The first step in any effort to improve employee performance is counselling or coaching. Counselling or coaching is part of the day-to-day interaction between a supervisor and an employee who reports to her, or an HR professional and line managers.
Coaching can provide positive feedback about employee contributions. Employees need to know when they are effective contributors. By providing this positive feedback, employees can know the actions and contributions that are valuable from the line managers point of view.
Coaching when there are performance issues
Regular coaching brings performance issues to an employee’s attention when they are minor. Coaching feedback assists the employee to correct these issues before they become significant detractions from her performance.
The goal of performance coaching is not to make the employee feel bad, nor is it provided to show how much the manager knows but to work with the employee to solve performance problems and to improve the work of the employee, the team, and the department.
Employees who respond positively to coaching and improve their performance can become valued contributors to the success of the business. Employees who fail to improve will find themselves placed on a formal performance improvement plan, known as a PIP. This sets up a formal process wherein the manager meets regularly with the underperforming employee to provide coaching and feedback.
At the meetings, they also evaluate how well the employee is performing in achieving the performance goals that were enumerated in the PIP. Generally, by the time an employee has received a PIP, Human Resources staff are significantly involved in both the meetings and in the review of the employee’s progress and performance.
Employees who fail to improve when on the PIP are likely to find their employment terminated.
Example of Performance Coaching
Managers can use performance coaching to help employees who are effective contributors improve and become even more effective contributors.
When properly implemented, coaching can help an employee continuously improve their skills, experience, and ability to contribute.
It normally produces increasing results for the organization and for the manager’s department and priorities.
Coaching is an effective tool for managers to deploy in their efforts to help employees succeed, and especially help employees increase their skills and their potential opportunities for promotion or lateral moves to more interesting positions.
Six Coaching Steps
Performance coaching is a powerful tool when managers take advantage of its usefulness.
- Show confidence in the employee’s ability and willingness to solve the problem. Ask him or her for help in solving the problem or improving their performance. Ask the employee to join in with you with the goal of increasing the employees’ effectiveness as a contributor to your organization.
- Describe the performance problem to the employee. Focus on the problem or behaviour that needs improvement, not on the person. Use descriptions of the behaviour with examples so that you and the employee share meaning. Ask for the employee’s view of the situation. Do they see the same problem or opportunity that you do?
- Determine whether issues exist that limit the employee’s ability to perform the task or accomplish the objectives. Four common barriers are time, training, tools, and temperament. Determine how to remove these barriers. Determine whether the employee needs your help to remove the barriers—a key role of a manager—or if he can tackle them by himself.
- Discuss potential solutions to the problem or improvement actions to take. Ask the employee for ideas on how to correct the problem or prevent it from happening again. With a high performing employee, talk about continuous improvement.
- Agree on a written action plan that lists what the employee, the manager, and possibly, the HR professional, will do to correct the problem or improve the situation. Identify the core goals that the employee must meet to achieve the appropriate level of performance that the organization needs.
- Set a date and time for follow-up. Determine if a critical feedback path is needed, so the manager knows how the employee is progressing. Offer positive encouragement. Express confidence in the employee’s ability to improve. Recognize, however, that the only person who oversees their performance improvement is the employee. As much as you try to help, he is the one in charge.
