Annual Performance Reviews Are a Year-Long Process

An important part of a performance evaluation is to set goals and expectations with an employee at the beginning of each year. Throughout the year, managers should consistently meet with employees to review these goals and expectations providing an opportunity for them to succeed.


Recording unique behaviors and incidents is key to the appraisal process. These significant recordings should include exemplary actions as well as any poor performances. Do not rely on your memory. Documentation is necessary and more reliable!

Tip: Tracking employee observations in an excel spreadsheet (a tab for each employee). Opinions and hearsay should not be included in your notes.

An annual review form should include a place for comments in addition to a rating. Ratings should be based on job responsibilities outlined by a job description.

Avoid common manager pitfalls:

• similar-to-me -- employees are individuals and should not be rated based on having a similar background to a manager
• current events -- consider the entire year, not just recent months
• over-focus on strengths or weaknesses -- it is important to focus on both the strength and weaknesses of an employee


Consider having the employee complete a self-evaluation to find out what he or she thinks. This self-evaluation should mimic the same form the manager will be utilizing. Customer feedback is also recommended as input into the annual review.

When the review is conducted, the employee should not receive any surprises. The annual review is not the appropriate time to bring up performance issues which have not been previously discussed in one-on-one meetings. This formal meeting is to summarize performance and previous interactions. Focus on an employee's development rather than finding fault to allow this process to be productive. Make this an interactive process which permits the employee to engage and own their work.

Workplace Safety Training

The key to a safe workplace and effective program includes:


1. Understand the Goal - Does your company have room for safety improvements? Indentify your challenges and your target goal. Develop a plan and share it with your employees.

2. Communication is Essential - Keep your message easy for all employees to understand and consider using multiple venues such as posters, emails, newsletters and shift huddles. Remember that people learn in different ways. Some employees may do well with written communication, while others need verbal lessons. Still others may need a hands-on demonstration.

3. Talk About It - Safety should be a standing item on your meeting agenda. If you have employees on multiple shifts then be sure to address all employees. It is recommended that you spend at least 10-15 minutes each month talking about your safety program. Present your success, challenges and a new safety talk.

4. Solicit Feedback - Have a place where employees can offer suggestions to leadership on how to enhance workplace safety.

5. Safety Committee - Consider having a committee to be ambassadors of the organization’s goals. Permit the committee members to be part of the problem-solving and decision-making process.

6. Document Everything - Record all communication efforts and use sign in sheets for employees.


Safety training topics can include:

• Hand Tools
• Holiday Stress
• Avoid Slips, Trips and Falls
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Fire Safety
• Staying Cool When It Is Hot
• Working With Electricity
• First Aid
• Protective Eye Wear
• Lifting Techniques
• Power Tools
• Material Safety Data Sheets
• Avoid Back Pains
• Hand Washing
• Ladder Safety

Other resources from Cal/OSHA.

What is absenteeism costing your company?

Absenteeism occurs when an employee fails to report for work as scheduled. Tardiness is a form of absenteeism in that the employee reports to work late, although tardiness rates often are kept separate from absenteeism rates.

The ripple effect of absenteeism and tardiness is extremely costly to an organization. Some common tangible and intangible expenses include:

• Possible loss of wages.
• Costly, unbudgeted wages for temporary help.
• Premium wages for overtime work.
• Company-paid benefits payments.
• Salaries for managers' time spent on attendance problems.
• Decreased morale for co-workers.
• Employee turnover.
• Inferior deliverables due to quantity and quality.

According to an October 2008 Mercer survey, the estimated cost of employee absences amounts to an average of 36% of a company’s payroll. So how can a company control employee absenteeism?

• Use an attendance tracking form.
• Review your policies and practices. Do they assist with reducing unscheduled absences?
• If you have sick leave hours, consider moving to a PTO (Paid Time Off) program. Studies show that those companies that eliminated sick time saw a great reduction in unscheduled time off.
• Improve safety measures if you are noticing employees being late due to work injuries.
• Look at employee morale. Companies that have a high morale tend to have a low absence rate.
• Are there areas which require attention and improvement? Employee Surveys are one way of taking a pulse check to see how your organization is doing.

California Employee Leaves of Absence (LOA)

Understanding employee leaves and accomodiations can be confusing. Below is a brief summary of your obligation as an employer in California.

Americans with a Disability Act (ADA)

• A person who is substantially limited in performing a major life activity when using a mitigating measure. This means that if a person has little or no difficulty performing any major life activity because he/she uses a mitigating measure, then that person will not meet the ADA's first definition of "disability."
• Reasonable accommodation is any change or adjustment to a job or work environment that permits a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the job application process, to perform the essential functions of a job, or to enjoy benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by employees without disabilities.
  
  

Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and California Family Rights Act (CFRA)

• Applies to all California employers with at least 50 employees within a 75-mile radius.
• Both provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for eligible employees, continuation of benefits and job protection. While these leaves are unpaid, employees can consider other options for compensation including State Disability Insurance, vacation/PTO, sick leave, disability leave and/or workers’ compensation.
• An employee need not specifically mention the CFRA (or the FMLA for that matter) to trigger their right to CFRA leave. The burden rests with the employer to make that determination, and, if appropriate, provide the employee with CFRA benefits.

Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL)

• Employers are required to offer PDL with five or more employees.
• Provides up to four months of unpaid leave for a disability due to pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition. FMLA leave runs concurrently. PDL is separate from the12 week leave under CFRA, and can be taken as additional time. While these leaves are unpaid, employees can consider other options for compensation including State Disability Insurance, accrued vacation (PTO) and/or sick leave.

Kin Care Leave

• Allows employees to use up to half of their accrued sick leave/PTO benefits to care for a sick family member, including a child, parent, spouse or registered domestic partner.
• All California employees who are provided sick leave or PTO by their employer are covered.
  

California Military Family Leave Act

• The Act applies to any “qualified employer” with 25 or more employees.
• Requires employers to provide up to ten days of unpaid leave to eligible employees who are spouses of deployed military servicemen and servicewomen. The leave may be taken when the military spouse is on leave from deployment during a time of military conflict. This leave is not counted as FMLA leave. It may run concurrent with FMLA leave when the reason for the leave is FMLA-qualifying.

Join HR Logic to have information on employee leaves as well as other human resource information at your finger tips 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

Employee Forms - Performance Management and Termination

HR Logic created the following professional tools for managing performance, including termination of an employee. These forms and letters were developed by human resource leaders.

Although many States are "employment-at-will", an employer can not terminate without just cause. One way to avoid wrongful terminations is to have appropriate documentation. There are many ways to do this.

Pre-Termination you may consider the following forms:

1. Performance Action Plan - Can be use to develop a specific corrective action plan. The intent is to use a positive, constructive tool to obtain end goals.
2. Disciplinary Action Notice - Can be used to document an oral warning, written warning, suspension and even termination. This form structures the ability to measure improvement in performance.
3. Last Chance Agreement - Can be used in lieu of terminating an employee. It is an agreement between the employee, manager and Human Resources.

When you need to terminate employment you may consider the following forms:

1. Exit Interview Checklist
2. Notice to the Employee For a Change in Relationship
3. Notice of Separation
4. Reduction in Force Notification
5. COBRA Qualifying Notice
6. Final Paycheck Acknowledgment

Obtain immediate online access to all forms.

Remember to make sure you are following your company policies and/or employee handbook with regards to performance management, last paycheck, layoffs, etc..