Instructional Guide
Instructional Guide to Managing Performance
Performance Management SystemCRJ’s Performance Management System is designed to retain the best qualified effective employees by developing their capabilities and supporting their personal and professional wellbeing . . . from our on-boarding process, through coaching, feedback, training, and evaluation.
CRJ’s Values and Treatment Philosophy represent the framework for our competency structure.
CRJ’s Values and Principles
(Applicable to All Employees)
Organizational Values / Treatment Philosophy Guiding Principles
· Integrity
· Compassion
· Excellence
· Creativity / · We Listen
· We focus on Behavior
· We offer Choices
· We welcome Change
Performance Management Overview
On-boarding Process
Setting Expectations
Step 1- At acceptance of position – through email
Hiring Manager provides the following (in response to candidate ’s acceptance):
o “Welcome” Letter
o Benefits sheet
o Job Description - employee sign-off
ü 4 to 6 key critical “functional” job responsibilities either highlighted or noted
o Core/ Management competencies - applicable to job (Performance Standards)
o Written schedule for next two (2) weeks
ü Reporting date and location/access - (CRJ Orientation)
ü Formal trainings – topics, dates, locations
ü Work hours/schedule
ü Contact information (including CRJ Directory)
ü Support system – names and contact info of peer or management support employee can contact for specific critical functional responsibilities
Step 2 - First Day of Employment
New employee attends CRJ Orientation
Step 3 – End of First Week
John Larivee - “Welcome Letter” mailed to new employee
Hiring Manager makes appropriate formal announcement of new hire
Site Orientation
Keeping Performance on Track
Step 4 – At 1 Month of Hire
· Manager and new employee completes IDP
o Goals/Objectives – based on time of year tie to strategic plan initiatives, department specific goals/objectives/projects
o Functional Trainings – certifications, mandated site trainings beyond 2 weeks
o Organizational Required Training – expected trainings applicable to all employees
o Check-in with employee about any additional support or resources needed at this time, provide coaching, and discuss any other needs of the employee
o Communicate that any changes to the IDP can be addressed in their one-on-one meetings throughout the course of the year
o Provide schedule – one-on-one meetings
Benefit Manager
o Sends employee a Statement of Total Compensation - wage and worth of benefits
Step 5 – Before/at 2 Months
Manager provides . . .
o Formal and Informal Feedback
Step 6 - Three Month Formal Review –“Initial Period of Adjustment”
Complete 3 month review /check-in and discuss with employee
Review the IDP – change if needed
Step 7 - One-on-One Meetings (to include at a minimum)
At least quarterly
Review IDP
Provide coaching and feedback
Check on any assigned trainings
Revise IDP if applicable (copy to employee)
Realigning Performance
Step 8 – Performance Improvement Plan
● If and when needed
● Documentation
Appraising Performance
Step 9 – At one year – Date of Hire
Annual Performance Review
o Check e-Academy for any trainings
o Review current IDP - Goals/Objectives & Development Plan
o Provide employee with self-evaluation form and discuss the three
o Complete Employee’s Performance Evaluation
o Set date for review and communicate to employee
o Provide completed evaluation to employee 1 to 2 days in advance
o Conduct evaluation meeting
Step 10 – At one year
Individual Development Plan
o Work with employee to complete new IDP
Note: Promotions or Lateral Moves
o Complete a performance review/evaluation (pro-rated)
o Repeat - New Hire On-boarding Process
The following steps represent an overview of the hiring manager’s responsibility from time of hire through first annual review of an employee.
Performance Management SystemThere are six critical components of performance management in CRJ’s Performance Management System. These have been identified as vital to quality performance management and represent our guidelines.
Guidelines
1) Establish primary functional job responsibilities - A critical element and first step in performance planning is to define the primary purpose and responsibilities of the position, and identify the four to six key critical impacting2) Review established performance objectives - This is a review of objectives that gave the employee focus and direction for the review period.
