2. 02
Objective
The purpose of performance evaluation and employee appraisal is to
set common objectives, define individual goals and responsibilities,
provide information about the level of achievements compared with
the goals agreed upon, identify desired behavior, diagnose deficiency
of an employee which enables to plan and focus on providing the right
training. This leads to individual employee development and in-turn
realization of performance objectives of the organization. All the
aforementioned have become relevant beyond question today as the
need for ensuring successful outcomes of business objectives has
increased by several folds.
This is an essential program designed to meet the expectations of both
an individual employee and an organization’s performance. This is done
by implementing a meaningful systematic process which enables both
the managers and their team members to contribute in their respective
functions to improve organization’s success at every level.
This handbook is intended to provide a quick overview on performance
planning & management covering the aforementioned points. This
guide provides step-by-step explanations on the above mentioned
points and also offers an easy-to-refer checklist to standardize the
activities and procedures
Planning goals & setting expectations
Managing performance by continuous monitoring
Identifying & developing capabilities to perform
Periodic formal reviews
Rewarding performance
This guide deals with:
6. 06
Performance Management
Performance management aims at identifying, measuring, managing
and developing the performance of the most important component in
any organization – The Human Capital. A robust performance
management system facilitates candid communication around
organizational goals, individual goals and expectations and establishes
responsibility & accountability. All of which aligns an employee’s
day-to-day activities.
Employee Performance Appraisal is an essential component to
7. 07
Connection between Performance
Management and Performance
Appraisal
Performance appraisal is the vital component of Performance
Management. In the traditional system performance appraisal was a
rigid, subjective & once a year review/assessment of performance
against predefined performance standards. This made the process
backward looking and therefore was considered ineffective.
With the evolution of Performance Management, the approach and
perspective of performance appraisal has had a paradigm shift. It is
now the strategic linkage connecting different isolated processes
components to facilitate bilateral dialogue for feedback and increase
source of ideas for potential solutions.
Performance appraisal is now considered as an ongoing and
continuous process to observe behavior, identify gaps, communicate
action plans, monitor progress to provide feedback for course
corrections and improve focus on goals and employee engagement.
Therefore the success of performance management vests on having a
solid concrete performance appraisal process.
Approach to Performance Appraisal
systematically measure, evaluate and improve individual employee
performance to achieve the organizations’ goals.
Performance Appraisal is now the keystone for effectiveness of the
Performance Management & Talent Management Strategy of every
organization. It plays a crucial role in:
Identifying Capabilities of Existing Talents through the use of
structured reviews
8. 08
Establishing Talent needs of future recruits
Establishing Training Plans
Create positive impact on employees job performance
Establishing Personnel Policies
Transparent & honest bilateral communication
Identifying & Breaking down goals into Department, Team and
Individual Goals and communicating them effectively
Ensure Shared understanding of where we are and what is required
to improve
Encourage individual performance
Establishing simple & clear performance plans that ensures issues
are resolved
Continuous Feedback that provides direction, drives focus &
coaching to achieve solutions and values
Focus on development
The approach to Performance appraisal
should focus on
Performance appraisal
9. 09
Performance Appraisal for Decision
Making
This figure illustrates how an
effective feedback mechanism can
influence perception and impact
status quo. For example, an
organization’s mission & vision
determines the objectives which
can influence an individual
employee’s goals and
performance standards. At the
same time it can also impact the
employee’s development plans.
Employee challenges, Employee
T&D plans and job analysis
information can be gathered
only through rigorous feedback
& evaluation process which
involves:
10. 10
These can play a significant role in understanding the problem early
before it manifests into serious issues. These inputs can help the
management take tough but necessary decisions.
A robust performance management system would consider a fluidic
performance appraisal process central to its objectives that focus on
decision making for deliverance of desired behavior.
One of the primary reasons to have performance appraisal is to
create an opportunity for communication. All of us know intuitively
that success of communication vest on it being bilateral. Few of the
advantages of having a transparent & honest bilateral
communication are;
Information gathered from relevant data points
Information collected from informal communication
Common weakness identification and its enumeration
Let know the perception and belief about ones contribution and
performance
Unearth issues that inhibit performance and requires to be fixed
Unearth issues that requires remedy and prevention
Other factors like – training need, requirement of a tool etc.,
Understand conflicts in thoughts in workgroups
Significance of Communication in
Performance Appraisal
a. Performance evaluation aims at objective measurement. Employee
performance appraisal includes both objective and subjective
assessment of how well an employee performed during the period of
review. The appraisal system should be individualized objective
General Provisions
11. towards meeting organizational goals, subjective, qualitative and
oriented towards problem solving.
b. Performance will be rated for each element covered under different
Sections of Goals, Competencies & Others reflected in the appraisal
form. These elements or attributes should clearly specify the objective
and its measure of standard.
c. The results of performance appraisal is used as the basis for
determining & granting Performance Awards, Trainings, Job Rotation,
Reassigning, Probation Confirmation, Promotion, Demotion,
Compensation Revisions, Retaining & Removing employees.
d. The appraisal period is the one-year period coinciding with the
financial cycle. In case of changes the same would be notified
establishing and defining an alternate appraisal cycle.
e. As deemed appropriate by the Department Head, appraisal cycles
can be created for performance evaluation for his Department Team
Members. There is no restrictions w.r.t creation of the appraisal cycles.
Example “Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half-yearly or
Annual etc.,
12. 12
Performance & Process Evaluation
Definitions
Managers & above will periodically evaluate their team members for
their effectiveness and provide them with critical feedback to improve
their focus and efficiency.
Typically indicates all those who are currently on
the company payroll.
The Human Resource Team in coordination with the Department
Heads will analyze & evaluate the performance appraisal process and
recommend modifications as necessary.
Active Employees:
Typically indicates those who are Retired, Laid-Off
and Voluntary & Involuntary terminated staff.
Inactive employees:
Refers to the process of evaluation and providing feedback
to the appraisee.
Appraisal:
Refers to the specific dates that mark the beginning
and end of an appraisal period.
Appraisal Cycle:
The specific period for which performance will be
reviewed and the feedback will be published.
Appraisal Period:
Refers to the immediate supervisor or manager who is
involved in review of progress towards goals and competencies of his
team member and provides his developmental feedback.
Appraiser:
Refer to the person who reviews and approves the
rating and recommendation provided by the appraiser. He/she is
usually the Department Head or the HR.
Approval Official:
Refers to the employee who is being reviewed and
appraised about his performance.
Appraisee:
13. 13
Refers to the person who performs some of tasks of the
Primary Manager. They can be assigned to any team member. They act
as Mentor or as Project Manager and on case-to-case basis will be able
to provide their appraisal and also have access to employee details like
Skills, Competencies, Development Needs, Work History and
Experience.
Co-Manager:
Refers to behaviors demonstrated when performing
ones function or task by applying a related set of skills, knowledge,
ability and experience one has acquired to successfully achieve the
desired outcome in a defined work setting.
Competencies:
Refer to the building blocks of competencies
and indicates the major skills required to carry out a task.
Competency Elements:
Refers to the process of identifying and initiating
actions to close performance gaps. They can be broadly classified as:
Development Plan:
Refers to a catalogue i.e. a collection of
observable and demonstrable skills, behavior and attitude that
collectively defines the capabilities required to perform successfully in
each and every job role or function in an organization.
Competency Library:
Refers to the process of identification of
competencies required to successfully perform a particular job
function or undertake a set of tasks as required by that job function at
a given time.
Competency Mapping:
Refers to the systematic process of assessing
to identify whether an employee possesses the required knowledge,
skills, attitudes and behaviors required to be successful in a particular
job function or fulfil a task. This involves assessment of position profile
and employee profile.
Competency Profiling:
14. 14
This addresses skill gaps which impede
achievement of goals.
Needs Improvement:
This addresses opportunities which can be provided
to an employee to enhance job-related skills and performance.
Enhance Skills:`
This addresses opportunities to explore and
provide career advancement through cross-training or mentoring.
Career Advancement:
These are broad generic statements depicting the end result or
the final outcomes which incorporates everything one must
accomplish.
