Employment Update
Importance of Recording Performance Discussions
If you have performance issues with staff and you remind them regularly of areas of their work that are below your expectations, it will be very difficult to rely on these conversations if you end up in a Tribunal unless you have recorded them.
In terms of creating an allowable and admissible record then there is no need for overly complicated processes and systems - 2 simple ways to record the conversations are:
- The best way is in the form of a Letter of Concern where you have a discussion with the person and then follow-up with a simple summary of the conversation.
- If this seems a lot of effort – then as a bare minimum make a hand written entry in your diary (or work journal) detailing the key points of the discussion.
In this way you can evidence your discussion and show you have informed them of your concerns and have made efforts to make them improve their performance.
General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
The new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) come into force in May 2018 and will place a higher level of requirement and rigor on how companies collect, use/ process and destroy personal data.
Whilst the full impact and requirements are still becoming clear, The Information Commissioners office has published a simple guide and explains 12 preparatory steps companies can do now in preparation of this big change.
Employers should digest the document and start putting in place the ICO suggestions now as process and procedural changes can often take longer than planned to embed and May will be here before you know it.
