How to Write a Performance Action Plan
What is 'Performance Planning?
“Performance planning is
a systematic and structured approach to successfully achieve the desired goals
of an individual or team throughout the assessment year. A plan is chalked out
for the team or an individual(s) keeping in mind the broader objectives of the
organization” (The Economic Times, 2022).
Description of
performance planning according to The Economic Times (2022), performance
planning is a crucial part of an employee's growth in the organization. An
effective performance planning system can be easy to understand, as well as to
implement. It would also be accurate enough to provide the performance of an
employee all over the year.
There are mainly four
basic objectives of performance planning. The number one is to communicate
basic responsibilities that the individual has to perform on a daily basis. It
can be reporting, data management, etc. The second objective is to remove any
vagueness in the goals and objectives that the individual has to achieve in the
specific year or time period specified by the team leader.
The third is to identify
and form on the competencies of an individual for doing the job. This
assistances in making employees more productive.
The fourth is to create
an adequate career development plan for the individual which will keep him/her
motivated. If an employee is well aware of his/her career as well as growth
plan, he/she can be self-motivated.
The performance planning
tool shall be effective in monitoring as well as measuring the results. It
should identify key performance levels which will easily be quantifiable.
Performance metrics which are easy to identify and helpful in making
comparisons.
The performance plan
laid out will also be helpful in enlisting various training programs which
employees can take to increase knowledge and productivity.
Normally, there is no
specific format in making a performance plan, however it should have these four
parameters. The first is to list the goals, the second is that it shall contain
various performance measures. The third one is that the performance planning
shall enlist various measures or action required to achieve desired goals, and
the last one is that it should have a given time period for all goals.
How to Write a Performance Action Plan (Mayhew, 2022)
In lot of organizations,
human-resources staff assists supervisors and managers with writing
performance-action plans. Performance-action plans sometimes referred to as
performance-improvement plans, or PIPs, are plans that have specific goals for
staff whose performance doesn't meet the company's standards. When an
employee's regular performance appraisal reveals significant room for
improvement, a performance-action plan is a detailed plan of action for helping
the staff get back on track.
1. Review the staff’s performance-appraisal results and the documentation the supervisor relied on to prepare the employee's performance appraisal for the evaluation period. Gather productivity logs, attendance records and disciplinary reviews, as well as any self-evaluations the staff completed as part of the appraisal process.
2. Consult with the
supervisor who evaluated the staff to determine the employee's areas for
improvement. Categorize the deficiencies in accordance with the company's
performance standards and expectations. For example, if the staff isn't
producing the quantity of work required to meet expectations, use one section
of the performance-action plan to address that deficiency. Similarly, if the
employee's absences exceed the maximum days allowable except for personal or medical
leaves, such as Family and Medical Act leaves of absence address that
separately in the performance-action plan.
3. Note the areas where
the employee's performance is sub-par, giving each a separate section.
Following each performance part, describe specific steps the employee must take
to improve she performance. For example, if she's a sales representative who
has a revenue goal or sales quota to reach, quantify the goal so as to leave no
ambiguity related to what it takes to succeed on the performance-action plan.
If the employee wants to achieve a better attendance record, describe the
process the employee has to use for alerting her supervisor to unexpected
absences and if there's any kind of documentation necessary to report to work
after an absence, such as a doctor's note.
4. Set follow-up dates
for reassessing the staff's performance and work them into the plan. If you
believe the employee wants just 30 days to improve, suggest follow-up meetings
to discuss milestones and progress every 10 days. If 60 days is a more
appropriate time to witness improvement, recommend follow-up meetings with the
employee every two weeks.
5. Point out the
consequences of not meeting the performance-action plan's goals. It might not
be wise to indicate consequences for not meeting certain milestones. That's
because it's conceivable that an employee may fail to meet the one or two of
the milestones in the plan yet complete the performance-action plan with flying
colors. So, address consequences for not meeting the overall performance goals.
In serious situations, it's often a performance-action plan that's the final
step before termination. If failure to meet the plan's goals can result in
termination, make sure the plan document clearly states that.
References
The Economic Times,
(2022). What is 'Performance Planning'. English edition [Online] Available
at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/performance-planning.
Accessed on 2nd May 2022.
Mayhew, R. (2022) How to
Write a Performance Action Plan [Online] Available at:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/pros-cons-performance-improvement-plans-80493.html.
Accessed on 2nd May 2022.
After an employee receives a poor performance review, management can give him a last chance to step up his game through a performance improvement plan (PIP or sometimes also called a performance action plan).
ReplyDeleteA performance improvement plan gives the employee with clear objectives to meet to avoid dismissal, demotion, or transfer.