The other day a member of HR.com asked the following question: “has anyone heard of having a third party present during the performance review (unrelated to the position - not a co-worker) someone who is there to clarify communication.”

My first reaction to this question is that there are so many other approaches that should be tried to improve communication before involving another person. Of course if there is a language barrier, an individual could be invited to the meeting to help translate (although I would get the permission of the employee first).

The following points contain a few examples of ways to improve communication:

-begin by actively listening to the employee’s point of view

-refer back to the performance plan that was created by the employee and his/her supervisor at the beginning of the year

-DelPo suggests in The Performance Appraisal Handbook that supervisors communicate expectations and potential consequences ahead of time and “communicate and discipline promptly.”

-be specific: as Grote suggests in Discipline Without Punishment, “whatever the issue may be, problems cannot be solved until they can be identified specifically.”

-ask the employee to complete a self-evaluation and discuss

-rely upon the facts

-explain the reasons that the behavior or level of performance poses a problem

-maintain regular documentation

-schedule a performance discussion that may involve a difference of opinion at an appropriate time with the necessary level of privacy

-make sure rewards are in line with set goals and objectives

There may be times when a third individual is invited to join a performance discussion. During a webcast in 2005, Manesh Rath, Partner at Keller & Heckman LLP described, for example, a situation in which a witness might be invited if an employee has heard the contents of an appraisal but refuses to sign the form. Rath also discussed how union guidelines may require an employee-selected witness to be present during any performance discussion that could result in disciplinary action. To be sure, it is always advisable to check requirements with the appropriate legal representative before proceeding.

Do you have any other examples to share?

References:

DelPo, Amy. The Performance Appraisal Handbook. CA: Nolo, 2005, pp. 7/19-20.

Grote, Dick. Discipline Without Punishment. New York: American Management Association, 2006, p. 46.

MacMillan, Aileen and Manesh Rath. Meeting the Performance Review Challenge – Properly Evaluating Your Employees. Human Capital, Webcast, January 31, 2006.