BSBMGT502B Manage People Performance

Assessment Task 1 – Project

1. The hypothetical company that I choose is a hotel. We can see the operational and
department goals in the table below:

Operational Goals Department Goals Progress

Goal Focus KPI Reason/ Department Deliverable Goal KPI Due 1 2 3 4 5 6
Barriers
Sales and To attract To increase At least 20/02/ √
marketing new the number 20% 16
Numbe customers of new more
More r of Competiti customers customer
custome new on, Poor s
financial
To retain rs, custom
Increase ers, performa
customers,
nce
to attract profits sales Operations To improve To make the 25% 25/03/ √
more figures sales financial increase 16
customers, performanc in profits
to increase e better
profitabilit % of Housekeepin To keep the Great and Number 20/02/ √
y, to returni g department rooms and clean of rooms 16
reduce Retain ng common environmen cleaned
customer custome custom areas very t per day
complaints rs, Competiti
ers, clean
on,
Reduce numbe
Improve Front desk To be Warm Time 25/03/ √
complai r of
customer department friendly and welcome, required 16
nts compla
service very pleasant for check
ints per
welcoming experience in
month

2. The next step is to define 3 workers. One is Jack the sales assistant, which is employed in the
sales and marketing department. The job role of this person is to participate in the marketing
activities, to send newsletters and emails to the customer database, to make market research
and to report to sales and marketing manager. Then, we have Helen the assistant housekeeper.
She is employed in the housekeeping department and her job role includes to oversee that the
 room cleaning is as planned, to make inspections on the cleaned rooms, to make trainings to
the housekeeping employees and to report to the manager housekeeper. Next there is Susan
the receptionist. She works in the front desk department and her job role includes greeting and
welcoming the customers, checking in the customers, offering advice and tips on the hotel
amenities and answering to phones.
3. For this assessment, I am the front desk manager, so I take responsibility for Susan the
receptionist.
4. We can see below the performance management plan for Susan.
Name/Position: Manager: Review Period:
Susan Samuels Me February 2016

Reference from Operational Plan Key result area Indicator of By When Status Report
Success/Performa
nce
Retain customers Being friendly, Positive 25/03/2016 Needs to improve her
customer interpersonal skills
Warm welcome
feedback

Offer advice and Number of 25/03/2016 Needs to improve the

tips, show a customer time taking for check in
genuine interest complaints, how
Reduce customer complaints in servicing the much time it
customer takes for check
in

Answer the Customer 25/03/2016 Needs to pay more

phone promptly, feedback, attention to
listen carefully to number of calls accommodating
Improve customer service the customer answered customer requirements

Manager’s comments Signature

Susan is a valued employee, but she needs to improve certain areas Date 22/02/2016

Staff member’s comments Signature Susan

I, Susan, commit to coaching in order to improve my performance Date 23/02/2016

5. The three reasons why Susan is not performing to the required level are because of poor
communication skills, because she is not well trained and does not know well how to do her
tasks and due to high levels of absenteeism at performance team meetings.
6. So, since I am responsible for Susan, it is my task to coach her in order to improve her
performance, to close the performance gap in order to help the hotel achieve its operational
goals as planned. In order for Susan to improve her skills and close the performance gap, a
variety of training options will be used, such as mentoring, on the job training, case studies and
handouts. We can see below the performance development plan:
Name/Position: Manager: Review Period:
Susan, Receptionist Me February 2016
Skills to be developed: How skills are to be developed: Priority By Skills
(H,M,L) When? gained
(Y/N)
Mentoring with me H 20/03/16 Y

Communication skills

Practicing with fellow H 20/03/16 Y

employees, on the job practice
Listening skills

Mentoring, practice with case H 20/03/16 Y

studies
Time management skills

Mentoring, on the job training H 20/03/16 Y

Customer service skills

Listening to her fellow M 20/03/16 Y

employees, handouts
Responding customer
calls

Manager’s comments Signature

Susan participated actively in the training Date 20/03/2016

sessions, I think that her skills improved
significantly

Staff member’s comments Signature Susan

I found the training very useful, I feel now more Date 20/03/2016
confident in doing my job

Performance review notes:

Susan needed to improve her customer service, communication, time management and
listening skills in order to close her performance gap.
After talking with Susan, we agreed to follow mentoring, on the job training and
demonstration which are her preferred training methods
In order to improve her communication skills, I was her mentor. We worked on several role
plays where I was the customer and I offered advice in order to improve her communication
skills.
The same approach of mentoring though role play was followed regarding her listening skills.
In order to help her improve her time management skills which is very important to keep the
check in time short, I was her mentor and we practiced together many time.
Regarding her customer service skills, we practiced together and she also observed who our
best receptionists serve the customers
She also listened to other employees handling customer calls. I gave her a handout with
relevant tips. We practiced together many call scenarios

Coaching Session 1 – Observer’s Evaluation Sheet

Coach’s Name Me Phone No. 48956

Listener’s Name Jason Phone No. 56321

Assessment Site Melbourne Hotel
Coaching Date/s 15/03/2016 Time/s 14:00

Employee’s Name Susan Phone No. 123456

Satisfactory
Standard of performance
Yes No

Did the coach utilise the GROW model for coaching his or her employee? √

Did the coach identify the performance issue? √

Did the coach utilise a number of communication skills to reflect and √

clarify the employee’s answers?
 Active Listening
 Clarifying
 Summarising

Did the coach ask probing questions? √

Did the coach allow the employee time to think before replying to √
 questions?

