Musab Hemsi, Employment Law Adviser, on performance management and giving good appraisals

It’s important for any business to make sure that employees contribute to the company’s goals and work to the best of their ability. Here, we discuss how to deal with performance management generally throughout the year and how to give a good annual appraisal.

Performance Management

Performance management should be carried out all year round, rather than once a year at the annual end-of-year appraisal. It is central to the relationship between managers and pharmacy staff.

If your employees are engaged in their work, they are more likely to do their best and remain in your employment. An engaged employee is someone who takes pride in their job, shows loyalty towards their team and goes the extra mile – particularly in areas like customer service.

General performance management throughout the course of the year includes having difficult conversations with employees when necessary to:

• Discuss any underperformance
• Deal with lateness
• Explain the business aims and objectives
• Remind employees of the skills and competences they need to fulfil their role 
• Reiterate the standards of performance and service delivery required
• Give positive feedback on progress
• Constructively criticise when necessary

Giving Good Appraisals

When the end of year appraisal approaches, the key to giving a good appraisal is preparation.

Ensure that you prepare the paperwork, inform the employee in advance, prepare the venue and work with the employee in the meeting.

During the appraisal meeting itself, you should:

• Conduct yourself in an objective, professional manner
• Give the employee feedback
• Start with something positive 
• Be clear about your concerns 
• Evidence the concerns 
• Ask the employee to explain any underperformance 
• Set a standard to be achieved 
• Agree an action plan and timescale for achievement 
• Summarise the discussion and set clear next steps

The benefits of implementing a strong appraisal system will be self-evident to all pharmacies who adopt the practice.

Appraisals help you to assess your staff against defined objectives and give you the chance to give constructive feedback and to praise staff for their good work. It also allows you to define medium and long term objectives for your employees and set a pathway to meeting those goals.

For advice and guidance on this topic – please contact the NPA Employment Advisory Service on 0330 123 0558 or email employmentadvice@npa.co.uk