than adjectives which relate to qualities.

·         Observations rather than inference – what is said or done, not why.

·         Descriptions rather than judgment.

·         Limiting the amount of information to what the receiver can use rather than the amount you would like to give.

3. List and briefly explain the objective of appraisal interviews?

The Appraisal Interview
In preparing for the actual dialogue with the employee, take time to review your completed evaluation form
and the employee's Pre-Evaluation Appraisal Form. Plan what topics you will discuss in the meeting.
Walking into a performance review without thinking about the discussion that will occur will lead to an
ineffective review. Take time to:
 Read and respond to the Pre-Evaluation Appraisal Form
 Gather the necessary objective data and review it
 Decide on critical elements of the review
 Write down the major points you want to discuss
 Set aside a minimum of thirty minutes for the meeting and arrange it in a business-like setting
 Allow no interruptions

The role of a Manager should be:

1. Translate organizational  goal into individual job objectives and requirements

2. Communicate their expectations regarding employee performance

3. Provide feedback to the employees

4. Coach the employees on how to achieve job objectives and requirements

5. Diagnose the employee’s relative strengths and weaknesses

6. Determine a development plan for improving job performance, and ability

utilizations

B. Employees should get the answers to :

1. What am I expected to do?

2. How well am I doing?

3. What are my strengths, weaknesses?

4. How can I do a better job?

5. How can I contribute more?

C. The Company should :

1. Provide employees with a clear understanding of what is expected of them;

establish direction; set objectives and priorities, monitor results, respond to

problems and give help and support to ensure that all assigned objectives are

met on time.

Objectives of appraisal interviews

·         To improve employee performance

·         To let the employee know where he/she stands

·         To give recognition where due

·         To help the appraiser gain a better understanding of the employee and his work

·         To improve the manager or supervisor – employee relationship

·         To plan specific objectives and performance targets