Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
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The human resource department’s policy on scheduling regular performance evaluations
should be followed. Many organizations have a system of annual review and performance
appraisal, whereas others may follow a schedule of quarterly or semiannual reviews. Informal
ratings of new employees are sometimes made monthly during the training or probationary
periods of their employment.
Conducting Verbal Performance Reviews
The second component in the individual evaluation process is the review conference held
between the employee and his or her direct supervisor. Individual conferences should be scheduled
well in advance so that supervisor and employees have enough time to prepare questions
and comments. The reviewer should also schedule enough time for a thorough and unrushed
private discussion of each employee’s past and future performance. The supervisor needs to
prepare for the meeting using a checklist to appraise the work of the employee. Check
employee records for attendance at in-service training sessions, corrective action notes, absentee
rate, and any commendations.
Conferences should be conducted in private using a positive and cooperative manner. Be
sincere and flexible. Once areas of good performance have been covered, the supervisor and
employee will need to set realistic goals. Finally, employee and supervisor can reach agreement
as to what steps are needed to improve specific areas of performance, along with a timetable
for reaching the desired outcomes. Following up on the mutually agreed-on steps is part of
coaching for positive outcomes (discussed in the next section).
It is important that the reviewer remain open-minded throughout the evaluation process
by respecting and noting the employee’s opinions. The employee also should be given opportunity
to include written responses to the evaluation, to be included with the documents filed
in the human resource department. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to appraise performance,
not personality. Do not show favoritism.
Once the conference is over, both employee and supervisor should sign the evaluation
form. In some organizations, the next level of management also may be required to review
and approve completed evaluation forms. A copy of the form should be made for the supervisor’s
files and for the employee. The original form, with all the necessary signatures, should
be placed in the employee’s permanent personnel file, which usually is kept in the human
resource department. In many organizations, a representative of the human resource department
may check that the evaluation form has been completed according to accepted personnel
policies.
Competence
The JCAHO continues to strengthen its human resource standards by addressing competence.
The commission defines “competence as a determination of a person’s capability to perform up
to defined expectations.” In an article, Ruby P. Puckett defined competence as “improving performance
within the organization by employees qualified to perform tasks as outlined in job
descriptions/performance outcome descriptions and performance appraisal process through
measurable, demonstrated abilities.” The American Dietetic Association states that “competence
is the demonstrated ability to perform in one’s current practice and specific setting.”
The managers or leaders are responsible to ensure that the competence of all staff members
is assessed, maintained, demonstrated, and improved continually. Competence begins with
the development of competence-based job descriptions and performance standards and proceeds
to the employment process (hiring the right person for the job); then to orientation; training,
development, and continuing education; performance appraisals; and thus to retention.