A Senior Manager In The Quality Division Asks To Meet With You To Discuss: Performance Management Case Study, UCD, Ireland

Case Study 1

A Senior Manager in the Quality division asks to meet with you to discuss one of his team members’ poor performance. He tells you the employee is just 2 months out of her six-month probation and there are performance issues. He tells you that he first noticed her lack of attention to detail early in her probation and assumed it would improve but it has in fact deteriorated. Alongside that there is an issue with accuracy, she has made numerous mistakes and refuses to take responsibility. The manager has told the employee informally that her performance “is not good enough” and needs to improve.

You know the Manager has a reputation as a hard taskmaster and is not known for being approachable. In fact he has a very low retention rate in his team and this employee is the third new recruit in that position in as many years.

As you discuss the employee’s performance with the Manager considers the following:
– List the specific questions you would ask the Manager

– Outline the plan/steps the manager should take to address the performance issues

– How in your view has the manager handled this employee’s performance up until now? What should have happened?

– What kind of evidence could the manager provide to support the claim?

– Outline the plan/steps the manager should take to manage the performance issue

– How could you deal with the manager’s high turnover of staff, what if anything should you do?

A colleague from another function in the business contacts you for support.
She is very upset and angry with her annual appraisal and does not agree with the rating and the feedback her manager has given her. It is her opinion that the manager doesn’t know how to perform an appraisal and she needs “training”.

She tells you she feels she is being treated unfairly and this isn’t the first time there has been an incident with the manager. Furthermore, she wants to challenge the manager’s rating and demands to know how you will support her.
This colleague is well respected in her area of expertise and the manager is quite new to the business.

As you discuss the situation with the colleague consider the following:

– How should you approach this situation

– List the specific questions you would ask the colleague in order to help you
understand the situation

– What options does the colleague have?

– How would you approach the manager?

– What specific questions would you ask her?

– How can you support the colleague and the manager?