QUESTION 6- WHY IS ACCURATE AND COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION SO IMPORTANT IN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, PARTICULARLY WHEN DEALING WITH EMPLOYEE UNDERPERFORMANCE?

Armstrong and Baron (2005), define performance management as “a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organizational performance. It establishes shared understanding about what is to be achieved and an approach to leading and developing people.   Basically it is about having good conversations between a manager and his /her person that helps them get clear on what is expected of them and, as importantly, how they are doing.”

In fact, performance management is one of the most important tasks that have to be done by Human Resources people in a company.

Complete and Accurate documentation is very important when dealing with both over performance and underperformance.

In fact, when dealing with over performance, a good performance management is essential.   Having a good performance to that helps us to identify over performers can be beneficial to the company by:

• ·                Helping the company to identify over performers and to show exactly their performance

• ·         Rewards the over performers in the way that they actually should be rewarded

• ·         Help the company to know what workers to retain, retrain or take actions against them.

Underperformance of an employee can be the result of many things.   For example, lack of training, lack of determination, lack of resources, motivation and so on can be barriers to good performance of an employee.

Accurate and complete documentation is very important in performance management when dealing with underperformance because strong and solid evidence must be gathered in order to show the worker and the court of law (if legal action is taken). Decision making will rest mainly on the records which has been made and presented.

Decisions that can be taken according to the documentation presented are for example:

• ·         Counseling

• ·         See if more training has to be given to the employee

• ·         Suspension

·         Fire

·         Promotion and career advancement of the worker

·          Identify the possible barriers that are preventing the employee to perform well.