endorsed by jumcc february 2006 - act health management guide february 2006 6 what is a performance...

ENDORSED BY JUMCC February 2006

Performance Management Guide

February 2006 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WHAT IS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT……………………………………….….3

2. WHAT ISN’T PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT………………………………………3

3. WHAT ABOUT MY LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT…………………………………..4

4. WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE……………………………...5

5. WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT.……………………..6

6. WHY DO WE NEED TO UNDERTAKE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT…….….6

7. TIERED APPROACH TO PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT………………………..7

8. DEVOLVING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS…………………..8

9. HOW IT ALL WORKS………………………………………………………………….….9

10. WHAT IS MY ROLE & THAT OF MY MANAGER/SUPERVISOR……………………9

11. HELPFUL HINTS FOR MANAGERS/SUPERVISORS…………………………………9

12. ASSESSING YOUR ENVIRONMENT…………………………………………………..10

13. EMPLOYEE HELPFUL HINTS – SETTING YOUR GOALS………………………….11

14. SETTING TEAM GAOLS…………………………………………………………………13

15. HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THE FIRST MEETING WITH MY MANAGER/SUPERVISOR?……………………………………………………………..13

16. DEVELOPING MY AGREEMENT……………………………………………………….14

17. WHAT HAPPENS AT THE FIRST MEETING………………………………………….16

18. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MEAN TIME…………………………………………………17

19. WHEN DO I NEXT MEET FORMALLY WITH MY MANAGER/SUPERVISOR …….17

20. HOW WILL I KNOW HOW I PERFORMNED AT THE END OF 12 MONTHS?…….18

21. WHAT HAPPENS IF I MOVE POSITIONS OR TAKE EXTENDED LEAVE?……….18

22. RECORDS MANAGEMENT………………………………………………………………19

23. EVALUATION AND FURTHER INQUIRIES…………………………………………….19

24. ATTACHMENTS……………………………………………………………………………20

24.1 Attachment A – CEO KEY OBJECTIVES?…………………………………………

24.2 Attachment B – FLOWCHARTS……………………………………………………..

24.3 Attachment C – OPTIONS FOR DELEGATION DIAGRAM………………………

24.4 Attachment D – DECISION PLANNER MATURITY INDICATOR………………..

24.5 Attachment E – PERFORMANCE AGREEMENT TEMPLATE…………………...

24.6 Attachment F – LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT TEMPLATE.

24.7 Attachment G – ROLES AND FIRST MEETING DISCUSSION OUTLINE……..

24.8 Attachment H – 6 AND 12 MONTH MEETING DISCUSSION OUTLINE……….

24.9 Attachment I – RESOURCES………………………………………………………..

Developed by: Nurses Performance Management Working Party 2006 as part of the ACT Public Sector Nursing Staff Agreement 2004 – 2007


February 2006 3

WHAT IS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT?

Everybody wants to do the best job they can. Our performance management process

supports this goodwill and talent to ensure that everyone is able to make the best use of

their valuable skills and reach their professional potential. This is achieved through:

• Everyone working towards common goals through agreed expectations and

responsibilities which match capability;

• Effective communication and feedback at all levels within the organisation and

• An environment of improvement and accountability.

• A cyclic process where you formally meet with your supervisor three (3) times a year

to; Form an Agreement; Monitor it’s progress and then Review how you went.

WHAT ISN’T PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT?

Performance management is a process to assist each individual staff member to achieve his

or her potential. It is not a tool for managing underperformance. These processes are

specifically outlined in industrial agreements. (for more information about

underperformance see: HTTP://WWW.HEALTH.ACT.GOV.AU/C/HEALTH?A=DA&DID=3000000&PID=1089085297)

FURTHER ADVICE SHOULD BE SOUGHT FROM TCH HUMAN RESOURCES

(PHONE 6205 1083) FOR:

• CONSISTENT EMPLOYEE FAILURE TO MEET AN AGREED

PERFORMANCE PLAN

• USE OF THIS PROCESS FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN PERFORMANCE

MANAGEMENT


February 2006 4

WHAT ABOUT MY LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT?

ACT Health is committed to creating a Learning Organisation where people are able to

develop their capacity and the capacity of others through fostering information sharing

within a supportive and collaborative culture, and where problems are explored openly and

diversity is appreciated.

Performance Management is linked to learning and development as it encourages

discussion between individuals in the workplace to recognise individual and team

capabilities and their application to the workplace.