Goals:
Refers to a systematic approach to
develop competencies and bridge skill gaps with a vision to improve
performance in present role and prepare an employee for new
responsibilities arising due to either job rotation or promotion.
Individual Development Plan:
Refers to the person to whom the employee
reports for all administrative purposes. He reports directly to him. An
employee can have only one Primary Manager.
Primary Manager:
Refers to all recorded parameters or attributes
(goals, competencies and other critical elements) and standards that
identify expected performance for an individual employee and for the
organization and the action plans to meet the objectives. An employee
would be evaluated against his/her performance plan.
Performance Plan:
Refers to the duties and tasks that must be carried out
by a particular job position.
Job Function:
Refers to the weightage average rating.Overall Score:
15. 15
Refers to the set of knowledge,
skills, behavioral characteristics and stated objectives which are
critically required to fulfil the job functions and for accomplishment of
individual and organizational goals. These are associated with the job
function and the job position.
Performance Attributes/Criterion:
Refers to the results expected of a job
function and provides the benchmark against which to evaluate work
performance.
Performance Expectation:
Is a systematic process of measuring the
difference between the present status of goals and the actually
planned goals.
Performance Gap:
Refers to the scale used to rate various performance
attributes.
Rating Scale:
Refers to the definition used for scoring each of
the performance attribute an employee is reviewed for.
Rating guidelines:
IRefers to a systematic approach to
develop competencies and bridge skill gaps with a view to improve
performance in present role.
Performance Improvement Plan:
Refers to the process of developing
performance expectations, developing goals & objectives and identify
performance attributes applicable for the positon being appraised.
Performance Planning:
Refers to performance thresholds(s),
requirement(s) and expectation(s) that must be met. It includes factors
like Quality, Quantity, and Timelines etc. The job requirement dictates
the performance standard. They can include recurring & non-recurring
goals which can be modified / adjusted as the job changes.
Performance Standard:
16. 16
Refers to the person who reviews the feedback provided
by the appraiser. He can also be the Approval Official.
Reviewer:
Refers to all the persons who provide their
performance feedback to the appraisee.
Review Group:
Refers to the person to whom the Primary
Manager of an employee reports to.
Skip Level Manager:
Refers to the process of goal setting which encourages
in identifying objectives and establishing them in a manner that they
are Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Relevant and Tangible to ensure
successful outcomes.
SMART Goals:
Refers to a multi-rater feedback system where
an individual is assessed by a number of assessors including Primary
Manager, Co-Manager, Peers, Direct Reporters and Customers both
Internal & External. that they are Specific, Measurable, Assignable,
Relevant and Tangible to ensure successful outcomes.
360 Degree Feedback:
17. 17
It is the underlying beliefs, principle and standards for
which one stands for. Values are the personal characteristics which are
stable and can be displayed in how one behaves.
Core Values:
Is the concise statement which is clear & comprehensive in
providing the big picture of where we want to be and what we want to
achieve. These are created to provide us the direction and purpose and
both are strong motivators. They are usually long term and of strategic
importance.
Vision:
Performance reviews and management is an ongoing process and are
critical components of performance planning, review and
development both organizational and employee. This involves both
the employee and his manager and requires them to create an
employee-manager relationship to identify common goals and link it
with higher organizational goals. While performance reviews helps in
assessment of the progress towards the goals; performance
management helps to emphasize achievement of the goals by
developing action plans to overcome deficiencies.
Guidelines for Effective Performance
Planning
Before we get into performance planning and its management we
have to broadly understand these terminologies and the
relationships that exist between them.
Relationship between Core Values, Vision,
Mission, Goals, Objectives
PERFORMANCE PLANNING
18. 18
Is a general but a direct action statement on how one will
achieve the vision. The mission statements are often modified over a
period of time to calibrate the progress towards the vision. They are
more tactical and short term.
Mission:
These are the stepping stones to make the vision or mission
a reality. They deal with what needs to be accomplished and helps in
creating action plans which enhance one’s conviction behind an idea
and motivates them to pursue it. Another crucial factor is goal setting
that enables to track and monitor milestones which are critical for
measuring the actual progress towards achieving the vision.
Goals:
These are structured and specific plans which enable
one to achieve the goals.
Developing or Creating statements around Core Values, Vision &
Mission helps organizations to create shared perspective about what is
important and demonstrate behaviors in-line with it and speak about:
Answers to these questions also provide people with an identity which
helps them to get involved and essentially makes them think and to live
up to that identity. This improves agreements over decision making.
The words goals & objectives are often confused and used
Objectives:
Who are We
What are we doing
Why are we doing
How are we doing it
when will be get there
Relationship between Core Values, Vision,
Mission, Goals, Objectives
19. 19
interchangeably. Both describe what is required to be achieved or in
other terms define what an individual employee or the organization is
trying to achieve, but relative terms are different concepts; they are
related, yet separate.
Because goals are broad and not necessarily clearly outlined or
measurable, objectives act as a great tool for executing the goals. As is
evident in the table above they are used at different stages of business
planning.
As can be derived from the comparison above and as it has been said,
“Goals without Objectives can never be achieved and Objectives
without Goals will never get you where you want to be”.
Effective goals and objectives management ensures employees
understand how their contribution is linked to overall success of the
organization.
20. 20
S.M.A.R.T is an acronym provided by George T. Doran to organize Goals
& Objectives which helps to channelize efforts to improve chances of
success. This is the most popular goals-setting technique. It prompts
people to act with clarity from the goal setting stage that are Specific,
Measurable, Assignable, Relevant and Tangible.
Working with SMART Goals
S.M.A.R.T Goals helps to clearly define goals (where we want to be) &
objectives (the steps needed to get there) as we set them thus
reducing the risk of creating abstract or vague goals which is most
likely not to going to be achieved. SMART goals are meant to be
targets that are realistic for an employee to achieve. These are written
using verbs like plan, produce etc., they are meant to provide guidance
and help an employee maintain focus on what matters most among a
plethora of tasks performed by him or her. Once the goals have been
set it is easy to refer them and update progress towards achieving
them.
Why SMART Goals?
S.M.A.R.T goals are most popular because they are not just easy to
understand but also because it establishes clarity w.r.t what needs to
be done and when. Let’s start with:
Understanding SMART Goals
A specific goal or a target has a much greater chance of
accomplishment. This defines what is expected to be done.. Greater
detailing ensures clarity and avoids generality and ambiguity. To set a
Specific
21. 21
This provides the criteria for measuring achievements and maintain
track towards progress of the established goals. This deals with stated
measures like quality, quantity, timeliness, cost etc. This enables
experience a sense of satisfaction on reaching key milestones as per
planned schedules towards the progress of the goals. This requires
answering the following “H”:
Measurable
This enables to plan and remain action-oriented by channelizing one’s
strength, efforts and requesting for support as and when required.
While considering if a goal is actionable and achievable when
assigning, it is also necessary to consider the employees total set of
Achievable
specific goal the following “W” requires answers:
As can be noticed, the answer to the “W” provides clarity & direction to
the employees enhancing focus and engagement.
Who– Who is involved or who will do it?
What – What are the possible constraints, what is required to be
accomplished, what milestones are required to be met along the
way and what quality standards to be achieved?
Why – Purpose & benefit of accomplishing the goal/objective
When – Time frame within which the task or goal is required to be
achieved or completed.
Which - Resources required to overcome the obstacles or
constraints
H – How much is to be achieved?
H – How success will be determined?
H – How will I and others know what has been accomplished?
22. 22
This refers to the state of result for it to be relevant and to be able to
achieve within the given resources. This requires answers for the
following “R”:
It is essential for the goals to be relevant, realistic and rewarding as
they induce a sense of acceptance, willingness to participate and
motivate to work.
Realistic
goals and the employee’s authority and capability. If the goals assigned
to an employee is more than he is capable of the chances of its
completion cannot be expected. This requires answers for:
The time & effort required
Resources required and a grounding commitment to provide the
same
Relevant Knowledge, Skills & Competencies
Recognize or identify what have to be done to the create
conditions to achieve the goal – in other words how the objective
have to be accomplished, this may include resources, capabilities
required etc.