Did the coach use body language cues to help put the employee at ease? √

Did the coach acknowledge the employee during the coaching session √
using positive feedback?

Did the coach provide constructive feedback to the employee during the √
session?

Did the coach provide strategies for continuous improvement for the √
employee?

Did the coach identify his or her strengths and weaknesses as a √

coach/manager?

Did the coach identify areas for self improvement? √

Comments/feedback to coach

Good coaching session, active interest in helping Susan.

Coaching Session 1 – Coach’s Self Reflection Sheet

Coach’s Name Me Phone No. 48956

Listener’s Name Jason Phone No. 56321
Assessment Site Melbourne Hotel
Coaching Date/s 15/03/2016 Time/s 14:00
Employee’s Name Susan Phone No. 123456
Respond to these questions with your feelings and thoughts about coaching. What was your initial
reaction to the coaching exercise?

My initial reaction to the coaching experience was a bit overwhelming because there were many
things to be addressed

What is the overall assessment of your performance as a coach? Give reasons for this assessment.

I think that my coach performance is satisfactory. This is because Susan showed an active interest
in participating in the training, because she improved her skills as required and because the
training was completed on time.
What do you think were some of your strengths during the exercise?
 My strengths during the exercise were that I was polite, friendly, professional. Also that I listened
carefully to Susan, I offered constructive feedback and make her feel not threatened by this
process.
What do you think were areas where there was room for improvement?

In my opinion, there is room for improvement regarding reading body language. I need to work
more on that to read some clues from the person receiving the coach during the exercise.

What kind of strategies can you think of to help improve your coaching skills?

Some strategies that could help me to improve my coaching skills are to be more supportive,
which means to offer more help and support to the person receiving the coaching. Moreover,
I need to improve building relationship with that person.
What do you think will be the cost of not implementing new strategies into your role as a manager?

If I do not do that, I will not be a good manager and a good leader. So, in this case this will have a
negative impact on my job profile and I will not be a role model and a good leader.

What are some valuable skills that you have learned today to help you in your role as manager/coach?

Those skills are that coaching requires to show an active interest in helping the person grow,
that we need to be patient, professional and polite, that we need to listen carefully to the person
and that we need to offer specific advice and positive feedback during the process.

Assessment Task 2 – Written Questions

Question 1. In my opinion, performance refers to the outcome of a person of a team. In other
words, performance is the working results that a person or a team have at their workplace. He
need to know the performance and compare it to what is expected by this person in order to
identify performance gaps and professional development to improve skills.
Question 2. One KPI is the monthly percentage of calls that are no longer than 3 minutes, which
needs to be at least 90%. Another KPI is the monthly percentage of calls that are answered
within 4 seconds of the phone ringing, which needs to be at least 95%. The third KPI is the
monthly percentage of correctly identifying caller information, which should be at least 85%
Question 3. I need to inform the team members about these KPIs in the beginning of a month
and then reminding them every month. I would choose to do that with two ways. First of all, I
would arrange a meeting with all of them to explain the new KPIs and I would also send to them
relevant email.
Question 4. In my opinion, the main goal of a performance management system is to help the
employee improve their skills and have better performance and professional development.
Moreover, this system aims by helping the employee improve their performance to help the
company achieve its goals and operational plan.
Question 5. The people who could be involved in a Performance Management includes
managers and supervisors, team members, human resource professionals and union
representatives.
Question 6. Three legislation that are related to performance management include workplace
Relations Act (1996), workplace Health and Safety Act (1995) and awards/Enterprise Bargaining
Agreements/Union Collective Agreements.
Question 7. The GROW model is a tool commonly used in professional development and
performance management because it help us to identify the current situation and to find out
how we can go to the desired situation. To be more specific, GROW stands for Goal (meaning
what we want to achieve), Reality (meaning what the current situation is), Obstacles (meaning
what are the problems to go to the desired situation and how we can overcome them) and Way
forward (meaning the steps to take to go to the goal).
Question 8. I need to provide positive feedback to Mike because his performance was
impressive. In order to do so, I will first identify that Mike’s performance of weekly meetings
was what it helped to decrease absenteeism by 14%, which has a very positive impact. After
that, I will look for ways to build on the behaviour and I will also encourage Mike to share his
views about how this issue.
Question 9. In this case study, I need to offer constructive feedback to Louise. In order to do
that, I will identify that the specific behaviour that needs to change is her time management
skills. Then I will say that this has the negative impact on the whole project because by delaying
the product testing, the whole product quality control delays. I also need to focus on the issue
of delaying product testing and not on Louise. Next, I will ask Louise what she thinks might be
causing the problem, and what might be some ways to deal with it. The next step will be to
discuss the available solutions and agree on the best approach. When we agree on an approach
we will agree on the next steps such as a timeline for action and follow up.
Question 10. In my opinion, we need to record all details regarding the performance
management activities. This could be done in soft or hard copies. We not only need to record
this for future use and to document the lessons learn, but because there are also legal
consequences. To be more specific, there are certain legislation to be complied with (question
6), and this record will prove that we comply with the legislation. Moreover, this has a bad
influence on managers since if we do not have any records of performance management
activities, we cannot make correct decisions next time, which will have a negative impact on our
working profile.
Question 11. In order to give assistance to a person having problems doing their job, I will need
to make a research about what exactly is happening and what are the reasons for this situation.
Then, I will analyse and evaluate the information and meet with the person in order to discuss
the situation and to agree on a training plan and solution for improvement. If a person needs to
develop skills for a promotion, I will fist identify the current skills of the person and then the
skills required for the new job role. This will help me to identify the performance gap and what
skills are required to improve or acquire in order to get the promotion. Then, we will discuss
with the person some training options to improve those skills.
Question 12. In order to discipline Nick and Tony, I first need to make a research about what
exactly is happening and also what the causes of this conflict are. This includes asking Nick and
Tony and their workmates. After I have a clear picture of the situation, I will arrange a meeting
with both of them where I will remind them that they need to be professional at work and
should not fight. I will also give to them a verbal warning to stop fighting.