Individual Learning and Development Plans provide a systematic process to meet the

professional development needs and objectives of staff. Broadly, performance

management focuses on achieving successful outcomes in the workplace of today while

Learning and Development processes assist staff to develop their capabilities, perform their

work and prepare for the future.

Learning and development assists us to be more effective by maintaining and improving our

knowledge and competence and improves the quality of our health service. For these

reasons, part of the Performance Management Agreement includes you and your manager

agreeing on an Individual Learning and Development Plan.


February 2006 5

WHAT IS THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE?

The ACT Health performance management process is designed to support

continuous feedback and regular review. There are three formal stages of

collaboration with your supervisor/manager over the yearly cycle. However, you

should also receive and encourage ongoing informal feedback about your

performance.


February 2006 6

WHAT IS A PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT?

Performance management starts with a discussion between a manager/supervisor

and employee to clarify expectations.

The Performance Management Agreement is the record of that discussion and is

supported by your learning and development plan.

WHY DO WE NEED TO UNDERTAKE PERFORMANCE

MANAGEMENT?

There are many reasons to undertake performance management. These include:

• Organisational Effectiveness

o Improving the service we provide to our clients by creating a stronger organisation

o More closely aligning our work with ACT Health goals

o Motivating us to do our best

• Performance Improvement

o Improving communication and feedback throughout ACT Health

o Clarifying expectations

o Identifying areas for performance improvement

o Establishing plans that support improving performance

• Identifying People’s Strengths

o Identifying our personal skills and abilities so that we can build on these

• Learning and Development

o Assisting and supporting us to achieve our work and career goals by identifying learning and development opportunities

• Legal Documentation and

• Providing a paper trail


February 2006 7

TIERED APPROACH TO PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

The three-tiered approach is our way to support and align performance

management activities of all ACT Health employees.

TIER ONE – CEO OBJECTIVES

The CEO of ACT Health has developed five (5) tier one key objectives (see

Attachment A). The sixth professional key objective has been agreed to as part of

work undertaken for the ACT Public Sector Nursing Staff Agreement 2004 – 2007.

These objectives set the ACT Health strategic direction for us all and are specifically

included in Performance Agreements that divisional heads make with the CEO. The

CEO can only change these objectives.

TIER TWO – DIVISIONAL OBJECTIVES

Each division head (eg of The Canberra Hospital, Calvary Public, Mental Health and

Community Health) has also developed six (6) tier two objectives that are aligned

with the CEO objectives. These objectives form the basis for senior managers to

develop their Performance Agreements with their divisional head.

TIER THREE – TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL OBJECTIVES

The tier three objectives are for middle and front line staff to develop as teams and

also as individuals. These objectives outline what you want to achieve over the next

years and form the basis of your personal Performance Agreement with your

manager/supervisor. These objectives need to be aligned with the Divisional and

CEO objectives.

To assist you in developing your key objectives, Attachment B contains 6 (six)

Flowcharts that demonstrate how the six (6) ACT Health CEO key objectives can be

translated into your practice. You can either use these examples in your agreement

or invent your own.


February 2006 8

THE PROCESS OF DEVOLVING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

AGREEMENTS

Realistically no one person should manage/supervise more than approximately 15

people undertaking Performance Agreements. However, people who have had the

responsibility devolved to them should have less than this. Options to

manage/supervise and delegate the process are outlined in the model at

Attachment C.

To ensure middle managers (eg Clinical Nurse Consultants, Educators or Managers)

have realistic workloads, the process for developing and managing Performance

Management Agreements within teams can and should, where possible, be devolved

to include more experienced staff (eg experienced Level 2 RN/M) managing staff with

less experience (eg less experienced EN, RN/RM Level 1 and Level 2).

Devolving the performance management process is a decision that requires careful

consideration. If the process is devolved the person should not manager/supervise

more than 4-5 people. Also, people managing/supervising agreements need to be

well matched with the people they are managing/supervising. They may require

additional support through coaching and mentoring as well as specific education

regarding their role.

The formal process can also be undertaken in small groups.

The Agreement (1997) Annamaria Centola


February 2006 9

HOW IT ALL WORKS

The process starts with an initial performance planning discussion between you and

your supervisor, then a 6-month discussion to review whether things are progressing

well and then an end of year discussion to review how you went.

There is also an expectation that you will have informal discussions throughout the

year to provide support and guidance in achieving your performance agreement.