Relevant – Alignment with the organization’s mission, vision,
values and principles, how important is it to undertake an objective
as it would be one of the key factors for diversion of the resources
to display a grounding commitment to help the team member in his
efforts on completion of the goal. Wherever possible it will be
appropriate to link the goal to a higher departmental goal to ensure
that the employee understands how his action contributes to the
achievement of the organizational goal.
Rewarding – To feel a sense of accomplishment when able to
complete within the established time frame
23. 23
Goals are the most direct means of understanding the expectations
and what is required to be delivered. They should be set in such a way
that it provides clarity and should gain and incorporate feedback in
planning on “how to get close to and deliver the expectations”. It is
essential for the goals to be tangible to improve the chances of it
becoming specific, measurable and achievable.
Tangible
From the above we can infer, there are two types of objectives
incorporated into goals to measure performance; Process Objective &
Outcome Objective
Process Objective: This makes an employee accountable for
completing all the activities. This provides the platform to measure
participation, interaction and activities.
What are the types of Objectives
24. 24
Goals and objectives provide motivation and remind an employee on
what is required to be achieved. A clearly specified goal helps to:
It is not always mandatory that a goal should contain a numerical
measurement; few objectives can be setup to improve knowledge,
skills or attitude (competencies). These are called Impact Objectives
which are written to describe the degree of expectation. They should
be described in a manner which invokes a general consensus as to its
meaning.
How does having goals and objective
s help?
An effective goal setting process starts with an analysis of all aspects
of the goals including the reason for pursuing a goal. The foremost
consideration is to ensure that the set Goals provide shared
understanding of the expectations and removes subjectivity out of the
goal setting process. The following critical elements are required to be
considered:
Outcome Objectives: This makes an employee responsible for the
outcome of the results for the work done.
How to create a SMART Goal
Create perspective of what is required to be achieved
Maintain focus
Establish Priorities
Improve Performance
Achieve satisfaction in job
25. 25
Goals and objectives provide motivation and remind an employee on
what is required to be achieved. A clearly specified goal helps to:
It is not always mandatory that a goal should contain a numerical
measurement; few objectives can be setup to improve knowledge,
skills or attitude (competencies). These are called Impact Objectives
which are written to describe the degree of expectation. They should
be described in a manner which invokes a general consensus as to its
meaning.
How does having goals and objective
s help?
An effective goal setting process starts with an analysis of all aspects
of the goals including the reason for pursuing a goal. The foremost
consideration is to ensure that the set Goals provide shared
understanding of the expectations and removes subjectivity out of the
goal setting process. The following critical elements are required to be
considered:
Outcome Objectives: This makes an employee responsible for the
outcome of the results for the work done.
How to create a SMART Goal
Create perspective of what is required to be achieved
Maintain focus
Establish Priorities
Improve Performance
Achieve satisfaction in job
26. 26
Goals are the stepping stones to convert the vision into reality. It is
therefore essential to get to as much detailing as possible to avoid
confusion, ambiguity and frustration. At the same time it provides
direction and enables one to create action plans and processes to
accomplish the objectives. This also enhances one’s conviction behind
the idea and motivates them to pursue the goal. Another crucial factor
is goal setting that enables to track and monitor milestones which are
Creating Smart Goals using Goals
Worksheet
Goal Description: Clearly specifies the goal.
Intended Result or Performance outcome: Clearly specifies what
is expected and clarifies the steps or activities.
Measure or criteria: Clearly specifies the levels of performance,
which may include quality, quantity, timeliness etc.,
Bottlenecks: Clearly specifies the anticipated bottlenecks, which
enables to plan ahead of time to overcome the same to ensure the
objectives are accomplished.
Resources: Clearly specifies the identified resources that are
responsible to support the cause of efforts to ensure objectives are
met.
Performance Outcome
Measure or criteria
Conditions
Conditions: Clearly specifies the constraints and its alignment with
the organizational vision, mission, values and principles. There are
essentially three elements which qualifies a goal into a SMART Goal.
They are:
27. 27
critical for measuring the actual progress towards achieving the vision.
The illustration below is an example of creating a goal from the
organization’s vision.
Goals and Objectives are clearly stated
Responsibility and accountability is defined, ownership is ensured
Logically arrived goals sound reasonable and achievable and are
easily accepted
Improves participation in the goal setting process
Performance reviews become objective and meaningful
By setting goals as illustrated above, the following are achieved:
28. 28
One of the major reasons to adopt SMART Goals is its focus on
outcomes or results and is easy for the employee to clearly understand
the expectation w.r.t the levels of contribution to the organization’s
success.
SMART Goals are developed in a consultative approach with the
employees focusing on the outcomes but it essentially enables one to
plan the steps or activities required to be completed, to ensure
accomplishment of the goals. This improves participation,
self-evaluation and provides the employees an opportunity to grow
Adoption of SMART Goals
Progress towards vision can be tracked as milestones are discerned
29. 29
Competencies Management
What are competencies?
Competencies are often defined as behaviors demonstrated when
performing ones function or task by applying a related set of skills,
knowledge, ability and experience one has acquired to successfully
achieve the desired outcome in a defined work setting.
What is competency profiling?
Competency profiling is the systematic process of identifying and
defining the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors required to
fulfil a task. This process leads to the creation of competency
The fact that competencies are modelled around behavior, enables to
initiate conversations around what people do, how it adds value and
what they need to do to enhance their ability in terms of training which
would improve and increase productivity and also for their career
progression.
As can be inferred from all the above mentioned, competency is more
than skills, includes knowledge and experience, can be linked or
mapped with performance in a given job function and is something
which can be continuously improved.
Competencies also serve the purpose of skill standardization on the
levels of knowledge, experience and abilities needed to perform
successfully in a particular job function. In addition to this they also
serve the purpose of providing guidelines to easily relate, identify and
establish levels of performance expected or demonstrated by an
employee. During performance appraisals it helps to differentiate an
exceptional performer from an average performer.
30. 30
Competency maps are prepared specific for each industry taking into
consideration the organization’s strategic purpose, specific job
functions and roles and map it to individual employees.
What is competency map?
It is done by conducting a job analysis by breaking down the job into its
constituent tasks or activities to identify the competencies and
categorize them into individual and workplace competencies.
How is competency map developed?
dictionary specific to organizations which provide the foundation for
recruitment and selection strategies.
Individual competency: deals with Employee background
Technical competency: demonstration of specialised
knowledge, skills and experience in the relevant function - Know
Personal Effectiveness Competency
Practical competency – demonstrate application of
relevant knowledge to contribute positively – Know how
Professional competency – demonstrate values like
Continuous learning, receptive to feedback etc.,
Social competency – demonstrate ability to build organic
productive relationships – builds harmonious relationships
with colleagues and customers.
Workplace Competencies: deals with employee attitude - latent
capacity
Adaptability
Result Orientation
31. 31
Competency profiling for mapping enables an existing employee to
specifically know what knowledge, skill and behavior is required. They
are also used to achieve various objectives as given below:
Competency profiling for mapping enables an existing employee to
specifically know what knowledge, skill and behavior is required. They
are also used to achieve various objectives as given below:
This process enables to identify competencies across different job
functions in an organization, categorize and cluster them as per its
relevance to the categories and sub categories which provides a
structural view and improves possibilities of its use as tools for various
applications in the organization’s context.
Why should we do competency profiling f
or mapping?
Identify responsibility, provide clarity to establish accountability
It plays a vital role in defining job description, its key functions &
formulating guidelines for selection & recruitment of the right
candidates ensuring organizational fit.
It helps to set clear performance expectations to ensure employee
success in a given job functions.
It helps conduct performance evaluation based on behaviors
displayed or not displayed.
Provides a precise roadmap for employee development w.r.t
performance.
Helps to evaluate competency gaps and identify an individual’s and
groups training needs for development.
Plays a vital role in differentiating performance; develop growth
plans & retention strategies.
32. 32
Competency elements refer to the building blocks of competency and
indicate the major skills required to carry out a task. Typically
competency elements are the description of:
What is competency element?
These can be used to clearly communicate and establish performance
expectations in a job function.
Competency elements for recruitment purposes would additionally
include:
Competency Name: Customer Orientation & Service Focus
Competency Definition: Understands customer needs and
demonstrates concerns for satisfying requirements and
expectations.
