Managers should open the meeting by outlining it is being held under the stage 2 – performance improvement procedure.

Representation

Members of staff should be advised that they may be accompanied by a trade union representative, colleague or friend who is not acting in a legal capacity.

If the member of staff is unaccompanied, managers should confirm that the staff member is happy for the meeting to continue.

Meeting purpose

Managers should explain the purpose of the meeting to the member of staff in a supportive and compassionate manner. The staff member should be informed that the meeting is to discuss ongoing concerns relating to their performance.

During the meeting

Managers should:

1. outline the reasons for their concerns regarding the member of staff's performance and give specific examples of where the member of staff has failed to achieve specific tasks or targets
2. ask for the member of staff’s perspective on the concerns and examples discussed
3. outline the expected standards discussed for the specific tasks or targets
4. discuss possible solutions and identify what support the member of staff may require in order to achieve the specific tasks or targets, including formal training courses, shadowing colleagues or mentoring
5. advise the member of staff of the review period in which they will be required to achieve the tasks or targets detailed (typically six weeks but this is dependent upon availability of any identified training)

Staff should be advised that:

• regular interim review meetings (usually weekly) will be held during a set period of time to provide feedback on their progress and to discuss and overcome obstacles they may be facing in achieving the standards expected of their role
• the formal performance improvement plan will be issued following the meeting. It should be explained that the first performance improvement notice which will remain 'live' on the member of staff’s personal file for 12 months
• if the performance improvement process has stopped and there is further decline in their performance during the 12 month improvement notice period, the process will recommence

Staff should be informed a further meeting will take place at the end of the formal review period to discuss their progress and conclude that they have either:

• achieved the specified performance levels, or
• a further six week review period is required, or
• stage 2 final formal management is required

Downbanding option

Managers should explain to the member of staff that after taking into account the reasons and contributing factors for them being unable to achieve the expected performance standard, an alternative support measure is to consider downbanding into an alternative post.

If the member of staff agrees to downbanding, the manager should discuss whether they:

• wish to be permanently downbanded as an alternative to continuing the performance improvement process, or
• agree that a role at a lower band within the same department would be a suitable way forward

If downbanding is agreed by both parties, the member of staff should be advised the performance improvement process will stop and a lower band post will be found.

Redeployment option

Managers should explain to the member of staff that redeployment is the most suitable way forward and inform them that the performance improvement process will now stop and the redeployment procedure will begin.

The member of staff should be issued a redeployment registration form to complete. Managers should explain that an eight week job search will start which involves the member of staff and their HR representative actively looking for alternative vacancies.

If an alternative vacancy is found during the timeframe, the vacancy is placed on hold and the member of staff, recruitment manager and HR representative will have an informal meeting to discuss the vacancy and person specification. The member of staff’s trade union representative can also be involved in the meeting.

The staff member should be advised that providing they meet the person specification essential criteria or there is a reasonable bridgeable gap, a four week redeployment trial will commence.

Another meeting will be held after the trial period to discuss if it was a success. This will depend on feedback from both the member of staff and recruitment manager. If the trial is confirmed a success, the staff member will be formally transferred to the new role and a change of contract letter will be issued.

Unsuccessful trials will be confirmed in writing and the job search timeframe will recommence from where it left off (e.g. if the first vacancy took two weeks to find, there would be six weeks remaining. Trial periods are not included in the timeframe). If a another vacancy is found, a second trial period will start.

If subsequent trial periods are unsuccessful or the eight week period lapses without an alternative vacancy being identified, a further review meeting will be held and supported by a HR representative to determine the next steps.

Closing remarks

Inform the member of staff a further meeting will be held at the end of the formal review period. The meeting will discuss their progress and confirm if:

• they have achieved the specified levels of performance, or
• a further six week period of review is required, or
• a stage 3 hearing will be set up in accordance with the performance improvement procedure to discuss their future employment

Staff must be advised that a possible outcome of a stage 3 hearing is dismissal. The redeployment search will continue until the date of the hearing.

Managers should acknowledge that this process and time period may cause the individual distress. The staff member should be signposted to the relevant health and wellbeing information on the intranet and provided with staff counselling contact details.

Telephone: 0121 371 7170
Email: StaffCounselling.Services@uhb.nhs.uk