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Managing Performance and attendance

This page is dedicated to the people management issues that we hear about most frequently. One such area of frustration for line managers and business owners is the management of individual’s performance and attendance. This is particularly frustrating when an employee is not doing anything that could be cause for disciplinary action, but their attendance and performance is causing concern to their manager and colleagues.

At the bottom of this page you can download a copy of a generic capability procedure that can be copied and adapted to suit your organisation. The format of the policy will work for an individual who is not performing, or an individual who has unacceptable levels of sickness absence.

Management Processes

The principles for both performance management and attendance management are the same:

  • Review everyone’s performance and absence rates regularly (it is not fair to just identify problems at the end of the year if they should have been addressed in month 2)
  • dentify individuals that are causing a problem in an unbiased and fair way, based on evidence that can be compared equally. Impartial and objective recording mechanisms will help with this (e.g. appraisal forms, spreadsheets of absences etc.)
  • Meet with any member of staff who causes concern
  • Have all the specific facts available (e.g. dates and causes of absence, specific performance issues)
  • Explain how their behaviour impacts on other people, on their productivity and on the success of the department / organisation
  • Explore what is causing the poor performance or absences
  • Identify an action plan
  • Agree timescales to review actions, and agree a new action plan
  • Evaluate the next steps (good progress should be continually reviewed and celebrated)
  • Link to a formal process (e.g. capability procedure) when progress is not being made – this may result in formal warnings and or termination of employment in the worst case scenario

It is easy to identify processes and policies, but the key to effectively managing absence and performance lies with the interpersonal skills of the manager.

Interpersonal Skills:

If you have a busy working life it can be frustrating when a member of your team is not appearing to be as committed to their work as you are. Remember a few key things about your team:

  • They are all individuals
  • They all have different levels of coping with stress and pressure
  • They all have different working styles
  • They all fit into the team in a different way
  • They all have a life outside work that can sometimes make it temporarily difficult to concentrate in work
  • They all need structure and boundaries to know how they are expected to perform
  • They all need support and guidance
  • They have been recruited by you because they have the skills and ability to do the job as long as they have clear guidance and support
  • They all have different levels of long term ambition and desire to develop
  • They all need one to one time with their manager

If you remember all these human characteristics about your team members you will find that your interactions with them become more open and objective. You may also find that by using high level interpersonal skills and accepting that every team member is an individual, you will jointly achieve higher performance and attendance at work for them.

Management Processes that support high attendance and performance:

There are a number of good practice tools that will help managers to reduce absence and poor performance by their acceptance into the culture of the organisation:

  • Regular team meetings and communication
  • High quality recruitment
  • Clear job descriptions and person specifications
  • Real adherence to equality of opportunity
  • A comprehensive induction
  • Ongoing reviews / appraisals
  • Clear standards and procedures, including policies and a staff handbook
  • Flexible working practices
  • A managing attendance policy
  • Employee assistance programmes and occupational health services
  • Regular one to one time with a manager involving feedback, coaching and reviews

For more information about managing similar situations, please contact us and enquire about our learning events. Our aim is to provide you with the support and guidance you need to manage your employees. Please feel free to download our capability procedure at no charge here.

 

Contact us on 01752 692778 or email us here