Users of the HR Power Centre, our customers, use the HR Hotline or the email address [email protected]  feature regularly to ask us questions about using the site effectively. These questions and answers will be added to the FAQ’s on the site. Below are some of the questions we receive as well as questions we have answered in the past. The site has more than 280 frequently asked questions and answers categorized by topic in each of the 6 modules. Check it out, get the answer to all your HR questions.

Q. I am reviewing the Employee Performance Review (EPR) and objective setting. Should we not be setting objectives for the improvement in behavioral competencies it seems to be a separate rating on the EPR?

A. When implementing the HR Basics module, there is a natural sequence that should be followed – prepare job descriptions, set performance objectives and then complete the performance review process. Once the top five competencies for a position have been agreed to using the Competencies Questionnaire, they are entered on the job description and the related Competencies Assessment Sheets are attached to the employee’s EPR. You will then want to share with the employee the “Competencies with Observable Behaviors” for the five competencies relevant to his/her job so they know what these behaviors look like in action. By observing the employee throughout the rating period, the manager will be in a position to rate the employee on the competencies when the annual review rolls around. When setting performance objectives with your employee for the first time, there should be one on behavioral improvement. You may want to have the employee commit to a competency improvement objective with which they are comfortable using the Competencies with Observable Behaviors as a guide. At the end of the first rating period, the manager will have enough observable data to set the next year’s competencies improvement objective so that actual observed deficiencies are addressed.

Q. How do I accommodate the online aspect of the program for example the behavioral competencies. Do I just have people use my password for access to the system is there another way?

A. You should download the Competencies Questionnaire with the built in scoring key and save it. You then email the Questionnaire to each employee and their manager asking them to separately complete the questionnaire and the scoring page. This should be done after you have communicated the objective of the exercise to everyone involved. The Manager and employee will meet after the exercise is complete to discuss their individual ratings and resolve any differences. Once consensus is reached, the final list of the top five competencies is given to the person administratively responsible for inclusion on the job description and the EPR. Incidentally, there are usually very few differences between the Manager’s and the employee’s individual ratings.

Q. Could you explain how the Personal Action Plan form works with the objective setting document?

A. The Personal Action Plan form is for use by Managers and Supervisors to capture their commitment around improving their People Management Skills. Once the plan is complete and approved by their manager, it should be recorded as one of their objectives on their Employee Performance Review along with other performance objectives agreed to and be the subject of regular progress reviews/coaching during the rating period. The Personal Action Plan form and the Guide for its completion appear in the “Setting Performance Objectives” of the Getting Started module as well as in the “People Management Skills” section of the Performance Management module. We did this because there are two People Management Challenges that directly relate to setting objectives and we wanted to make sure that the forms were available there as well as in the Performance Management module. When you have objective setting discussions for other objectives, you should use the Objective Setting Worksheet found in the “Setting Performance Objectives” section of the Getting Started module.