Competency description or behavior:
Recognizes customer requirements and acts on present issues.
Is conversant with contingency plans and acts quickly at times of
crisis by drawing appropriate resources with experience to
quickly address the situation.
Takes action to address the situation and to capitalize the
opportunity. Looks for ways to deliver greater results or add
value.
Is able to identify challenges which can turn into potential
problems and responds quickly to solve them and improve
situation.
Is able to anticipate concerns and take actions to improve
satisfaction. He coaches others and gets them involved in
Technical Competency: This includes educational credentials and
experience
33. 33
There are several advantages to this; let’s examine it from the
perspective of 3 main stake holders
What is the advantage of competency
mapping?
Workplace Competency: Demonstration of adaptability & result
orientation
Competencies provide clarity and shared understanding w.r.t criticality
of what skills, what knowledge and which behavior is demonstrated
has a greater chance of successful outcomes. This provides direction to
an employee to apply those criteria’s. It also provides them with an
opportunity to introspect in cases of performance deficiencies and
aspire for work towards achieving higher levels of productivity.
Why should Competency be assessed?
34. 34
It enables managers to observe, have objective discussions by being
specific in cases of performance deficiencies and suggest methods to
improve performance and productivity. It enables to create a balance
between what is done and how it was done, which takes care of
organization’s strategy and long term plans.
Competency Profiling essentially involves two critical components,
Position Profiling & Employee Profiling
How does Competency Profiling & Mapping
benefit?
Competency mapping serves a number of purposes:
Competency profiling provides insights into:
Helps maintain a catalogue of competencies for future planning
Helps provide Role Clarity
Sets measurable benchmarks for developing and evaluating
performance
Ensures agreement on performance criteria
Position Profiling: Deals with the Knowledge, Skills, Experience,
Attitude, Behavior etc.
Employee Profiling: Deals with the assessment of position profiling
relative to employee to identify the degree of fit. This in other words is
the gap analysis for the employee against the position requirements.
Competency ratio: When correlated with position competencies
indicates if the person is fit to function in a particular role
Company average on each competencies: If found low, is a
confirmation of training needs to catch-up with the position
requirements.
35. 36
Everyone in the organization who is directly involved in assisting an
employee to undertake tasks and perform in his job role. This is the
appraisal process.
Who will do competency profiling?
BARS provide broad definition for the competencies and concise
statement for different levels of performance. They help minimize
subjectivity during assessment. It provides both the employees and
their managers with the yardstick to use during performance
assessment. They can be easily aligned with the rating scales to make
the assessment relevant and to improve reliability. During
performance appraisal period makes it easy for the managers to
observe behavior within each of the key competency elements to
emphasize and reinforce the desired behavior.
Competencies and Behaviorally Anchored
Rating Scale (BARS)
Perform Competency-Gap analysis
Helps conduct training needs analysis and develop training plans
Plan Job rotation for skills enhancements & learning experience
Succession planning and promotions
Streamline Recruitment process both external and internal
90° - Employee and his Manager
180° - Employee, his manager & Peers
360° Internal - Employee, his manager, peers & Subordinates
360° Full - Employee, his manager, peers, subordinates and
customers
36. 37
Integrating competencies into training provides valuable system for
employees to improve in areas where development needs have been
identified. The same model can be used for employee development
w.r.t career progression. This would require all employees to focus on
competencies for both performance management and professional
development. Competency profiling provides the foundation for
employee development and kicks start IDP.
Competency Profiling & Employee
Development
Performance management involves more than performance
measurement i.e., goal setting and year-end review of achievements.
Individual Performance apart from market uncertainties, competition
and volatilities are also impacted by competencies.
Integrating competencies into performance appraisals facilitates
discussions on how the tasks were performed and the opportunity can
Integrating Competencies into
Performance Appraisals
37. Emphasizes importance of competencies:
38
It enables employees to align easily with the desired behavior’s
in their pursuit of key goals and objectives to be accomplished.
It enables organizations to reinforce desired behavior’s which
can lead to exceptional levels of performance.
It enables organizations to measure how a goal/objective was
accomplished apart from just considering what was
accomplished.
be used effectively for assisting the employees to understand how
performance could be enhanced. This is apart from having a discussion
on what was accomplished.
Advantages of Including Competency
Management in Performance Appraisals
VIncreases employee Input or efforts
A competency model encourages employee engagement and
focusses on goals. It can immunise organization’s productivity
from volatile external conditions.
For example, rewards or an incentive system is focused on the
output or the results and there is no evidence of its link or
impact on results in a weak market condition. On the other hand
a competency-based assessment focuses on superior levels of
inputs or efforts by an employee which has the potential to
substantially influence results even in a weak market condition.
Recognition & Rewards : Focus is on “How” of the results and not
“What” of the results. This motivates employees to work hard to
improve and enhance their competencies which invariably end in
better results and better organizational performance. This enables
organizations to plan merit pay and merit promotions.
Because the focus is on building competencies and enhancing
capabilities it helps organizations to build bench strength for
future requirements.
38. 38
360 Degree Appraisal
Types of 360 Degree Appraisal
This is a systematic process for collection of feedback from a variety of
people with whom the employee interacts regularly. The feedbacks
are usually collected from the Employee, his Manager, Peers and
Subordinates and in few cases even from the Customers and focuses
on competencies and behavior’s.
360 Degree Appraisal is primarily focused on Knowledge, Skills and
Behavior of an employee and helps to determine how an employee
undertakes and completes his task and his ability to be effective in his
job function in a dynamic environment.
This is considered to be a comprehensive and reliable system because
the combined responses enable to easily identify and determine the
strengths and weaknesses of an employee. The results are difficult to
ignore because the perspectives comes from different sources which
actually is the perception due to the behavior and attitude displayed
by the employee during his interaction.
There are two types of 360 Degree Appraisal:
360 Deg. Internal: This involves Self-Feedback, Manager Feedback,
Peer Feedback and Subordinate Feedback
360 Deg. Full: This process apart from those involved in 360 Deg.
Internal also involves the customers of the employee.
39. 39
Purpose of 360 Degree Appraisal
Organizations use 360 Degree Appraisal for two reasons
Performance Appraisal: In the event of this process being
used/applied in Performance appraisal or reviews, its applicability is
restricted to evaluation and perspectives on competencies and
behavior only and not for measuring the progress towards the
performance objectives or for assessing if the employee is meeting
the threshold job requirements.
Development Tool: When used as a development tool, it helps
assess an employee’s effectiveness across a wide range of behavior,
attitude and competencies. For example; Leadership Skills,
Communication, Interpersonal Relationship, Attitude towards others,
Time Management etc., As can be noticed the assessments are
focused on traits and attributes which improves personal and social
effectiveness and not on the technical skills. From the organizations
perspective this process can be used to measure employee
satisfaction.
This is an effective tool as it provides the individual an opportunity to
improve effectiveness by adjusting behavior after gaining insights
into how and what other feel and perceive about them. The best part
40. 40
Integrating SMART Goals & Competency
Assessment in Performance Appraisal
A robust Performance planning system involves integrating two
key elements:
Objectives: The goal’s statements are derived from the strategic
business plan, which is further broken down to department, unit and
individual goals to ensure responsibility and accountability. The focus
is on the job requirements’ outcome, the basic skills required and the
key actions that are linked to the accomplishment of the goals.
Competencies: `These are derived from the organizations’ mission &
vision, which is then further narrowed down to department or unit
and job specific behavior. The focus is on what is required to do the
job, how the job has to be done (key behaviors) and the ability to make
an impact on the outcomes or results.
Evaluation of employees on results and their behavior opens up the
space to analyze employee strengths and plan methods to enhance
capabilities in order to close gaps. This invariably means integrating
goals & competencies in performance appraisal enables to
implement, support and promote the third crucial element and
dimension for organizations i.e. Employee Development. Employee
development benchmarks the process and its related outcomes.
This enhances and provides the depth to initiate a robust
performance management strategy that is comprehensive.
when used as a development tool is the opportunity to provide
anonymous feedback which encourages the review group members
to be honest and provide direct feedback. At the same time this
approach benefits the employee with feedbacks which he might
otherwise not have received due to fear of negative repercussions.