WHAT IS MY ROLE & THAT OF MY MANAGER/SUPERVISOR?

Managers/Supervisors provide clear expectations and ongoing feedback and

support to employees.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR MANAGERS/SUPERVISORS

If you are a supervisor or executive responsible for implementing performance

management with employees, you should consider:

1. Assessing the readiness of your unit to undertake performance management

processes effectively (see diagram below)

2. What objectives your unit needs to meet through performance management

3. What processes and mechanisms to use and

4. How you can best support and guide employees in the implementation of

performance management in your work unit.


February 2006 10

ASSESSING YOUR ENVIRONMENT

There are six (6) key dimensions of the performance environment that you can

assess. These are:

1. Current levels of acceptance of performance management processes

2. The level of understanding of ACT Health directions and priorities

3. The degree to which good performance is recognised and rewarded

4. The quality, consistency and regularity of feedback discussions

5. Approaches to management of poor performance and

6. The level of trust between managers and employees.

The following assessment tool should help you to determine the level of readiness (or

maturity) of your work unit for undertaking the performance management process

effectively. See Appendix E for a maturity model Decision Planner.

If you are a manager, you will need to attend an awareness session, which will

provide you with an understanding of the approach to giving and receiving feedback

and the use of the assessment tool.

Participation and awareness session of other senior staff in your area could help to

develop a shared understanding of the performance environment and open up some

useful and constructive discussion about managing performance in your unit.

This assessment will assist your decision-making. For example, a work unit with low

scores on each of these dimensions will require a low level of complexity in the

process and high levels of support and guidance in implementation. More robust

processes with stronger emphasis on consequences for high and low performance

are best introduced into work units with high levels of maturity.


February 2006 11

Employees are actively involved, seek feedback about performance and be

constructive.

EMPLOYEE HELPFUL HINTS - SETTING YOUR GOALS

Questions that might help you consider your objectives include:

• How do your work unit’s goals link to ACT Health’s key priorities?

• What are the priority goals for your work area for the next 12 months?

• What is really important for your work area to improve upon in the coming year?

• Are there any issues that are preventing your work area from performing really

well?

• What would you like to see your staff do particularly well? • How well do people

communicate and exchange feedback about performance?

• Are there any particular problem areas that require attention?

• Are there some particular aspects of people’s performance that you would like to

reinforce and recognise?

• What customer feedback could be considered to improve individual and team

performance?

Make sure your roles and responsibilities are SMART:

• Specific

• Measurable

• Achievable

• Relevant and

• Timed.

You can either use the examples in Attachment C to develop your own performance

management Agreement or you can choose to operationalise the key objectives in

your own way, it’s up to you.

The following questions will help you identify your strengths and areas in which you

can improve.


February 2006 12

In relation to your work …

• What aspects of your work give you the most satisfaction?

• What aspects of your work give you the most difficulty?

• What additional skills/knowledge do you have that are not being fully

• Utilised in your present job?

In relation to your performance …

• What strengths do you have which assist you in performing your job?

• Think about skills developed from inside and outside work

• - What factors might prevent or impede you in performing your job? (Eg

insufficient resources, extraordinary care responsibilities etc.)

In relation to your career …

• - What are your career plans and professional objectives?

• - What other areas in the department interest you?

• - Are your career plans linked to the business of ACT Health?

These questions will not only help you to develop your Performance Management

Agreement, they can also help you decide what learning and development activities

you can include in your Learning and Development Plan.


February 2006 13

HOW DO I PREPARE FOR THE FIRST MEETING WITH MY MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR?

For individual performance Agreements there are 9 easy steps to prepare for an

initial performance management meeting and develop your agreement.


February 2006 14

DEVELOPING MY AGREEMENT Step 1 Copy the Performance Management Agreement at Attachment H or access a copy from

the ACT health intranet.

Step 2

Refer to the six (6) Key Objective Flowcharts at Attachment B.

Step 3

Identify your Tier from the Flowcharts (see the diagram below).

Step 4

Choose one (1) specific box from each of the 6 Flowcharts that correspond to your level

and transcribe the words into the “Strategy” box next to its Key Objective in your

Performance Management Plan (See the illustration below). Or you can make up your

own strategy that aligns with the Key Objective.

