P&O2, Answers Chapter 6

PER SONNEL& ORGANISATIONHOSPITALIT Y PERSONNEL & ORGANISATION FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY ELLEN VAN KOOTEN Chapter 6 | Answers | Questions about the chapter 2

Personnel & Organisation for the Hospitality Industry | Part 2Chapter 6 | Answers | Questions about the chapter 1. What is a career policy? Career policy includes all activities relating to employee progress, from the moment they join the company to the moment they leave. The policy aims to match the skills and abilities of employees with their ambitions as closely as possible. Career policy also aims to develop and maintain professionalism and continuity at the company. Other aspects of career policy include promotion policy, education and training policy, and policy on older persons. 2. What is the purpose of holding meetings with employees (staff assessment)? Based on the assessment, appropriate measures can be taken in relation to the employee, his/her role and position and how he/she is supervised. If the assessment is carried out properly, the employee can be encouraged to continue his/her development and this process can be managed appropriately. This also contributes to the employee’s self-confidence and motivation, which has a positive effect on the entire company. The ultimate goal of assessing staff is to create a clear win-win situation. On the one hand, it helps employees to perform better and on the other hand, it means that business goals can be achieved better and more quickly. 3. Which different forms of assessment are there? Performance evaluation. The purpose of evaluating performance is to assess the work done by an employee over a particular period of time. Performance assessment. The manager assesses an employee's performance and attitude at work in order to identify areas for improvement: advice, encouragement, and continued development. Assessment of potential. The assessment of potential is an instrument that determines the future career opportunities for the employee within the organisation. 4. Which requirements does a good assessment need to meet? The assessment method needs to fulfil a number of requirements: • The method of assessment must be objective and correct. • The assessment method must be reliable. • When the measurement is repeated, the same result needs to be achieved. • If different managers use the same assessment method, the outcome must be the same. 5. Which five methods of assessment are there? The assessment methods that are used in practice are: 1. Management by objectives (MBO) 2. Self-evaluation 3. Critical-incident method 4. Assessment scales 5. 360º feedback method 6. State the advantages and disadvantages of each method of assessment. 1. Management by objectives (MBO) Advantages • Objective: personal preferences are not important, only the result counts. • Motivates an employee to reach the objectives set. • Can be used to assess team performance. Disadvantages • Circumstances beyond the control of the employee can adversely affect the result. • Achieving the objective is often rewarded with a bonus, which over the long term can reduce the effectiveness of this system. • Measuring the performance of the team as a whole can make employees who are performing particularly well feel they are not getting the credit that they deserve.Version 1 | 25-10-2018 | [email protected]

Personnel & Organisation for the Hospitality Industry | Part 2 2. Self-evaluation Advantages • Simplifies and improves the assessment interview. • Employees learn more about their own performance, so that they are more likely to ask for coaching or training. Disadvantages • Demotivating if the company does nothing with the results. • Employees with limited self-confidence are is likely to underestimate themselves. • Self-evaluation requires some degree of knowledge and skill. 3. Critical-incident method Advantages • At the assessment interview, the direct manager has certain details to hand that may otherwise be overlooked. • The assessment is clear, and the employee receives specific feedback. • The manager looks at what actually needs to be assessed: behaviours while completing particular work. Disadvantages • Tendency to note only the negative points. • The manager decides what to note and what not to note. This can vary between different assessors. • The employee can get the impression that he/she is constantly being monitored. • This method is not objective enough to be used as a stand-alone method. • It is often not possible for a direct manager to make the necessary notes in relation to each employee at the end of the shift. • It is time-consuming, and therefore costly, to use this method of assessment for all staff or all positions. 4. Assessment scales Advantages • The system is clear for both the employee and the manager. • It is relatively simple to make. The job description or SOPs can be used. • The form clearly shows how the manager has reached the relevant conclusions. • The method can be used for each job/position. Disadvantages • Completing the assessment forms thoroughly can take a long time. • Defining objective measures is not always easy. • The ‘central tendency’ - assessing all the standards somewhere in the middle - can undermine the usefulness of the assessment. 5. 360º feedback method Advantages • Employees understand the points for development and improvement better. • They are more likely to accept the need for improvement because the assessment has involved feedback from many different colleagues. • The information available within the organisation is fully utilised. • The manager can assess highly specialised employees without necessarily having specialist knowledge him-/herself. Disadvantages • This method is sometimes perceived as threatening. This can be prevented by careful implementation. • It requires the support of all those involved in the process. • The method cannot be applied in every organisation. • Expertise is required to formulate the criteria.Version 1 | 25-10-2018 | [email protected]