41. 41
Performance management requires a multi-faceted approach which
apart from the above would require and involve aspects like
recruitment and selection, HR policies and trainings also. The first
significant step towards this is to integrate assessment of both goals
& competencies; focus on the outcomes and also on how well a job
was done. Importantly this approach encourages a greater sense of
ownership and commitment from both the organizations and the
employees.
Overall a robust performance management practice is the process of
integrating - Goals Statements and Key Actions that are required for
successful outcomes to improve performance benchmark and
organizations’ effectiveness.
42. 42
Performance Appraisal for Bridging
Performance Gaps
A performance appraisal process starts with the establishment of the
goals and objectives at the start of the year for the employee that are
aligned with the strategic business plan and the competencies
along-with the organizations’ vision, mission and values. Failure to
meet few objectives will be revealed by evaluation of the critical
competencies for that positon and by evaluation of the results would
reveal the bottle necks or constraints. Focusing on common
constraint list which includes both competency deficiencies and
constraints with respect to tools and resources would help to create a
support system for improvements in those areas and enhance
possibilities of achieving the organizations’ objectives.
43. 43
Goals/Objective setting
Manager is to setup an appointment with the employee for the goal
setting meeting.
Performance Appraisals provide insights, identify and manage high
impact areas by establishing feedback loops. This helps to make
evidence based informed and intelligent decisions to prioritize plans
and actions to achieve the desired outcomes. The following steps are
involved in making informed and intelligent decisions:
This process enables one to get organized, analyze data meaningfully
and plan actions to uncover the employee potential to achieve desired
results.
Collection of data
Creating Constraint List and mapping it to priority areas
Plan and implement actions to overcome the constraints
Track progress
Build reports to visualize data
Manager to clearly define the performance expectations w.r.t
Goals, Skills, Behavior and any other critical & non-critical
attributes which warrants assessment and the standards to be
delivered for each Performance Attribute.
The performance standard for each attribute should be
understandable, specific and measurable. It is not always
necessary that it should contain a numerical measurement but
should invoke a general consensus as to its meaning (Impact
Objectives).
Identify key responsibilities of the employee for the upcoming
year, which includes critical tasks, activities and duties, projects
and goals.
44. 44
Employee/Manager Prepares
Performance`Plan
Setting –up Employee Specific
Performance Plan
The performance plan should be prepared in conjunction with the Job
Function and Positional responsibility. It should support and be
linked to the organizational goals and objectives.
The Performance Plan is a written document which specifies Goals,
Competencies, Personal Attributes and other attributes including
their performance measures & standards, which would contribute to
the employee success in his/her job function. The form may be
divided into several sections to categorize the performance
attributes.
A quick start to initiate the process would be from the previous year
Goals & Objectives (if available).
During the meeting, manager and his team member have to reach an
agreement on those specific performance objectives, expectations
and the position responsibilities.
Employees prepares their performance plan by setting the goals or
major responsibilities in line with the agreed upon expectations for
performance with their manager in Section1.
Employees include the competencies required to perform their
function satisfactorily in Section2. This should be available in the
job description as performance statements.
Section2 may also include personal attributes that are critical and
affects the job performance.
Section2 can comprise other attributes which would contribute to
the employees’ success in their current position.
45. 45
Managing Performance
Managing Performance
There are several major activities or components involved in
managing employee performance:
This involves continuous performance monitoring and providing
on-going feedback through coaching and mentoring on a regular
basis throughout the appraisal period.
Day-to-day tracking of employee progress towards achieving
performance expectations
Conducting Interim formal reviews to ensure focus on goals and
objectives to address improvement areas and ensure achievement
of goals.
Conduct year-end performance review and appraisal at the end of
the appraisal cycle.
This involves continuous performance monitoring and providing
on-going feedback through coaching and mentoring on a regular
basis throughout the appraisal period.
Day-to-day tracking of employee progress towards achieving
performance expectations
Conducting Interim formal reviews to ensure focus on goals and
objectives to address improvement areas and ensure achievement
of goals.
Conduct year-end performance review and appraisal at the end of
the appraisal cycle.
46. 46
Continuous Feedback
An important dimension to managing performance is to plan, act,
review and adjust continuously. This continuous review of actions and
adjustment of action plans enables to uncover and unleash the
complete potential of the employees and enhances the possibility of
accomplishment of the goals.
The advantage of this model is that it breaks down the barriers to
communication which is unlike as observed in the ritualistic annual
performance reviews. The disadvantage of the annual performance
reviews is that it provides static data which doesn’t allow to reflect
the impact of implementation of a change. Continuous Feedback
enables to have continuous snapshots of the progress which improves
the process of tracking and measuring progress towards the
objectives. It helps to create action plans based on the present
situational assessment which ensures continuous progress and
development to accomplish the objectives. This model encourages
ongoing continuous bilateral communication between an employee
and his manager. This increases the levels of interaction and
47. 47
Few of the notable advantages of this model are:
and attention, which improves proximity between the managers and
their team member which enhances trust, collaboration and
creativity.
Enables to improve the process of tracking, and measuring
progress towards the objectives which helps to create action plans
to ensure continuous progress and development.
Enables to continuously assess and gain an understanding on the
strength and weakness of an employee, which provides an
opportunity to coach and mentor to reinforce focus, gain skills and
desired behavior.
Because feedbacks are instant, based on the observations; it is easy
for the receipt to quickly relate and adapt to the situation.
Enables the feedback provider to remain objective while providing
his feedback and implement changes quickly whenever required to
manage expectations.
Understand the constraints and the landscape in which
performance is expected to be delivered.
Enables to quickly observe what is working and what is not and
leverage and fine tune what’s working to ensure desired outcomes.
Enables to quickly acknowledge the work environment and fix
issues or course correct to address the issues quickly before it goes
out of control.
Creates an environment where there is mutual agreement on
performance.
Enables incremental improvement across the entire performance
management cycle.
48. 48
Interaction between employees and leaders is an essential
mechanism to create solutions. Small organizations have short lines
of communication. However, in a large organization which is also
spread across multiple geographies have too many layers of
communication which creates a void in the channel of communication.
Continuous feedback enables to bridge this void and can be
effectively used to create informal channels of communications to
interact and improve participation of employees. Because each
observation is discussed at the time of its occurrence, enables to
guide, nurture and develop team members and also creates a
portfolio of events or critical incident log. This incident log enables to
maintain the link between the job requirements, what is evaluated
and the expectation which improves focus and productivity and at the
same time identify, quantify and prioritize the risks which enable
development of appropriate plans. These plans act as a guide to
manage the current risks effectively and also in the advent of a repeat
occurrence in the future. This “Critical Incident Diary” can be referred
to during the performance appraisal to eliminate recency error
enabling both the manager and his team members to provide
accurate feedbacks and remain objective which improves trust and
cooperation.
Continuous Feedback and Organizations
culture
49. 49
Monitoring Performance
Periodic formal performance progress follow-up meetings should
take place throughout the year after the initial goal setting meeting.
Each employee must receive and should have at least one
documented progress review meeting once in every 3 months. This
saves time, as it is easier to remember accomplishments and goals
achieved also plan improvements needed and focus on the areas for
the rest of the year. These meetings provide an opportunity to:
Continuous feedback focuses on development of knowledge, skills,
attitude, behavior, empathy, and innovation which improves ones’
ability to work as a team.
Listen to employees’ responses w.r.t challenges and assess Coach
and advice to provide insights about strengths and weaknesses and
where to focus
Provide positive reinforcement and recognize achievements
50. 50
Performance Monitoring and Continuous
Feedback
Note: Periodic progress meetings are time to discuss formally the
employee performance. They are not a substitute for the ad-hoc
spontaneous day-to-day feedback and guidance that is provided to an
employee to reinforce a desired behavior or address a specific issue.
However, Performance monitoring is essentially not a formal
discussion. It is required to be done as an ongoing process for which it
can be integrated with continuous feedback to ensure day-to-day
active involvement. Continuous feedback is required for improving
employee effectiveness, for effective planning and management of
the objectives which improves the possibility of accomplishment of
the goals. This makes the process agile.
