Introduction to Individual Performance
A regular discussion to review performance and plan future tasks with each person who works on the farm – including family members, sharefarmers, employees and contractors – helps improve farm profitability and job satisfaction.
Such a discussion between an individual and his or her manager commonly takes the form of a performance appraisal.
Performance appraisals are a powerful mechanism for ensuring the tasks and responsibilities of each person on the farm contributes to the goals of the business. And equally importantly they improve the likelihood of farms retaining the people they need by regularly checking that expectations of all parties match, and ensuring people have a good work-life balance and stimulating and rewarding jobs.
The process enables individuals to clearly understand what part they play in achieving the farm vision and gives them some control – input into planning their work and influencing some of the farm-related decisions. People are more productive, enthusiastic and committed when they are involved in the planning and not just controlled from the ‘top down’.
This module describes how to have an ongoing strategy for discussing and improving the performance of individuals, recognising and rewarding good performance, identifying opportunities for career and self-development, and when necessary, dealing effectively with under-performance.
This module was reviewed for The People in Dairy by Kerry Ryan, Sylvia Vagg and Karen Baum.
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