Assessment Task 3 – Written Report

It is no surprise that the organisation lost this case. First of all, Sam was already very frustrated
by her previous supervisor who treated her in a bad way, yelling at her. Then, it is a mistake of a
company that there was nothing recorded regarding her training about the new program
language. It is also a mistake that during the event when Sam struck me, there was not an
observer to witness that and that this was not recorded at once to the company’s records and
files. Then, I think that it was also my mistake that I did not notify my supervisor about Sam’s
behavior at once but I waited 3 days to do so. So, the main reasons why Sam won the case and
why we can had to pay a compensation of $10,000 is that although the dismissal was fair, we
cannot provide any evidence to prove that.
This report will help our organisation to understand what happened with Sam and also to find
out how to avoid similar situation from happening again in the future. First of all, we need to
understand the common reasons for such misconduct. As Sam’s case study teaches us, this
could happen when the employees are not treated nicely by their supervisors and also when
there is a new change (for example, a new programing language) for which the employees are
not well trained and prepared for. Thus, we need to care for our employees, make sure that
they are treated professionally, and to try to provide training before any new change is to be
implemented in order for them to be better prepared.
Moreover, the legislation that applies here include workplace Relations Act (1996), workplace
Health and Safety Act (1995), awards/Enterprise Bargaining Agreements/Union Collective
Agreements and Fair Work Act (2009). So, our organisation need to fully understand the
legislation and comply with them. Also, in order to avoid this from happening again, next time
we have a performance counselling discussion, we need to record the date, time and place of
the outcome of the discussions, who was present at the counselling discussions, a measurable
and specific description of the performance gap, how long the performance gap has existed,
where and how often the performance gap occurs, some specific evidence of the performance
gap, including material, records, witnesses and signatures from both parties. It is of extreme
importance to always have a third person attending the discussions, because we might have
won the case with Sam if a person had witnessed that she struck me. This person could be a
union representative or an HR personnel. In the case that the poor performance remains after
those discussions, we need to make some written warnings. Those warnings need to include
have a formal format, to address the employee by name and position, the date, whether this is
the first, second or third warning. Moreover, we need to mention what performance is
required, what was previously agreed, what exactly the problem is, to say that the performance
is unsatisfactory, to say what needs to be done, to say what will happen if performance does
not improve, to get the letter signed and to make sure that the employee has the copy. If this
procedure happens for three times, with still no results, then we can procced with dismissal of
the employee. In this case, this will not be considered unfair and we will have all the above
documents to prove that.
Finally, I will say what should have been done in Sam’s case. First of all, the previous supervisor
should never had treated her in this way. Also, Sam should have given some training about the
new language before it was used in order to get more experience. Then, we should had
document all training activities and the performance counselling discussions, as explained
above. We should also make sure that a observer was present at those discussions. This is
because, if we had an observer and we had documented the discussion with Sam, we might
have more chances to prove that her dismissal was not unfair. In my opinion, support from HR
assistants would have been appropriate when we found out that Sam still had problems
meeting deadlines and she felt frustrated. In my opinion, some support services that we could
have offered at Sam would be to offer coaching and training regarding the new programme
language. We should have consulted her while developing the training to make sure that it
reflects her preferred learning style. Moreover, a mentoring regarding her time management
skills might also have been a good idea. The documentation that would have been appropriate
in Sam’s case include training records, performance counselling discussions records and also
the written warnings.