BUSINESS OF PRACTICE: NAVIGATING IMPORTANT CORPORATE AND LEGAL MATTERS


sors know this is an area where work is needed as a whole. The staff can be incentivized by making this a team goal and focusing for the year.


2. Why PMP’s Fail


While PMPs have been utilized for many years, they are not universally considered an effective manage- ment tool. In some cases, performance manage- ment is more about checking a box than about aligning employee performance and development. Instead of viewing the performance review as a valu- able communication and recognition tool, many practices think of it as a necessary evil; a paperwork exercise that managers love to hate. Exacerbating this feeling of disdain is the fact that supervisors often spend a majority of their time focusing on the small minority of employees who do not meet expec- tations and not enough time giving appropriate praise, recognition, and appreciation to those who do. Even the best workers can be better, but if they are not given the guidance they deserve, then their full potential will never be reached. Some of the more common shortcomings of a PMP include the following:


● Individual goals are not tied to the strategic direction of the practice—i.e., the goal does not help the practice’s vision. For example, a goal to create a protocol for remote working, when the practice does not allow a remote work environment.


● Senior management is not fully committed or invested in the process—When PMP’s are not made a priority, and not done in a timely manner, oftentimes employees feel devalued and not important. This can kill practice productivity.


● Performance objectives are only looked at every 6 or 12 months and not on a continuing basis— Evaluations should be all year long. For exam- ple, Elaine was late to work 34 times over the summer (June to August), and called out sick every Friday. It’s now November and Elaine is due for her performance review. The last 30 days she’s been on time and seemingly doing fine. If only recent attendance was taken into account, and not what has happened over the last year, then there is a skewed vision of performance.


● Performance appraisals are not included as part of a larger employee development initia- tive—Supervisors want teams to grow. When a team continues to evolve and grow, the prac- tice is more efficient and productive which can lead to increased revenue and client satisfaction.


● Little or nothing is done with the actual ap- praisal results—Evaluations can take a lot of time and effort on both the employee and the supervisor. When next steps aren’t taken to


270 2020  Vol. 66  AAEP PROCEEDINGS


reward positive behavior, create goals, and growth opportunities for the employee, they can feel discouraged and disengaged.


● Management fails to develop and administer a coaching and improvement plan for any em- ployee not meeting expectations—If an em- ployee is not meeting expectations, but nothing is done, the employee will keep doing the same things over and over leading the supervisor to likely repeat the conversation the following year.


● There is a lack of clarity in the link between pay and performance. If goals, or the criteria that an employee will be reviewed against are not set, it often leads to a disparity between what the employee thinks their performance can be vs what the supervisor believes perfor- mance is.


3. Developing a Performance Management Program


A PMP can be a valuable resource for a supervisor to help employees identify and develop needed skills, knowledge, and abilities. However, if used inap- propriately, a PMP can demoralize employees, frus- trate managers, and expose a practice to potential legal risks. Therefore, several questions must be addressed when developing a PMP: Who will be involved in the performance review process? Will the review be horizontal, vertical, or a 360°? How much time can each contributing party commit to the PMP? Will the review focus on objective results and/or subjective perceptions? How often should the reviews be performed? Who will oversee the PMP to ensure it is being used properly? Who will provide training to the reviewers? What will be done with the results of the reviews? And, most importantly, how will the success of the PMP be measured?


4. Conducting the Performance Evaluation Review


Prior to meeting with an employee to conduct the performance evaluation review, it is advisable to have them complete a self-evaluation form. Give the employee approximately 1 week to complete the performance evaluation form and return it to his/her supervisor 1 week in advance of the performance evaluation review date. Only after the supervisor has completed the performance evaluation form for the employee, should the supervisor review the em- ployee’s self-evaluation form and rating. Following this process will help ensure the supervisor per- forms an independent performance evaluation that is not biased by the employee’s perceptions of how he/she performed. Other important points to con- sider when preparing for and conducting a perfor- mance evaluation review include the following:


● Be sure to deliver the performance evaluation review at the designated time. Giving the re- view after the date can leave an employee feel- ing slighted, anxious, and devalued. It also


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