Performance management Agreement (Attachment H) Flowchart (Attachment B)

Compliance with legislative & governance arrangements Complying with ACT Health & whole of government legislation, particularly in relation to:1.0 Risk Management Act 1994 2.0 Public Sector Management Act 3.0 Occupational Health and Safety Act 4.0 Child Protection Act 5.0 Privacy Act 6.0 Health Act & 7.0 Other area & profession specific legislation, standards & agreements such as the

Tier One CEO

Tier Two Division

Provide orientation to all staff within ACT Health specific to designation

Ensure that systems are designed to align & comply with the necessary legislation requirements

Support adherence to legislative requirements & obligations of staff

Provide the necessary education & training for identified staff regarding legislative

i t

Ensure that all staff are aware & comply with appropriate codes of conduct

3. Flow Chart for translating the CEO Objectives into Practice

Tier Three Team

Tier Three RN/M Level 2

Tier Three RN/M Level 1 & EN

Tier Three RN/M Level 3

Develop a comprehensive orientation package for your area & participate i l

Take a team based approach to compliance with legislation

Facilitate staff attendance at mandatory/necessary education/training Ensure compliance with legislative requirements

Be responsible for knowing the legislative requirments & staff obligations

Be responsible for knowing the appropriate conduct codes & the obligations of staff

Ensure new staff are appropriately oriented Facilitate ongoing support for new staff for an identified period of time Monitor process & ensure needs are met

Promote, support & adhere to the appropriate conduct codes & th t ff

Take responsibility to attend and practice in accordance with mandatory & necessary education/training Take responsibility to comply with legislative

i

Identify the necessary legislative requirements & education needs

f h

Know the Public Service Management Act Code of Conduct Identify conduct codes appropriate to the area & the staff obligations

Ensure the orientation package meets the area requirements & evaluate i l t ti

Promote knowledge of legislative requirments & staff obligations

Note: This is a sample of the flow matrix from the CEO objectives. There are several options for you to choose from, or you may make a different one specifically for you or your team.

Support & adhere to the appropriate conduct codes & the staff

Support & participate in the orientation of new


February 2006 15

Step 5 – “Who needs to be involved?” It is helpful to identify who could assist you in meeting your goals over the next 12

months. For example with Key Objective 4 - Quality improvement initiatives, you could

choose to “facilitate communication that is in line with Listening & Learning principles”

and attend the Staff Development Unit session on mastering Health Care

Communication. This will require liaising with staff development and your

manager/supervisor/s.

Step 6 – How will I know I’ve done a good job (Performance Indicator) Before you meet with your manager/supervisor it will help you to consider how you will Know if you’ve done a good job, and that you have achieved what you said you would

do in your Agreement.

Again, if you use Key Objective 4 - Quality improvement initiatives, you could choose to

“facilitate communication that is in line with Listening & Learning principles” as your

strategy and decide to always greet someone who comes to the staff station and offer

assistance. Or you could read the ACT Health Listening and Learning Consumer

Feedback Standards (at http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health?a=sendfile&ft=p&fid=1060731190&sid=) and

incorporate the principles in how you liaise with inter-disciplinary team members (see

Standard 4.10 p15).

A list of resources to assist you in developing your Performance Agreement is at

Attachment E.

Step 7 – linking Performance Management to Learning and Development Plans

Identifying the learning and development needs that will help you achieve the gaols you

have set for yourself in your Agreement is the link between performance and learning

and development needs.

Using the same example outlined in Steps 5 and 6, you wish to attend a session of

Mastering Health Care Communication and this can be recorded in your Learning and

Development Plan (Attachment F or http://cid/c/healthintranet?a=da&did=2155388&pid=1128906045&sid.)

The Staff Development Unit Calender that outlines what education sessions are

available is located at http://cid/c/healthintranet?a=da&did=2155388&pid=1121988820&sid).


February 2006 16

Step 8 - Overcoming Challenges & Risk Management While preparing your Agreement, you may identify some challenges that could impact

upon your ability to successfully meet your goals.

Challenges can be any physical, technical, human and financial resources issues or

problems that you feel may prevent you from achieving your Performance Management

Agreement.

For example, it will be challenging if you do not have access to a computer and you have

decided that your goal for the year will be to get better computer skills. If the challenges

you identify are critical to your success, you must raise them with your

manager/supervisor so that he/she can help you access what you need or help identify a

more achievable goal.

Step 9

Make an appointment with your manager/supervisor.

WHAT HAPPENS AT THE FIRST MEETING?

The purpose of the first meeting is for the manager/supervisor and employee to discuss

and reach agreement on the employee’s core performance goals for the next 12 months.