Focus and take corrective actions before they go out of hand
Adjust goal expectations as priorities change to keep pace with the
business needs
51. 51
Tracking Progress of Goals/Objectives
Employee’s Preparation for Performance
Appraisal
The various methods to keep track of progress towards goals &
objectives are:
Visual observations
Accomplishment logs and notes kept by the employees and the
managers based on SMART Goals
Work logs kept by the employees
Periodic progress review meetings
Customer feedbacks
Employee will be appraised at the end of the appraisal period.
Employee updates progress-to-date on goals/responsibilities along
with any accomplishments and provides his self-assessment on
performance against expectations and how he demonstrated
competencies and desired behavior which contributed to his
achievements.
Employees are advised to maintain records and notes related to their
achievements, initiatives and how it impacted their team. It saves time
and accurately assesses levels of performance and productivity.
Take the opportunity to discuss specific issues or constraints if any; and
inform the manager about it ahead of the meeting, so he can come
prepared.
Skill gaps as perceived and specific skills that you want to work on
developing to be more effective.
Short and long range plans and resources required to accomplish them.
52. 52
Appraisers Preparation for Performance
Appraisal
The appraiser will verify the completeness of self-assessment and
accuracy of goals achieved and accomplishments before providing
his/her feedback.
Revising Performance Plan during the
Appraisal Cycle
A Performance Plan may at times require to be modified during the
appraisal cycle due to changes in work assignment or achievement of
team objectives or due to the organization environment which renders
the plan and standards inappropriate. In such cases again Manager and
his team members should get involved in revising or redefining the
performance attributes and standards.
Linking Performance Reviews to
Training & Development
Performance Assessment and Training are closely linked to each other
and have the same focus. For an organization to achieve its objectives
it is essential to train and develop its employees.
Training programs for the subsequent year are finalized based on the
skill-gap assessment conducted during the appraisal cycle.
In case of 360 degree feedback, appraiser will verify that all the
assessors have provided their feedback before providing his
assessment.
The performance appraisal discussion should assess the plan with the
context of the organizational goals; clarify job requirements and
developmental opportunities.
53. 53
have made significant contributions towards the organizations’
goals & objectives
have the potential to make important contributions going ahead
whose performance does not meet the standards established
Performance Appraisal is used as a tool to identify the organizations
training needs, set priorities, plan budgets, schedule trainings and at
the end of the training evaluate training effectiveness.
The foregoing provides an opportunity and enables both the
organization as-well-as the individuals to draw up Personal
Development Plans for their own long & short term development.
Performance appraisal plays an important role in Human Resource
Planning. It helps to identify individuals who:
54. 54
Individual Development Plan (IDP)
Individual Development Plan (IDP)
IDP is an effective tool to develop workforce to meet future needs.
It is the road map for an employee’s career development that
specifies:
Competencies that is required to improve performance in present
role and to prepare for new responsibilities arising due to either
job rotation or promotion (immediate and long range development
needs)
Estimate and identify the resource(s) and coach/mentor required
Directs the Appraiser to guide development and evaluate the
progress towards established objectives
Helps the Line Manager & HR Team to schedule and manage
employee’s development
Employees Benefits:
Enhanced Knowledge
Enhanced skills
Enhanced experience
Prepares for future job function changes
IDP is a win-win strategy for both the employees and the organization.
It’s a personalized action plan for every employee jointly agreed by the
employees and their managers, which identifies both immediate and
long-term career plan of an employee and is stitched to the
Organizations’ mission and objectives. It identifies training and
experience needs that benefit both an employee and the organization.
This collectively helps them achieve both professional and
individual goals.
55. 55
Organizations Benefits:
Improved Employee Capability
Better HR Planning
Higher employee morale contributes to higher levels of
productivity
The Performance Appraisal
Training Needs Analysis
Career Development Plans
Core competencies required to align with the career plans
Time frame within which the competencies are required to be
developed and demonstrated to plan & develop the IDP for an
employee.
Who requires IDP?
Any employee who is required to improve and develop existing and
additional competencies to help him/her prepare for new
responsibilities arising due to either job rotation or promotion will
require IDP.
When to initiate IDP?
IDP can be prepared at the end of the annual appraisal cycle for
those employees who require it. It can be initiated any time after
the employee requiring IDP has been identified. However, timing
will play an important factor as it involves taking into account a
combination of the:
What to focus on while developing an IDP?
The key to take a balanced approach, weighing both on the
employee and the organizations needs focusing on:
56. 56
IDP process:
Leveraging an employee’s strength
Providing new knowledge and skills that will help an employee
perform better
Identifying immediate and long-range goals, determining
development objectives and activities to achieve them
Should be allowed for development on unused or underdeveloped
competencies
Counselling employees, concerning career development and
opportunities
Assurance on systematic development and encouraging it
Discuss critical skill requirements and job responsibilities
Establish the knowledge and skills required to perform the job
Evaluate current competencies and Identify skill gaps and
development needs
Create an action plan with schedule and resources required to
develop specific competencies
Periodically evaluate training effectiveness
Periodically review to track progress towards the development
needs
This process involves similar activities like mentioned earlier in the
performance plan:
Note: Managers who promote the use of IDP conveys a clear message
that they view professional development as a priority.
57. 57
Who is responsible for developing IDP?
List down strengths to carry out specific tasks or duties
List down weaknesses to carry out specific tasks or duties
Understand what managerial or technical competencies are
required to perform satisfactorily and improve performance in
current position w.r.t those specific tasks
Express desire to undertake certain responsibilities or assignments
which aligns with professional growth aspiration
Both the primary manager and an employee are responsible for
developing the IDP. Both are expected to work in lockstep and
systematically to meet/fulfil the IDP objective. The authority to
approve performance attributes are given to the primary manager as
he is responsible for performance improvement.
What are Employee’s Responsibilities?
Evaluate past performances, job description, performance
attribues and standards to introspect to determine:
58. 58
What is Primary Manager or Appraiser’s
Responsibilities?
What activities cover under developmental
activities?
What are HR Responsibilities?
The Primary Manager is expected to play different roles:
Coach: Provide insights about the employee skills w.r.t strengths
and weakness and suggest ways to develop them both through
(training and non-training) and where to focus efforts
Advisor: Shares knowledge about his personal experience
performing a particular activity or tasks
Appraiser: Reviews and evaluates employee IDP and extracts the
best out of an employee to improve performance which also
includes revising performance standards
Facilitator: Assign tasks or responsibilities, assign resources to
support, approve & coordinate for training programs
Job Shadowing
On-the-job-training
Special Projects/assignments
Rotational assignment
Research
Mentoring
Internal Regular and Computer-based-training
External Training Programs
What kind of training would be required to enable strong
competencies which is required to undertake the new assignment
59. 59
The HR should play the role of an administrator and take
accountability to ensure the process is approached professionally
and all the processes are followed. The responsibility of the HR
includes;
Analyse objectives, reasons and purpose for the IDP to ensure all
employees are treated fairly and given opportunity
Skills & expertise to keep up with advancing technology
Job duties are changed recently, requiring new skills
Employee striving for increased competence
Certain areas require improvement
Encouraging flexibility to allow for future job function changes
Organization restructuring – retooling for future opportunities
– present job may be eliminated
Ensure clear categorisation and justification are available for the
reason of IDP:
Provide stakeholders details of their (HR) analysis
Provide relevant information to Line Managers and to the
Employees
Facilitate the performance of an employee by organizing identified
training needs
Ensure the employee is provided with the necessary tools and
resources to fulfil the requirements
Ensure close monitoring & periodic constructive discussions
happen between the employee and his manager/supervisor
What IDP should not be used for?
IDP provides the developmental opportunity for an employee. It is a
systematic process to improve one’s capability to perform and pursue
career goals.
Compensation Revisions: An IDP is not used for determining
compensation revision or for other monetary benefits.
60. 60
Total % of employees in IDP against the total no. of employees
Total % of employees in probation on IDP
Total % of employees reassigned to another department or
function but required IDP
Total % of employees in IDP recommended for and listed in
Promotion Panel
Total % and number of employees in IDP preparing for organization
restructuring
Total % of IDP cases in each Department & Function
Total % of employees in IDP under each Line Managers
Total number of employees who requested for IDP under each Line
Manager
IDP Metrics
HR will also maintain & analyze the metrics of IDP, which includes:
Job Function Clarification: IDP should not be used as a platform for
clarifying any discrepancies arising on job function or responsibilities.
