Why performance improvement needs to be seen as normal

When we talk to Managers about performance management, it is common for the conversation to occur because someone’s performance is sub optimal. Manager’s love talking performance management. Actually that’s not true, they dislike it and often tell us just how unimpressed they are that we are encouraging them to manage performance using a semi formal approach of the performance improvement plan.

Here’s a thought though.

What would happen, if everyone was tasked with continuous performance improvement? It would certainly make performance management more of a positive experience.

Why we think that improving performance matters?

The truth is that all of us should treat our performance as something we need to develop. For example if we don’t maintain our skills we don’t become more skillful we become less. I always think about whether we would be any good as HR advisors if we didn’t learn new employment laws every year. The reality would be that if we don’t maintain our skills each year we would be unskilled pretty quickly!

If you ask your team to develop you can write up their development plan in the form of a performance improvement plan. A well worded Performance Improvement Plans will specify what improvement is required, what the timeline is, what good will look like. This approach would improve everyone’s performance and lead the performance improvement plan to be used as part of everyone’s ongoing, continuous performance improvement.

If you would like to discuss any aspect of performance management with one of our team, call us on 01527 909436.