Agenda
       Performance Culture Overview
    1
       Ongoing Feedback:
    2
           Improving Engagement
    3     
            Identifying Opportunities to Provide Informal Feedback
           Improving Employee Performance Through Effective Feedback
           Managing Poor Performers
    4  Mid-Year Reviews:
           Preparing For & Conducting Reviews
           Writing Performance Narratives
           Recognizing Bias
           Making Changes to a Plan & Documenting Reviews in EmpowHR
                                                             2
      Performance Culture Overview
    Performance Culture is the strategic initiative that grounds employee performance in NRCS 
    goals and objectives and improves motivation, accountability, and overall engagement of the 
    workforce. 
                                                                                   Results in…
                                                                                           Increase Employee Intent 
                      USDA Strategic Plan                                                     to Stay
                      USDA Strategic Plan
                                                                                           Improve Employee 
                                                                                              Motivation
                      NRCS Strategic Plan                                                  Connect the Individual to 
                      NRCS Strategic Plan
                    (Put Conservation on the Ground)
                    (Put Conservation on the Ground)                                          NRCS and USDA 
                                                                                              (Increased discretionary 
                                                                                              effort)
                      Performance Culture                                                  Enhance the 
                      Performance Culture 
           (Individual Performance; Recognition; Recruitment;                                 Understanding of 
           (Individual Performance; Recognition; Recruitment; 
                           Development; etc.)
                           Development; etc.)                                                 Individual Accountability 
                                                     Helping People Help the Land
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             Performance Culture Overview 
             (continued)
                             Plan
                             Plan                  Performance culture is the complete lifecycle of performance – from planning, 
                                        Monito
               Reward                   Monito     monitoring, and developing to rating and rewarding.  Feedback and recognition are 
               Reward                     r
                                          r
                                                   components of each lifecycle phase and result in increased motivation and 
                                   Develo
                     Rate          Develo
                     Rate             p            accountability.
                                      p
                                      Phase                                                              Effects on Motivation                                                                          Effects on Accountability
                                        Plan                                       Connects individual goals and measures                                                          Clearly defines goals and objectives, and 
             (employee performance plan)                                           to organization objectives.  Sets targets                                                       how success will be measured.
                                                                                   for success.
                                    Monitor                                        Provides routine feedback and recognition                                                       Routinely identifies areas of success and 
               (ongoing - mid-year Review,                                         related to performance.                                                                         areas for improvement.
                                        etc.)
                                    Develop                                        Clearly outlines employee development                                                           Outlines area for improvement and 
                                   (ongoing)                                       needs to meet the performance                                                                   development and defines a clear path for 
                                                                                   objectives.                                                                                     success.
                                        Rate                                       Formally documents performance against                                                          Formally tracks employee performance to 
                   (performance appraisal)                                         objectives.                                                                                     performance plan.
                                    Reward                                         Rewards and recognizes employees on                                                             Rewards align to the levels of success 
                     (awards & recognition)                                        successes.                                                                                      determined in performance plans.
                                                                                                                Helping People Help the Land
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     Improving Engagement
   Managers play the most important role in improving the engagement of employees – through 
   direct one-on-one relationships with employees and as a conduit for reinforcing the 
   organization’s strategic priorities, vision, and values. 
       •   Outcomes of a highly engaged workforce:
            –   Employees who work 57% harder 
            –   Employees who are 9 times less likely to leave
       •   “Engagement” is the extent to which employees commit to something and how hard 
           they work and long they stay as a result of that commitment
            –   Rational
            –   Emotional
       •   Focuses through manager to:
            –   Discretionary effort (Performance)
            –   Intent to stay (Retention)
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     Improving Engagement (continued)
   Managers play the most important role in improving the engagement of employees – through 
   direct one-on-one relationships with employees and as a conduit for reinforcing the 
   organization’s strategic priorities, vision, and values. 
       •   Drivers to improve engagement:
            –   Provide fair and accurate informal feedback
            –   Emphasize employee strengths in performance reviews
            –   Clarify performance expectations leverage employee “fit” to the job
            –   Provide solutions to day-to-day challenges
            –   Amplify positive employee performance traits & filter negative effects
            –   Connect employees with the organizations’ strategy & its success
            –   Instill a performance culture of open communication, flexibility, and innovation
            –   Connect employees with talented coworkers
            –   Demonstrate a credible commitment to employee development
       •   Manager imperatives:
            –   Focus on objectives over role definition
            –   Differentiate recognition rather than praise everyone
            –   Provide guidelines for innovation, not mandates
            –   Reinforce organizational values over empathy
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