Following recent case work with a client which related strongly to their performance management process not being carried out effectively, our HR consultant, Tina Munro has reflected that at Gravitate HR, we often come across similar situations. Failing to clearly highlight inadequate performance, state what improvements are necessary, measure progress and allow someone the opportunity to improve can lead to all sorts of problems for a manager if dismissal is being considered particularly for capability but also if their performance is being considered as part of a redundancy selection process.
This blog highlights the many good reasons for adopting a performance management process, with an emphasis on the word process as it should never be a once a year ‘event’.
Why performance manage?
When the Employment Rights Bill comes into force, employees will have the right not to be unfairly dismissed from day one of their employment. The bill introduces an ‘initial period of employment’ sometimes referred to as a statutory probationary period, which recent government amendments suggest will be between three and nine months.
During this initial period, if the employee’s dismissal is related to their performance or capability in their role, then indications are that the employer will be able to follow a process to fairly dismiss. The exact process will be set out in future regulations however whilst we await those regulations, we can assume that managing an employee’s performance should begin from day 1 and should focus on continuous improvement and regular one to one meetings with their manager.
It’s important to acknowledge that every situation is different and if a manager is ever in a position where they are considering a dismissal which relates to performance or capability it is always advisable to seek professional support to ensure that as well as a proper process, all factors including potential discriminatory issues have been fully considered.
A Performance Management Process should include the following key elements:
- Setting clear expectations from the start helps employees understand their responsibilities, performance goals and required skills for the job. Sometimes training will be identified at an early stage and should be provided as appropriate.
- Measure progress by aligning expectations with specific metrics, this will allow you to review performance effectively and show the employee their progress and success.
- Regular one to one’s build a strong working relationship between employees and their manager. Effective meetings will help employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement or development. This ultimately should lead to more focused effort and improved performance.
- Open communication is essential for a healthy and productive work environment where employees feel engaged and comfortable asking questions, sharing ideas and providing feedback.
- Documentation and ongoing review is essential to be able to track progress and improvement or to highlight areas needing attention. Recording discussions, decisions, and agreed actions also ensures transparency of the process. In the event that an employee’s performance does not improve over the initial period of employment, it will be an important document to back up a potentially fair dismissal.
- Learning and Development provides employees with the support they need to be successful in their role and offers an opportunity to enhance skills and knowledge.
- Performance management is not a once a year event but a continuous process that should be integrated from the beginning of an employee’s journey with the organisation.
This kind of proactive approach helps ensure employees understand their roles, objectives and how their work contributes to the organisation’s goals. Most importantly, if there are areas of inadequate performance managers must highlight them clearly to the employee, offering them a fair opportunity to improve and ensure they are fully aware of the expectations and consequences if improvements are not made.
If you need help introducing a performance management process, please contact your account manager for more information or book a free Call with no obligation.
Read some about the importance of investing in training for managers Employment Tribunals: Why Management Training is Key – Gravitate HR and for details of our HR Peer Support and Management Training Workshops throughout 2025, please see the following link for details HR Training Workshops – HR Services Scotland – Gravitate HR.
