The Key to Learning How to Supervise People- Performance Improvement Plans * Incedo Group

The Key to Learning How to Supervise People- Performance Improvement Plans

May 17, 2013
, 3:59 am
, Leadership

What do you do if someone isn’t performing well despite all the help you gave? How do you get him to work more efficiently? This is perhaps one of the biggest challenges leaders face in learning how to supervise people. Managing a number of people with different work attitudes, habits, levels of skill, and personal experiences can be a huge responsibility.

Many successful organizations have learned how to use what is called a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). This method is critical in helping employees and even supervisors develop specific goals and measures towards improved work performance.

How does it work?

A constructive dialogue between a staff member and his manager will help identify crucial areas that need immediate improvement. After that, a documented plan will be drawn to enumerate goals, key areas of improvement, measures of success, and a specific timeframe to be followed.

A PIP has been proven to help employees have clear direction of his roles and responsibilities. With the proper support from a supervisor, employees are most likely to achieve the desired areas of improvement agreed in the PIP. Learning how to develop effective PIPs is essential in learning how to supervise people more successfully.

Because an organization works as a team, when one person fails to deliver on their part, the entire business process may be badly affected. When a manager delegates a task to an employee, he hopes to get the assurance that a quality job will be completed on time. While some managers’ micro-manage their people, many leaders allow employees to take full responsibility of their work. Unfortunately, not every employee will meet leadership expectations all the time. This is where knowing how to supervise people and using PIPs come in.

Most of the time, employees need a little bit of guidance as they learn the ropes of the business and their own roles. With the right motivation from the leadership team, a detailed PIP, and a supportive work environment, potentially problematic employees can turn into champion performers. Just make sure the PIP is well prepared with measurable results, specific areas that need improvement, and specific methods to attain the desired end.

Here are a few guidelines in preparing an effective PIP:

State key performance that does not reach expectation
Specify the level of excellence by which work is expected to be done consistently. However, remember to be realistic when setting such standards.
Agree on the necessary resources and support the employee will need through the entire process.
Set a timetable. Make sure you agree with the employee on a scheduled plan that must be followed. Set regular meetings for feedback and evaluation.
Inform the employee of possible consequences for failure to improve work standards based on the agreed plan.
Provide all the necessary guidance as you use the PIP to jumpstart your employee to greatness.

Knowing how to supervise people is a continuous learning process. PIPs were invented to make things easier for leaders to manage groups of 10 or more employees, especially when performance metrics are hard to define or quantify. Use PIPs to make your life easier and your employees better.