Does not Guarantee: Initiation of IDP is purely discretionary. It does
not guarantee its approval, which may be based on factors such as
budget, timing and organization’s priority. In similar lines, it does not
guarantee immediate career advancement/promotion or reassignment
to another position.
61. 61
Performance Improvement Plan (PIP)
For most employees, the three most terrible words they dislike to hear
at the end of a performance appraisal is PIP. Many Employees,
Managers, HRs & Corporate attorneys knows that it is a bad news. 99%
employees consider it as a warning to face termination and an evil plot
to create a paper trail to justify termination of an employee. It is also
considered as an evidence for the organization to claim that they did
all they could do to help an employee. That’s why we often hear
employees say PIPs might involve setting unrealistic objectives that
are so vague and subjective to apply measures, they have no control
over or do not have the resource to accomplish. Very few employees
come out successful at the conclusion of the PIP and those who come
out successful pray they could never deal with it again.
PIPs on the other hand are great opportunities for helping team
members improve their performance and make them gather those
crucial additional evidences; will have a far more rewarding experience
and provide a great sense of accomplishment for the managers.
What is Performance Improvement Plan?
Who requires PIP?
PIP is an effective tool to develop workforce in areas identified as
inadequate performance demonstration. It establishes the path
employees need to follow to boost their performance to meet
expected standards. A properly designed PIP can enable an employee
to reach his expected performance levels, which is the key for
achieving optimum business performance.
Any employee who has been struggling consistently to meet the
expected levels or standards of performance.
62. 62
Why does an employee require PIP?
Any employee who has been struggling consistently to meet the
expected levels or standards of performance.
Any employee whose performance is determined as unacceptable
in one or more critical elements linked to successful outcomes.
Behavior related concerns
He or she might not have received appropriate levels of training.
He or she might not have understood the expectations of the job.
Other unforeseen challenges or roadblocks
To correct workplace behaviors affecting performance and staff
relationship
To provide an opportunity to an employee to correct the situation
rather than implementing a more serious action like termination of
employment.
This gives employees an opportunity to succeed while holding them
responsible for their past performance.
There can be numerous reasons, few of them may be:
The exact reason might always not be clear. It therefore becomes
critical to determine the exact reason which can happen either through
an open dialogue or feedback between the Manager and his team
member or through observation over a specific period of time to
identify the issue. The reason can also be identified by providing
necessary tools and resources to address the reason of the failure.
Outcomes of PIP:
PIPs may have different outcomes like the ones mentioned below:
Recognizing training gaps
Improvement in overall organization’s performance
63. 63
PIP Process?
Employment actions such as
Identify critical gaps in competency or behavior to be corrected
with specific examples
Describe the acceptable level of performance or behavior
Discuss critical skill requirements and job responsibilities which are
required to address the gaps
Establish the knowledge and skills required to perform the job
Provide clear expectations and metrics about the work to be
performed
Create an action plan with schedule and resources required to
develop specific competencies
State the support that will be provided (training) to assist the
employee to improve
Explain the specific period of time that an employee has been given
to demonstrate improvement
Explain the Employees responsibilities
Explain the Managers / supervisors responsibilities
Explain the consequences of failing in order to improve to an
acceptable level
Establish review date(s) to track progress towards the plan and
provide formal feedback
Transfer
Demotion
Termination
This process involves similar activities like mentioned in the IDP:
Note: Depending on the nature of the job and the employee’s
experience, it will be appropriate to offer assistance. It can be as simple
things like pairing with another employee, providing a checklist,
64. 64
When to Initiate PIP?
offering training or given closer supervision.
We usually observe this initiated after the recently concluded annual
review. However, PIP can be initiated at any point of time after a
performance discussion with the employee immediately after the
manager or supervisor has recognized there is a performance or
behavior issue which requires correction.
How much of specific time frame or period
is required to be provided?
There is no standard time frame in the existing model. The time frame
can vary depending on the competency required to undertake the task
and complexity or the nature of the task/assignment. Most
organizations provide a window of 60-90 days for an employee to
demonstrate improvement to acceptable levels. This window is also
extended on a case-to-case basis.
Who is responsible for developing PIP?
Both primary manager and employee are responsible for developing
the PIP. Both of them are expected to work in lockstep and
systematically to meet/fulfil the PIP objective. The authority to
approve performance attributes rests with the primary manager as he
is responsible for performance improvement.
What is Primary Manager or Appraiser’s
Responsibilities?
The Primary Manager is expected to:
65. 65
Implement closer supervision and counselling
Provide formal training, on-the-job training, peer coaching,
demonstration etc.,
Provide frequent feedbacks
Coordinate for Trainings to develop knowledge, skills and
competencies
In case the employee fails to improve to the acceptable level , the
Manager / Supervisor can recommend transfer, demotion or
termination
The Primary Manager should:
Be Considerate to the employee’s feeling
Plan ahead to cope with any problems that might occur during the
PIP conversations
Clearly and fairly answer the questions of the employee
Make sure the employee is fully aware of what is expected
Note: Managers & Supervisors should stick to oral & written warning
options to correct behavior. Investing time early is always time well
spent and it is an effective way to prevent problems from getting
worse.
What the Primary Manager Should Do?
The Primary Manager should refrain from:
Being evasive to the response of the employee
Being ignorant on providing them direct answers
Being threat to the employee by using PIP as a tool
What the Primary Manager Should Avoid
Doing?
66. 66
Express desire to undertake certain responsibilities or assignments
which aligns with professional growth aspiration
What kind of training would be required to enable strong
competencies which is required to undertake the new assignment
The HR should play the role of an administrator and take accountability
to ensure the process is approached professionally and all the
processes are followed. The responsibility of the HR includes;
Analyse motives, reasons and purpose for the PIP to ensure
employee is treated fairly
Categorise the reason for PIP – Poor skill set, lack of will or attitude
issue
Handle employee appeals
Provide stakeholders details of their(HR) analysis
Provide relevant information to Line Managers and to the
Employees
Facilitate the performance of an employee by organizing identified
training needs
Ensure the employee is provided with the necessary tools and
resources to fulfil the requirements
Ensure close monitoring & periodic constructive discussions
happen between the employee and his manager/supervisor
What are HR Responsibilities?
List down strengths to carry out specific tasks or duties
List down weaknesses to carry out specific tasks or duties
Understand what managerial or technical competencies are
required to perform satisfactorily and improve performance in
current position w.r.t those specific tasks
Evaluate past performances, job description, performance attributes
and standards to introspect to determine:
What are Employees Responsibilities?
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HR will also maintain & analyse the metrics of PIP, which includes:
Total % of employees in PIP against the total no. of employees
Total % of employees successfully cleared against Total employees
in PIP
Total % of employees reassigned to another department or
function against total employees in PIP
Total % of employees terminated through PIP against the total no.
of employees
Total % of employees demoted through PIP
Total % of employees who resigned after demotion through PIP
Total % of PIP cases in each Department & Function
Total % of employees in PIP under each Line Managers
PIP Metrics
What are the outcomes of a PIP?
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Linking Performance Reviews to
Reward and Recognition Systems
Performance Assessment and Rewarding employees are closely linked
to each other and have the same focus of creating an engaged and
aligned workforce. It is therefore an integral part of performance
appraisal. A carefully structured Reward and Recognition system is a
successful strategy which provides the sense of accomplishment to the
employee and at the same time, it helps to retain top performers,
improve workforce morale, build employee loyalty for the organization
and build a strong performance culture.
A reward system therefore is a structured system of compensating
employees to encourage and reinforce actions taken which resulted in
superior organization performance and achieving better financial
results.
Recognition system on the other hand needs to be viewed separately.
It’s a method of valuing an employee and his contribution. They may or
may not be monetary in nature. It helps to trigger passion in an
employee. Without recognition it is extremely difficult to develop and
maintain creativity. Employee recognition programs should be
developed to recognize every contribution needless to say in particular
when a job is done exceptionally well.