An outline of what the manager/supervisor and employee should discuss and what must

be recorded in the Agreement is outlined at Attachment G.


February 2006 17

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE MEAN TIME

Although the ACT Health performance management process has 3 formal meetings

each year, there is an expectation that you will have a relationship with your

manager/supervisor that will allow for immediate feedback in the workplace.

WHEN DO I NEXT MEET FORMALLY WITH MY

MANAGER/SUPERVISOR?

The mid-cycle review and feedback is a formal discussion at 6 months. It provides an

opportunity to review your:

• Performance Agreement and progress

• Learning and Development Plan and

• Exchange ideas about how you could support each other to achieve the results

you have planned.

An outline of what the manager/supervisor and employee should discuss, and what must

be recorded in the Agreement is outlined at Attachment I.


February 2006 18

HOW DO I KNOW HOW I WENT AT 12 MONTHS?

The end of cycle review and feedback takes place approximately 12 months after the

agreement was established and is also a formal discussion. This meeting is to:

• Review your performance against your Performance Agreement

• Review your Learning and Development Plan

• Gain feedback on how you went and set your goals for the next 12 months.

An outline of what the manager/supervisor and employee should discuss, and what must

be recorded in the Agreement is outlined at Attachment J.

.0

NOTE: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IS A PROCESS TO ASSIST EACH INDIVIDUAL STAFF MEMBER TO ACHIEVE HIS OR HER POTENTIAL. IT IS NOT A TOOL FOR MANAGING UNDERPERFORMANCE. UNDERPERFORMANCE PROCESSES ARE OUTLINED IN INDUSTRIAL AGREEMENTS AT http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health?a=da&did=3000000&pid=1089085297)

WHAT HAPPENS IF I MOVE POSITIONS OR TAKE EXTENDED LEAVE?

If you move to a different position or take extended leave you will need to meet with your

manager/supervisor before you leave so you know how you were going.

Then when you take your new position or return from your leave, you need to meet with

your manager/supervisor and discuss how your Agreement can be altered to meet the

area and your new goals.


February 2006 19

RECORDS MANAGEMENT

The policy and guidelines for storage of Performance Management Agreements and

Learning and Development Plans can be found on the ACT Health’s Intranet

(http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health?a=da&did=10022821&pid=1118985893) and complies with the ACT Public

Service’s Territory Records Management Act which can be located at http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1997-125/default.asp

EVALUATION AND FURTHER INQUIRIES

The performance management system can only be improved by your input. To assist us to improve, an evaluation of the process will occur after the first cycle has been completed. However, any specific comments or inquiries can be directed to the Director of Human Resources on – 6205 1083.

FURTHER ADVICE SHOULD BE SOUGHT FROM HUMAN RESOURCES (PHONE 6205 1083) FOR:

• CONSISTENT EMPLOYEE FAILURE TO MEET AN AGREED PERFORMANCE PLAN

• USE OF THIS PROCESS FOR PURPOSES OTHER THAN

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT


February 2006 20

ATTACHMENT A

No

The 5 CEO Key Objectives

1 Injury prevention & management - preventing/minimising/managing workplace injury

2

Workplace behaviour - Valuing staff by implementing & complying with the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct & the ACT Health work values of:

• Equity and Diversity &

• Anti-discrimination harassment & bullying policy

3

Compliance with legislative & governance arrangements Complying with ACT Health & whole of government legislation, particularly in relation to:

• Risk Management Act 1994 • Public Sector Management Act • Occupational Health and Safety Act • Child Protection Act • Privacy Act • Health Act & • Other area & profession specific legislation, standards & agreements such

as the Mental Health Act, Health Professionals Bill 2004, management Acts & Certified Agreements

4

Initiate & maintain activities that lead to quality improvement initiatives across ACT Health - Striving for continuous improvement in patient care & customer service through on-going learning & organisational development initiatives, including working in partnership with colleagues to evaluate the effectiveness of these activities

5 Commitment to support patient safety activities & adherence to patient safety protocols & policies - Assisting ACT Health to build its capacity by identifying & supporting knowledge, technology, tools, systems & processes that deliver safe care to patients

Professional Key Objective

6

Professional Competence - Nursing and Midwifery takes place within dynamic environments. Nurses/Midwives who are licensed to practice are expected to be able to demonstrate competence within their area and scope of practice.

endorsed by jumcc february 2006 - act health management guide february 2006 6 what is a performance...

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