Scenario
Suzan has worked for Organization ABC for one year. During her 30-day review, Suzan received amazing scores from her supervisor. During her 60-day review, Suzan’s performance was deemed as acceptable, but her ability to communicate with her colleagues was lacking. During Suzan’s 90-day review, Suzan’s supervisor, at the time, expressed that her performance needed serious improvements. Unfortunately, Suzan’s supervisor noted the following:
Suzan did not provide her colleagues with messages from customers and vendors.
Suzan’s phone skills were ineffective, especially when interacting with customers.
Suzan’s temper was a concern and she often raised her voice when she became frustrated.
You have been hired to replace Suzan’s previous supervisor. Between Suzan’s 90-day review and presently (her annual review), you have noticed that Suzan’s performance still is a problem. Before her departure from the organization, Suzan’s past supervisor stated, “Suzan is nice; however, she is a horrible communicator. I cannot work with her, as she is such a challenge to deal with… Good luck, as Suzan is one of the worst employees of Organization ABC.â€
During your first week in your new role as supervisor, you met with Suzan to understand more about her performance. She stated, “I am a hard worker; however, I only was told what I was doing wrong. I am willing to learn. Can you help me become the best employee for Organization ABC? I want to succeed in this role.â€
As a supervisor, you know that you have various responsibilities. One of your responsibilities is to address performance deficiencies. Although Suzan was provided with a job description, which included detailed information about the critical nature of communication in her role, she needs additional support.
Examine pages 79 and 80 in your textbook. Then, create a plan, specific to Suzan’s needs, detailing how you will utilize the following to ensure improved performance:
Observation and documentation
Updates
Feedback
Resources
Reinforcement
For example, when thinking about observation and documentation, what might you do to keep track of Suzan’s performance? Why? When thinking about updates, how will you keep Suzan updated? Explain and justify your rationale for each of the five components and why you made the recommendations that you provided
Sample Solution