Both recognition and reward systems are very important with or
without a monetary tag attached to the programs. Both systems focus
on acknowledging the contribution of an employee which will benefit
both the employee and the organization.
Total number of employees who appealed when recommended for
PIP for each Line Manager
Total number of employees who appealed against the PIP
recommendation which resulted in termination of employment
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Employee Reward Systems
Employee rewards and recognition system helps to change work habits
and key behaviors that encourages continuous improvement and
commitment which benefits the organization. There are several
methods to reward and recognize an employee’s contributions.
Guiding Principles to Rewards and
Recognitions
Workforce capabilities and motivation are two factors which are
required to be considered and organizations should focus on to ensure
the strategy drives attraction and retention of the workforce.
Compensation is directly proportional to
accomplishment
It is important to establish a clear association between organizations
Most organizations on their pursuit to retain their top performers and
to improve workforce morale, explore and apply more than one of the
above listed methods to avoid trade-offs. It is a double edged sword
which can motivate employees in order to explore more effective ways
to do their jobs or completely demotivate and discourage them.
Monetary
Merit Promotion
Reassignments
Performance Awards – Star Performer
Benefits – Paid Vacations
Merit Pay or Differential Pay-for-Performance
Performance Incentives
Variable Pay or Organization Performance Bonus
Base Pay Manipulation
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priorities and what employees are rewarded for. In other words
remuneration and other benefits are linked to accomplishment of
performance objectives.
This makes it imperative for an employee to know and understand his
goals and work towards the common objectives.
This also makes it imperative for the employees, managers and the
management to support the employee in performance planning and
overcoming roadblocks which delay progress towards goals and
meeting the objectives.
Rewards should support desired behavior
It is important to tie an employee’s behavior to contribute towards the
strategic goal. Recently, the term performance is used to designate
demonstration of ethics & values and also contributions towards
improving the Top and Bottom line.
Rewards should connect passion and
purpose
Passion & Purpose when ignited are powerful motivators to lead work
towards mission and common objectives. When employees feel the
sense of purpose and usefulness of their work they are more likely to
be engaged and more likely to stay in their job. Passion & Purpose also
provide a more sustainable platform to maintain consistent
performance than compensation.
Instantly Reward to reinforce desired
behavior
Reward and Recognitions should be acknowledged immediately on
demonstration of a desired behavior. It helps an employee quickly
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Merits & Pitfalls
relate to and helps him/her to understand why he is being rewarded.
This should also enable him to understand what behaviors are being
appreciated.
Every method to reward & recognize an employee has its own merits &
pit falls. Therefore each company must identify what reward model
exactly influences their employee’s behavior in the context of the
environment to drive attraction, retention and performance.
Let’s explore them to understand why most organizations today resort
to and apply more than one method
Monetary
Monetary Compensation is one of the key strategies to retain top
performers and drive organization’s performance to meet and exceed
expectations.
This simply means higher the performance higher the compensation.
This is a very successful model to attract and retain top talents and
motivates employees to focus on the organizations’ priorities to
achieve higher levels of performance. One of the monetary strategies
most organizations apply is assurance of top-of-the market pay to
attract the best talents.
This is however, is a very complicated system where pay varies
significantly even in employees in the same level and is influenced by
guidelines on rating distribution and other factors like global economy,
market fluctuations, reduced pay, increased budgets and incentive
pools over all of which neither employees nor organizations have any
Merit pay or Differential pay for
performance
72. 72
control over. In addition to that, there is very less distinction that is
applied relatively between a good and an average performer. Finally,
one of the key drawbacks of this system is it does not take into account
a crucial element behind the success of the employee - Team Work.
The decision for revision of compensation solely relies on the ranking in
the manager’s hand. While few employees may feel motivated and
have a positive experience most employees might feel the pay increase
was just an inflationary correction.
Performance Incentives
This is a very traditional method and focuses on cash grant to induce
and motivate employees to perform well and encourage them to
continue deliver high results. This system is usually prevalent and
applied in organizations and departments where water tight
monitoring is required for example sales. The incentive pay-out
decision is made based on the outcomes of the performance measures.
If due diligence is not exercised in planning incentives it becomes
difficult to get employees walk that extra mile or at times even get
them to do their basic responsibilities.
If due diligence is not exercised in planning incentives it becomes
difficult to get employees walk that extra mile or at times even get
them to do their basic responsibilities.
The decision for incentive pay-out is made based on the achievement of
the goals/ objectives.
The usual complaint of employees in this type is actual performance
was not interpreted and the accomplishment of objectives was
hindered by other factors including unplanned price increase midway
through the fiscal year. Another striking observation is employees held
back performance to avoid ratcheting up of their targets in the next
year because target setting is linked to an employee’s prior
performance.
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Variable Pay or Organization Performance
Bonus
This is also called gainsharing. This method originally was intended to
attract top talent by adjusting the compensation by directly measuring
current business and employee performance. This has however
resulted in negative consequences, such as higher turnover and lower
engagement levels due to unpredictable pay that is imperfectly linked
to the actual performance of the employee. This method also
increasingly shifts the risk of the business performance on the
employees in particular during market recessions and during normal
market conditions the goals and objectives are stretched far too wide.
If the objectives are achieved the organization pays the variable pay
component to all the employees in the business unit.v
Team or Work-unit Bonus
Is one of the effective ways to reward team efforts. In this each
business unit is set a specific performance objective by the
management which is reviewed. This is usually provided when a
Business Unit achieves its objectives. This method encourages team
spirit, improves cooperation and effective team working at all levels.
When offered as cash grant it is usually divided equally among all the
team members. Most widely accepted practice of dispensing the
pay-out is usually every quarter or on completion of the project.
In addition to the models explained above there are three other
alternate models which primarily deal with manipulation of the base
pay to optimize pay for performance. Many organizations are shifting
to one of these models because pay for performance and variable pay
are difficult to implement because defining performance, quantifying
Pay for Performance & Base Pay.
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quantifying its measures and determining what to pay is a complex
exercise. Base pay is a strong motivator and employees’ value base pay
over variable pay and a study by Mercer shows that employee retention
is also more responsive to base pay over variable pay.
Promotion Focused Model: This model deals with opportunities that
come to an employee in the form of career advancement. Here the
compensation varies with hierarchical level and not on performance.
The likelihood of promotions are characterised by relative performance
to decide who gets promoted. The employee who performs well earns
more via promotions.
Membership Model: This model deals with attracting potential
employees by offering above market compensation and makes it
imperative for employees to perform at high standards to retain
employment with the organization. Those who perform are generously
rewarded with perks and benefits to ensure retention. But, those who
do not meet the threshold performance standards are discontinued of
their services.
Bonding Model: This model deals with offering employees a below
market compensation levels. But once the performance is credibly
demonstrated the pay increase is sharp. With the increase in tenure and
continuous employment with the organization the compensation
revisions are characterised by steep upward trajectory with the
intention to motivate employees and to retain them to preserve
industry specific knowledge.
Each of the above models has its advantages and disadvantages and
what works best for your organization depends on what factors are
required to be addressed.
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Advantages of linking compensation to
performance
Creating a Performance Pay Culture
Performance reviews are critical to managing and maintaining the
levels of performance and to implement and support a
pay-for-performance system. Establishing a review process and
quantifying the objectives and measures are critical to successful
implementation of Performance Pay Culture.
This is considered a very useful tool to unlock employee potential, one
of the strongest motivator and helps retain the top performers. Few of
the advantages of linking promotions to performance are:
Organizations have to apply multiple approaches to compensate an
employee for his contributions at the same time they also have to
establish a relationship with performance. For example the annual
salary increase can be linked to organizational goals and an incentive
can be planned on individual goals driven approach. This enables an
employee to understand the relationship between salary and
incentives. This approach requires aligning employees with the goals
and creating a shared understanding of the organizations’ objectives.
This approach makes it easy to create a fair and consistent policy.
Merit Promotions
Motivates employees to align with the organizational goals
Improved participation – productivity, engagement, commitment
and satisfaction
Decreased attrition rate – lower recruitment cost and savings in low
loss of productivity due to open position.
Recognizes individual and team contribution
Facilitates building a performance-driven culture