3) Review employee performance – Core competencies and performance standards are critical work behaviors that are necessary for job success and ensure consistency across CRJ. All employees are to be evaluated on these core competencies. The performance standards are expanded definitions of the competencies. There is one set of core competencies that are applicable to all employees and represents the base line of behavioral expectations that expand and detail CRJ’s Values and Treatment Culture Philosophy. These act as the foundation in building professional and management standards of development. There are four sets of management competencies from line management through to executive level (see framework below). Additional standards may be added by supervisors based on performance need or development.
4) Summarize Performance and Assign an Overall Rating - An overall summary and rating of the employee's performance during the evaluation period is completed for all employees. This allows supervisors to recommend successful completion of adjustment periods, to summarize performance, to support merit increases, and to identify employee development opportunities.
5) Establish Development Competencies for Next Rating Period - Supervisors provide comments on strengths and improvement needs for each performance standard rating that supports and justifies the overall rating. These are developed by the supervisor and mutually discussed with the employee, recorded and finalized. They provide focus on specific behaviors for improvement or development that support job expectations for the future and are noted in the employee’s Individual Development Plan. They link to goals and objectives of the employee, team, department, and the mission of CRJ.
6) Develop/Review Employee’s Individual Development Plan (IDP) - This component is the responsibility of both supervisor and employee. Together they develop strategies that allow development of skills, knowledge, and abilities that lead to improved job performance. Employee development provides avenues for increased job satisfaction and for reaching one's full potential within the job. For Senior and Executive goals and objectives are assigned and represent a critical area of the IDP.
Adjustment Periods and Performance Management
· Performance Management Program components are required to be used for new hires, promotional and for performance issues. Adjustment periods are set by the Human Resources (HR) and Division/Directors of Departments for a period of 520 (3 months) for most positions up to 1,040 hours for executive or highly complex positions. Employees must be evaluated at a minimum of once during the adjustment period to determine if they have satisfactorily completed their adjustment period.
· Adjustment periods are considered the time that supervisors confirm if their hiring decision was a good decision and the employee is a good fit for the position. This is the time the supervisor should expect a new employee to be putting their best foot forward. If there are problems such as attendance or reliability during the adjustment period, these typically increase if permanent status is granted. CRJ strongly encourages supervisors to carefully consider this decision before the end of the established adjustment period.
· The new hire or promotional adjustment period may be extended. To request an extension, contact HR Employee Relations Manager. Employees must be evaluated annually after attaining permanent status based on Date of Hire (DOH). The only exception to this is the Executive and Senior Management level annual evaluation due June 30th and prorated the first year based on DOH. Evaluation notices are sent to department managers by Human Resource as part of the monthly Personnel Summary report. Late evaluation notices will be sent to the attention of the department director and should be noted in the supervisor's evaluation. Chronic late evaluations may be brought to the attention of the Division Director or CEO.
· Performance expectations, responsibilities, and objectives of the job should be communicated throughout the adjustment period and reflected in the performance evaluation. The Job Description is referenced as a guide and resource for outlining these items. This will assist the employees to understand the requirements of the job and know whether they are meeting those requirements.
Five-Level Overall Rating
The Performance Management Program uses five overall rating levels as noted below:
· (5) Exceeds expectations consistently; superior performance
· (4) Very good to excellent performance in most areas
· (3) Competent in all areas, very good in some
· (2) Competent in most areas, some needs improvement
· (1) Does not meet performance standards (Requires a Performance Improvement Plan)
Linking Merit Pay to Performance Considerations
The entire performance narrative and summary are a critical link to merit pay considerations for staff depending on funding and budget decisions. Compensation decisions may be made on an annual basis and communicated to employees and supervisors. The general guidelines for linking performance evaluations to merit pay are:
· Consistency in comparing performance is attained by using same performance ratings (criteria) throughout the performance review.
· Rating evaluations should provide sufficient descriptive comments with examples to justify coaching and feedback discussions and pay decisions.
· Performance evaluations must be completed and on file with HR. Copies may be retained at the site for easy reference throughout the year, if needed.
