Question

A COAL MINE IN SOUTH AFRICA HAS THE FOLLOWING CORE HUMAN CAPITAL VALUE CHAIN COMPONENT:

• Performance Management

In addition to the share ownership scheme that is linked to performance, The mine also has a performance management policy. The purpose of this policy is for employees to have a clear understanding of the work expected from them, to receive ongoing feedback about how they are performing on expectations, to distribute rewards accordingly, to find development opportunities, and to discuss performance that does not meet expectations.

AS A NEWLY APPOINRED HR MANAGER WHOSE TASKED TO TURANROUND THE COMPANY, HOW WOULD YOU MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUCCESS OF performance management AT THE MINE? (700 words, use referneces)

Answer 1

Performance Management are activities that ensure objectives are met efficiently and effectively. Performance management strategies can be applied to an individual, organisation, department or in a process. It involves in:

• Describing the job clearly to the mining employees
• Giving the employee proper orientation when joining the company
• Provide training, coaching and feedback to the employees
• Providing opportunities for career development
• Rewarding employees based on their performance
• Building competencies within the organisation
• Aligning the workforce with the objectives of the organisation

For a performance management system to be effective it has to follow a cycle.

The steps to measure the effectiveness and success of the performance management policy in the mine are:

1. Study the trends and best practices followed in performance management in the industry and outside
2. Benchmark the mines performance management policies with the best in the industry
3. The effectiveness of a performance management system depends on the goals and objectives that have been set by the organisation. The most common objectives are
   • to improve the performance of the organisation
   • to improve the performance of the individuals
   • aligning the organisational goals and employee's individual objectives
   • to develop a culture of effective and efficient performance in work
4. Create metricses that will measure the performance of the mine. Eg:

Performance management objective	Success Metrics
Organisational performance	Profit of the mine Increase in revenue Increase in customer satisfaction Frequency and quality of feedback Training needs and schedules for employees
Individual performance	Quality of employee - supervisor relationship Performance levels of employees in the organisation Employee engagement levels Employee turnover rates Motivation levels of employees

5. Once the success metrics are determined then surveys can be conducted and data collected for evaluation. Both qualitative and quantitative data and tools are required for effective understanding of performance. Data can be collected through

• surveys conducted with employees and supervisors
• employee attitude surveys
• conduct interviews with employees and supervisors on the performance management policies
• conduct focus groups

6. Once the results have been analysed it will give a clear idea on how effective and successful the performance management policy was. The areas in which it can be improved have to assessed.

They most important thing in having an effective performance management system in the company is to involve the management , managers, supervisors and the employees in the mine on discussions of how to improve. this will help in improving the process and employees will take better ownership in implementing the new policies.