Review Performance Honestly and Compassionately

This chapter demonstrates how well-managed performance evaluations can deepen the sense of engagement with the company and restore healthy workplace relationships. Technology, litigation, and globalization disrupt the psychological contract and drive the earnest and capable employee apart from the organization. Managing these concerns is generally outside the typical manager’s comfort zone and formal education, but it is a core competency that most organizations should expect of their managers. How can the integrity of the contract be maintained over time? How can the insidious misunderstandings be uncovered? There is perhaps no better point of intervention than performance discussions. People with performance gaps preoccupy the manager. Commonly one or two people make up a significant amount of the manager’s performance concerns and is therefore a significant distraction. Using a well-developed case example of a performance review is provided to explain how a manager can unearth and address issues that threaten to damage the psychological contract.