Performance Management System
Setting Performance Expectations
Setting performance expectations is the foundation and first step in performance management. By setting performance expectations first, the employee knows what is expected, and the supervisor has specific performance criteria to measure quality and productivity.T
Think about . . . new hire process
How you influence expectations from the time you first meet with a candidate through a job offer
ü Your attitude, body language, and intonation
ü Specifics about CRJ, the department, the job – what you emphasize or not
ü Growth opportunities/trainings
ü Hours/shifts
Remember: Communication is the key!
Defining Job Purpose
As a supervisor, defining an overall job purpose is the first step in setting performance expectations with an employee. The job purpose reflects the essential or main function of the job. In referencing the Job Description the Summary can be used for the job purpose when discussing this with the employee if it contains the “what” and “why” of the job. The employee receives a copy of the job description at the final interview and this is reviewed and signed by the employee during the on-boarding process. The job purpose is the summary of the critical functions of the job. It also provides a fair basis for appraising performance.
To write a clear and meaningful job purpose, use the following formula:
"Job title"is the title of the job. This may be the classification job title or the agency-specific working job title or business title.
"What" describes the main function of the job. It is not the place to list all job tasks.
"Why" explains why the job is done. This should be written very clearly to avoid confusion. When an employee understands the why of their job, they are more likely to be motivated and to understand their role in the organization.
Some examples of clearly written job purposes:
Determining Key Functional Responsibilities
The next step is to identify the key functional responsibilities that make up the job. Key functional responsibilities are the critical components or results of the job. Three to six main key functional responsibilities will ensure a list that represents a good overview of the job and are considered the most impacting. These are listed under Functional Responsibilities on the Employee Evaluation form. Think of this section as developing key standards for areas of responsibility that could determine an employee’s ability to perform his/her job at an acceptable level. Note that these key responsibilities represent results from doing a job, not a listing of tasks that one performs.
Determining key functional responsibilities:
· Defines for the employee what they are expected to achieve;
· Provides an objective basis for the evaluation; and
· Provides a framework for the job.
The formula for identifying key functional responsibilities looks like this:
"Job title"is the title of the job.
"Verb" describes the action the employee will take.
"What" describes the end product.
"How" describes how the work will be done. It provides techniques that measure quality, quantity, and time factors.
Examples of a clearly written key responsibility for each of the following positions are:
Remember: Most positions have three to six key functional responsibilities!
Performance Standards
The Job Purpose Statement and Key Functional Responsibilities deal with the “what" of an individual's performance. In this section, we look at performance standards which tell "how" or "how well" a job is done. "How" deals with quality. The Performance Management System has many established performance 'standards' that are consistent across all departments. These standards are applied to each individual's performance and appear in the performance evaluation document. Additional standards may be developed and are applied by managers to address past performance or future development. The established Performance Standards align with CRJ’s values, strategic vision and goals and build on each level up through management positions across the organization.
CRJ’s Performance Standards
The following are the core performance standards (core competencies) establishing a baseline for employee performance and development, building better leadership through enhanced management performance contributing to better organizational results. These standards represent critical work behaviors and qualities necessary for job success. There are several lists of standards, one for all employees and additional sets for different levels of management as noted below:
Core CompetenciesApplicable to all Individual Contributors and acts as the foundation of the management building blocks
· Customer Focus
· Communication Skills
· Team Effectiveness
· Problem Solving & Decision Making / · Adaptability/Cooperation
· Continuous Development
· Initiative
· Process Improvement
Management Competencies
Leadership Building Blocks
Line Management / Mid-Management / Senior Management / Executive
All Core Competencies plus:
· Flexibility
· Interpersonal Skills
· Self-Direction
· Coaching & Feedback
· Diversity
· Technical Credibility
· Resourcefulness / All Basic Leadership Competencies plus:
· Resilience
· Team Building
· Influencing/Negotiating
· Staffing & Development
· Performance Management
· Accountability
· Collaboration/Partnering / All Mid-Management
Competencies plus:
· Building High Performance
· Commitment to Results
· Financial Management
· Project Management
· Workforce Planning
· Collaborative Problem Solving
· Decision Making / All Senior Management Competencies plus:
· Strategic Skills
· Vision
· Business Perspective
· Financial Accountability
· Managing Complexity
Setting Performance Goals and Objectives