Personnel & Organisation for the Hospitality Industry | Part 2 7. Give eight tips for holding a successful assessment interview. A successful meeting • Announce the meeting at least one week in advance. Prepare for the meeting and ensure that the employee also prepares. • Ensure that there is a constructive atmosphere. Your employee may be nervous about this 'judgment day'. Put the employee at ease. Do not rush, and choose a quiet spot for the meeting. Break the ice with some small talk or a joke. Start with a few informal questions. • Choose an appropriate seating arrangement. For example, do not sit behind your desk. That creates a physical barrier between you. Do not sit immediately opposite one another, but sit at an angle to one another. Offer the employee a cup of tea or coffee; this may seem obvious, but it can really help to put the employee at ease. • To assess whether specific objectives goals have been achieved, refer to the SMART agreements that were made at the start of the year during the planning meeting. The results now need to be evaluated. Use reports from previous planning and progress meetings too. • Discuss those areas where performance is less good. If employees are aware of their own weaknesses, they can work on making improvements in these areas. Approach this in a constructive manner. • Refer to other people’s opinions, such as customers or colleagues, in your assessment. • A negative assessment should never come as a ‘bolt from the blue’: potential areas for improvement should already have been mentioned at the progress meeting. In any case, you do not need to wait for this formal meeting to give feedback to your employees. • Even though this is an assessment interview, it is sometimes useful to listen to your employee’s feedback. Use any criticism to improve your own performance as a manager, or to make improvements in the organisation . 8. Give eight ways of preparing for a performance review. A good performance review meeting depends on good preparation of the points for discussion by both the manager and the employee. The following performance questionnaire can be used to prepare for the meeting: • Which knowledge and skills does the employee need in order to perform well in the job? • Are there any factors that may be preventing good performance? What are they? How can these be rectified? • Is your age a factor in your work in any way? • Which changes have occurred in your job over the past year? • Which objectives regarding knowledge and skills from the previous performance review meeting have been achieved and which have not? • Is sufficient supervision being provided? Which improvements are required or are possible? • How are relations with colleagues inside and outside the department? • Is the current workplace adequate in terms of working conditions, safety features, working areas, furniture, lighting, equipment, tools? • Which improvements are required or desirable? What needs to be replaced? • How is the working atmosphere within the department? And in the company as a whole? Are there any issues or disagreements? If so, how could these be resolved? • Have you been absent due to illness during the past year? Was this related to your work in any way? If so, would you like to suggest any improvements? • Which objectives regarding the working environment from the previous assessment interview have been achieved and which have not? Why not (where applicable)? • Which challenges and opportunities for growth does the current position offer you? • Which training and education programmes have you completed during the past year? • Which training and education programmes would be useful for you in the year to come? 9. Which points does a manager need to consider in relation to his/her own behaviour during a performance review? Points to consider. The manager is the initiator of the meeting and is responsible for ensuring that the meeting goes smoothly. As such, he/she takes the lead in the meeting, but this involves the risk that the conversation could become one-sided. It is important that the manager uses certain communicative techniques to avoid this. In order to ensure that the employee gets the chance to be an equal participant in the meeting, both participants should have equivalent input into the meeting.Version 1 | 25-10-2018 | [email protected]

Personnel & Organisation for the Hospitality Industry | Part 2 10. How can a manager handle an employee who finds it difficult to take criticism? How should you handle criticism? • If criticisms are made, it is important to remember that there may be two elements to these: - The mental element: something real has happened which has led to this criticism. - The emotional element: the other person may feel disappointed, angry or sad. This will be a personal and subjective reaction, but very real nonetheless! • The other person first needs to be allowed to say what he/she has to say and get it off their chest. They need to feel that they are being taken seriously. • Let the employee speak without becoming defensive. Show that you understand and make sure you that you take him/her seriously. • Once the employee has calmed down and finished speaking, use active listening techniques (asking questions) to identify the real problem: what exactly is wrong? And what does the other think is important here? • Find out how you could take further action: you may need to look for a solution together, or maybe you need to call on a third party to do this. • Present your proposed solution to the employee and discuss this. Try to reach an agreement together. • Do not make any criticisms of the other person. • Do not try to shut down the conversation, for instance by saying: ‘Nobody else has had this problem.’ The other person may conclude that you are trying to blame them. • Do not respond to the criticism with technical justifications based on your professional knowledge. This will only create distance and the employee will not feel supported or understood. • Ensure that the criticism made has been addressed satisfactorily. 11. What does a PDP involve? A personal development plan is a personnel management tool that aims to ensure that employees develop the right skills and competences in both the long and shorter term. The PDP outlines the development path starting from the employee’s current situation and moving towards the desired situation. The PDP is written and updated by the employee. The manager always receives a copy of the updated plan, because he/she manages the development budget.Version 1 | 25-10-2018 | [email protected]