IN BRIEF
We all try and see the best in people, right? We have been told
that if you compliment and encourage people their behaviour will
improve, correct? So, shouldn't a performance review emphasise
the positive to get the best out of your staff? Yet, in a recent
decision of the Fair Work Commission, an employer was penalised for
not being more brutally honest in performance reviews.
THE FACTS
In this case before the Fair Work Commission, there had been a
long history of negative attitudes and behaviours by two employees.
The employer allowed this to be handled "informally" by
line managers over a number of years. There were no
"formal" disciplinary processes to deal with
this negative attitude. Further, over a course of a number of years
the employees had been assessed as being "satisfactory"
by the employer in repeated performance reviews.
