Nigeria

Employee Handbook

Performance Management Page 1 of 3

5.1

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
As an agency created to serve others, CRS requires a performance management system that focuses on performance to achieve its mission, on fairness to respect the dignity of all employees, on employee development to build skills and behaviors, on empowerment to create strong employee commitment, and on behaviors consistent with agency values. Overall, the performance management system seeks to respect the dignity of each individual while focusing employee talents, skills, and behaviors on achieving results.

Purpose:

Description: The CRS Performance Management System has five parts: performance plan, employee development plan, coaching, appraisal, and rewards/recognition. The CRS Performance Management System emphasizes achieving results, developing staff, supporting achievement of results, acting in accordance with CRS values-based behaviors, evaluating performance carefully, and rewarding performance.

1. PERFORMANCE PLANNING Performance Planning is a joint effort between an employee and their manager to; Determine annual individual results-based objectives based on the country program, or departmental needs; Discuss the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to excel in the job; and Review behaviours that demonstrate CRS values. Each employee and their supervisor must identify up to five results-based performance objectives on the CRS Planning and Development Form. Those results-based objectives must be aligned with the departmental and the country program needs.

2. DEVELOPMENT PLANS The development of CRS/Nigeria staff is an agency value, rooted in the Catholic social teaching principle of the dignity of the human person. Development plans are mainly done as part of the performance planning process. It is an ongoing process of identifying gaps in performance and building new skills throughout the year. Employees and their supervisors complete the Development section of the CRS Planning and Development Form at the beginning of the assessment year. This form lists career interests, the training needs for the short and long term, as well as the learning/development plans for the year.

Approved by Dorothy Madison-Seck, Regional Director CAROEffective Date: Feb 4, 2010

Nigeria

Employee Handbook

Performance Management Page 2 of 3

3. COACHING SESSIONS Coaching sessions are opportunities to monitor employee development plans and performance plans. They are also opportunities to affirm good performance and to identify potential performance problems. Moreover, coaching sessions can examine how learning is being applied to work, and if a mentoring relationship would be helpful.

4. PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT For all regular employees, their performance is evaluated according to an ongoing 12month cycle, which starts at the end of each fiscal year. All employees will have a review at this date, regardless of start date to get all employees within this cycle. Performance assessment does the following: Provides direct feedback on performance so that the employee can maximize strengths and address performance gaps. Allows the manager and staff to exchange perspectives on the role and performance. Provides input to the merit increase. Formal performance assessments are conducted at the end of the first 6 months for new employees, and September 30, for all other staff. The process includes a selfassessment by the employee, an assessment by the supervisor and a review by the second level supervisor. Supervisors and employees are strongly encouraged to discuss job performance and goals on an informal, day-to-day basis. After the probationary period, a new employee and his/her supervisor must discuss the job responsibilities, standards and performance requirements of the position (although it is encouraged that quarterly informal discussions take place to ensure the probationer is on the right track). These discussions give new employees the opportunity to discuss job tasks, and to identify and correct weaknesses, encourage and recognize strengths and discuss positive purposeful approaches for meeting set goals.

5. APPLICABLE Every CRS employee must have a performance plan and an employee development plan by the end of the first month of joining CRS. Any current CRS employee who takes a new job with a new supervisor should also have a new employee development plan and performance plan one month after taking the new job. Every CRS employee who reports to a supervisor for at least three months of the fiscal year should have a performance appraisal done. For example, if an employee begins employment with CRS on 1 July, that employee would have a performance appraisal that would examine performance during July, August and September. If a supervisor takes a new position and has new employees to supervise, the supervisor must, before taking the new job, complete a performance appraisal for every employee that she supervised for at least three months sometime between 1 October and 30

Approved by Dorothy Madison-Seck, Regional Director CAROEffective Date: Feb 4, 2010

Nigeria

Employee Handbook

Performance Management Page 3 of 3

September. This means that an employee may receive more than one appraisal during the year if the employee had more than one supervisor during the year.

6. RESPONSIBILTY OF EMPLOYEE Most parts of the performance management system require the employee to initiate action. For example, the employee prepares the first draft of the performance plan and employee development plan. The employee is responsible for scheduling the coaching session. Also, for the performance appraisal, the employee must do a written selfappraisal on the CRS Performance Plan/Assessment form.

7. MERIT INCREASES The overall rating on the performance assessment informs later decisions about merit increases. The overall agency financial situation determines if merit increases are given and what the range of those increases, if given, might be. Each year, Human Resources will issue a procedures memo about merit increases once the Executive decisions about availability of funding for merit increases is made.

8. TIME FRAME The CRS Performance Management System operates on the CRS fiscal year, 1 October to 30 September. During that year, there are the following standard deadlines: 31 October - Deadline for completion of performance plans and employee development plans 28 February - Deadline for completion of first coaching session 31 May - Deadline for completion of second coaching session 15 October - Deadline for completion of performance appraisal Jan-April - Merit increases given (dates for national staff increases may vary) pending agency financial situation.

Approved by Dorothy Madison-Seck, Regional Director CAROEffective Date: Feb 4, 2010