MICHAEL DEMPSEY - Cranfield University

Performance management
We impose a service level agreement, certainly on the officers
themselves to say that you have got a series of action points
from each and these have to be dealt with but in addition to that
we say to the employer, we have asked you for x, y & z and we
expect you to provide us with a response to that within a finite
period and if we don't, then we will escalate that. (Interviewee L)
However, it would be fair to say that UNiFI managers do not see
performance management as something which takes place to any
extent in the union. Certainly, the PDPs are not seen as contributing to
this:-
A meaningless exercise. We set objectives which are set in a
way that they will be achieved. He even suggests words. I
remember the last meeting; he was not happy with one or two
words that I used because it might mean that I would not
achieve the objectives if we used the words that I did.
(Interviewee M)
The same interviewee explains the consequence of this on the
management of performance:-
If we have somebody who is underperforming then going
through disciplinary procedures and perhaps leading to
dismissal is bloody difficult. It takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of
heartache, it takes a lot of courage. It is difficult. We often blame
the employers for taking what we then call a soft option in not
proceeding with disciplinary proceedings. Perhaps somebody
who is bullying one of our members. That is the classical one.
So we often blame the employer for taking the soft option in
disciplinary proceedings and as in so many areas, I believe, this
union, if it was to look inwardly, is doing exactly the same thing
itself. (Interviewee M)
Another manager makes a different comparison with external
organisations:-
Well I wouldn't necessarily say that it (PDP system) works from
that point of view (setting objectives) if that is the way it is
supposed to work. But apart from that helping you to achieve
things within the year, it has no material effect on the individuals
as to whether they achieve them or not. Which again is
probably a difference. Most organisations and companies now
have some form of performance based pay which we don't have
any type of at all so it's really only for making sure that we are all
pulling in the right direction (Interviewee H)
A particular difficulty with the setting of standards is identified:-
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