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

A number of methods can be used to check competence, including
• Checklist
• Demonstrations
• Observations
• Training records
• Audits
• Peer reviews
• Patient surveys
• Formal assessment
• Quality improvement and problem-solving issues
• Self-assessment using objective criteria
• Assessment against measurable performance standards
• Evaluation on agreed-on objectives for performance
• Counseling records
• Pretesting and posttesting for in-service training
• Level of participation in mandated in-service sessions and committee or team activities
(The JCAHO Resources has published a book entitled Assessing Hospital Competence that can
be used as a guide toward compliance with one of the major human resource standards.)
Coaching for Peak Performance
In addition to the regular written and verbal employee reviews, managers should make informal,
day-to-day observations of employee performance, accomplishments, or problems. Unlike
performance reviews, which are retrospective and infrequent, coaching requires concurrent
ongoing performance monitoring and feedback for improvement. Regular feedback, or coaching,
is basic to effective employee management and can prevent minor work-related problems
from becoming major performance problems.
A positive approach to performance improvement, coaching provides individualized direction,
information, and support on a daily basis. As a “performance coach,” the manager is
committed to the employee’s development and to helping the employee reach full potential. A
participative management style fosters a constructive environment in which coaching can be
used to improve individual, team, and department performance. An effective manager provides
both opportunity for employees to become involved and the necessary learning through performance
coaching. Effective coaching helps people trust their instincts and take responsibility
for the organization’s success.
The first step in performance coaching is to diagnose performance deficiencies and their
causes. Performance gaps exist when employees are not meeting goals, standards, or expectations
agreed on with their manager. To identify performance deficiencies, employees must be
observed over time. A number of causes may contribute to less-than-satisfactory performance.
Some of these are
• Poor orientation and in-service training
• Lack of ability or knowledge to accomplish assigned tasks
• Lack of interest in doing the job
• Absence of opportunity to grow and advance that creates feelings of helplessness in the
employee
• Lack of clearly defined departmental goals
• Employee uncertainty about what is expected of him or her
• Absence of feedback on how well the employee is performing
• No rewards for high performance
Human Resource Management
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