Keeping a record of how employees are performing within an organization is essential for any HR team, yet the way in which this is done can often be disorganized and even slapdash. Managers may find themselves hurrying to gather information ahead of performance reviews or disciplinaries, which isn’t conducive to a positive outcome.
Ensuring you stay on top of employee performance documentation does require some serious effort, but it can pay dividends in the long term.
So, what developments, performance issues and employee behavior should be recorded? The short answer to that is 'everything'.
Looking at the positives first, maintaining a performance record for every individual allows them to receive the feedback they need to make improvements in their work and could motivate them to do more.
It also makes life easier for HR managers, because it can streamline the preparation for performance appraisals since documentation will track the good and the bad. Essentially, a full record will act as a visual representation of the steps managers have taken to help their people be successful.
This can be useful when explaining to management why a particular worker is eligible for a raise or promotion over the other potential candidates.
At the opposite end of the scale, documentation can also step in where there have been examples of performance concerns and even negative employee behavior, potentially protecting organizations from things as extreme as litigation.
There will be black and white evidence that issues were discussed with the person in question and a detailed history of either their improvement or their failure to act on the points raised. Importantly, the record will also show that any terminations took place in a legal manner and weren’t in any way discriminatory.
Keeping a thorough record can allow HR managers to recognize and reward employees, but also make it easier to discipline or terminate their contracts should things start to go wrong.