It Starts With You
Your role as a supervisor or manager is critical to the development of a strong County workforce. Good supervision/management is key to good employee performance and conduct. The best supervisors/managers are friendly and approachable, are always open to feedback from others, show appreciation and encourage others to perform at the highest level possible and foster a productive and safe work environment.
What is my role as a supervisor/manager?
Your role as a supervisor or manager is critical to the development of a strong County workforce. Good supervision/management is key to good employee performance and conduct.
Keep in mind, the best supervisors/managers are friendly and approachable, are always open to feedback from others, show appreciation and encourage others to perform at the highest level possible, and foster a productive and safe work environment.
- Be aware of the job and performance expectations required of employees
- Clearly communicate work rules to employee
- Make your expectations clear
- Call immediate attention to any workplace infractions
- Address any problem in performance or conduct as soon as you are made aware a problem exists
- Meet with your employees to correct and improve performance
- Be aware of the MOU provisions as they relate to disciplinary practices
- Be aware of representation rights of employees
- Recognize, handle, and make recommendations in cases where discipline is appropriate
- Apply informal discipline consistently
Your role as a coach
- Your focus is on helping the employee, the facts (not the person), being consistent and objective in your feedback, and the work performance (how their failure to meet expectations is affecting their ability to do their job).
- Every meeting you have with an employee (other than day-to-day instructions) should be documented in your supervisor’s working file.
- What skills can I develop as a supervisor/manager to help me be more effective?
- Ask the right questions – asking the right questions at the right time can be critical in ensuring that you have all the information you need from your conversation with your employee.
- Improve your listening skills
- Be an Active Listener - https://youtu.be/t2z9mdX1j4A
- Give constructive feedback – focus on the performance, not the individual.
- How to Offer Feedback - https://youtu.be/v06oz5JYFIg
- Know how to have a difficult conversation
- Diffusing Difficult Situations - https://youtu.be/QzXLfLjzNJE
What training is available to help me manage my employee(s)?
What is coaching?
What are the first signs of an employee needing intervention?
- Faulty work behavior
- Lagging work behavior
- Employee confusion, complaining, or work avoidance
- Employee has unrealistic expectations
- Employee needs encouragement
Why is coaching important?
Because it is better to address a problem in its earliest stages than wait until the problem has compounded. Quick, informal intervention can result in immediate change in the behavior of employees, as it lets employees know that their supervisor is paying close attention and is interested in helping the employee succeed. If done routinely, employees are not threatened by the process.
When should I coach?
Coaching should take place when the issue at hand can be discussed in 5 to 15 minutes, and no longer. If the topic requires a more elaborate, intense conversation, then the term coaching can no longer be applied. It should be carried out privately, and as soon after the precipitating event as possible. Supervisors should avoid causing stress for the employee by loudly announcing the need to meet, or by leaving “SEE ME” notes. Coaching will not go well if the employee approaches the session with trepidation. “I need to see you in my office-NOW” does not imply that an informal, relaxed coaching session is about to take place
What are the steps involved with coaching?
Refer to the “Resources” tab to Job Aids to Steps Involved with Coaching
How is coaching different from discipline and performance appraisals?
Refer to the “Resources” tab to Job Aids to How Coaching Differs from Discipline and Performance Appraisals
What is performance management and why is it important?
Performance management is a cyclical process. Managing an employee’s performance involves evaluating the job they have done, identifying performance criteria, tracking and monitoring performance, regular communication, and on-going feedback about what is being done well and what requires improvement. It allows the employee to get an understanding of the job that needs to be done and the expectations associated, through metrics and performance standards. It also allows you to assess the employee’s core skill sets, competency level, and address performance issues accordingly. By managing performance, you are addressing employee performance issues at the lowest level possible, to prevent further progressive discipline.
What are the basic expectations for completing performance evaluations?
- Timely
- Performance evaluations should be started early; up to 6 weeks in advance to allow for review/approval and HR processing of paperwork
- Fair
- They should be based on overall performance, not one-time events or recent events
- Content should include examples of performance discussed during the rating period. If the issue hasn’t been previously discussed, it should not be included; there should be no negative surprises.
- Keep your personal biases out of the evaluation; not the opportunity to confront or manage the employee’s performance – it should reflect the actions that have been taken over the course of the rating period to help the employee improve
- Honest/Accurate
- Balance – include strengths and weaknesses
- Be objective – use quantitative measures and specific examples to support your position
- Confirm details – don’t guess or assume
What are some common problems to avoid that I should be aware?
- The following issues have been identified from appeal hearings:
- Using emotionally charged language - Avoid emotionally charged words/expressions (e.g. There were stupid data entry mistakes on your monthly summaries.) Instead, state: The errors you made on your monthly summaries were avoidable.
- Negative surprises - The issue was not brought to the employee’s attention during the rating period
- Inaccurate ratings
- Under-inflated - Giving meets or below when employee’s behavior is neither
- Over-inflated - Giving meets or exceeds when employee’s behavior is neither
- Reasons
- Avoid confrontation with employee
- Feel pressured
- Elevate to manager if strong disagreement
- Elevate through your chain if strong disagreement with manager and isn’t a coaching issue.
- Reasons
- Supervisors have a responsibility to ensure fairness & integrity of the system.
- Not enough information to support the rating - Provide examples for each rating.
- Penalizing an employee for use of protected time – Ok, to reference the period an employee was out on FMLA/CFRA/WC, however, their performance should not be rated for this period. If intermittent leave, they can be performance managed.
- Straying from facts – Avoid documenting your opinion.
How do I issue the performance evaluation?
- Schedule a meeting with the employee to go over their evaluation.
- Review it in detail.
- Work your way through the evaluation section by section.
- Allow the employee to comment or ask questions.
- Ask the employee if they have anything they would like to add.
- Set future goals.
- Can either be done at this meeting or establish a date for a future meeting
- Should be collaborative (engage the employee) and see balance – both organizational needs and employee aspirations
- What if they refuse to sign the evaluation?
- Have them indicate that they do not agree with the evaluation or write “employee refused to sign” on the evaluation and date it. You should have another witness sign as well. Make a copy and give it to the employee.
What if my employee is rated overall below for the rating period?
Complete the ER Checklist to obtain assistance from HR on a below evaluation/performance improvement plan (PIP)
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Crucial Conversations
Learn how to conduct difficult conversations
Employee Performance Manager
Measure and evaluate employees