Managing paid staff can presents many challenges. These challenges may relate to recruitment and retention, resourcing, performance management and development, productivity and conflict resolution, time management, etc. In this session, Penny Sara provided: an overview of day-to-day management of paid staff, including good supervision practices and how these fit with annual or regular performance review an outline of probation and managing under performance some strategies for setting oneself up for success with managing staff, preventing problems and nipping them in the bud early if they do arise. Penny Sara is a Human Resources and Employment Relations Consultant and Business Coach. She has many years of experience in the Adult Community Education sector, both as a manager and consultant, and a keen appreciation of the challenges faced by managers and coordinators of community learning centres.

1. Managing Paid Staff
- set yourself up for success!

2. Overview
 Facilitator: Penny Sara
 This session will be an overview of day-to-day
management of paid staff, including good
supervision practices and how these fit with
annual or regular performance review. It will
also touch on probation and managing under
performance.
 The emphasis will be on setting yourself up for
success with managing staff, preventing
problems and nipping them in the bud early if
they do arise.

3. What kind of employer are you?
 What is your role in the organisation?
 I’m assuming most of you are managers or
coordinators – am I right?
(Tick for yes, cross for no.)
 Are there any committee or board members
with us today? Just type in CoM, CM or Board
in the chat box (lower left)

4. What kind of employer are you? 2
 Just to give me an idea of the size of your
organisation, how many paid administrative and
coordination staff are there in the organisation
(including you, if you are paid, and excluding teachers
or tutors)?
(A) 1-3 (B) 4-8 (C) more than 8

5. Taking on the role
You have legal responsibilities as an employer under
the Fair Work Act, state legislation (varies according to
which state you’re in), and under the relevant awards
or agreements to which your organisation is a
signatory. (If you are the manager or coordinator,
these responsibilities are delegated to you by the
Board or Committee).

6. Taking on the role 2
 You need to make a decision that you will take on the
management role, with all its responsibilities and
potential problems, as a key part of your role.
Isn’t this obvious, you may ask? Perhaps, but even though it’s in
your job description, it’s another step to fully appreciate and ‘take
on’ what this means. Many people in the community sector are
not well prepared for this role, and often their passion lies
elsewhere, for example in providing high quality adult education
programs, or in community development. Ring any bells for you?

7. Taking on the role 3
 If you haven’t already, I suggest that you “put on the mantle” of
management of staff – it’s a mind-set. I think of it as being like a special
cloak, that sets you apart and says to everyone: “this is the person who is
in charge – you can rely on him or her to be fair, consistent and
responsible, to know the rules and do the right thing”.
 Do you feel as if you’ve already taken this on? (Ticks for yes, crosses for
no. Maybe not applicable to you, so write n/a in chat box)
 I suggest you take (or provide) any opportunities for training and learning
more about staff management responsibilities, either formal or informal,
as a way of helping you (or someone you work with) make this shift.
Note: This “staff management mindset” is not instead of leadership, or other
crucial management roles like budget planning and monitoring, but works
with these other key roles.

8. Taking on the role 4
By virtue of your position, you
have a lot of power over
other people’s lives, but only
within well-defined rules.
These rules are made up of:
- Legislation (Federal and
State)
- Awards and Agreements
- Organisational Policy

9. What does this mean in practice?
 Once you “have your head right” about the
management part of your role, you need to familiarise
yourself with the rules and principles.
 Don’t be daunted by this – no-one will ever know them
all, but if you are new to it, you need to get organised
and start learning.
 For starters, have a copy of the industrial instruments
(that is, the relevant Agreements and/or Awards) that
apply to the staff at your centre within reach, perhaps
on a shelf above your desk.

10. Get to know the documents
 You may not have time to actually study the documents in a
general sense, but look them up regularly, when you are setting
something up, or when you have an issue, and gradually you will
learn.
 If there’s something you don’t understand, get advice. Every
Centre needs to subscribe to at least one peak body that
provides Employment Relations (Industrial Relations and Human
Resources) advice, such as Jobs Australia. (ER from now on)
 While you must have this, I don’t recommend relying entirely on
phone calls as each issue comes up – it’s really important that
you start to build up some confidence and expertise on these
issues.

11. Summary
DO DON’T
 Set up the Fair Work
Australia (FWA) website in
 Leave it till you have a
your favourites bar, if you problem to start getting
haven’t already. organised, or if you do, make
 Have a well-thumbed and sure you improve your
annotated copy of the main resources for the next time!
Award(s) and/or
Agreement(s) that apply to
your workforce within reach
 Have the phone number of
your ER adviser handy, and
consult them early if you
need to – allow several days
to a week for them to get
back to you

12. Good supervision practice
 Have regular one to one meetings with each
person who reports to you.
 If face-to-face meetings are difficult, because of
part-time work or heavy workloads, get creative!
One option is to set up a regular telephone
meeting, and email in between.
 Then you must do it!

13. Good supervision practice 2
 Team meetings are also recommended, at realistic intervals
(depending on the team, this could be once a fortnight, month,
term or semester) and as well as having a host of other functions,
these provide opportunities to problem-solve, and a different kind
of accountability for staff – towards their peers.
 Modelling is very important : managers, coordinators and
program coordinators set the tone. Keep faithfully to the
arrangements you make with your staff. Avoid postponing
meetings because of other priorities. External meetings are not
always more important than one of your own staff meetings, truly!

14. Manager as conductor
 If you have come up ‘through
the ranks’, your challenge
may be to become the
conductor rather than (or as
well as) one of the musicians
 This takes time,
concentration and a lot of
learning, so you need to give
it a central place in your work
life

15. Performance Review
 An annual or regular performance appraisal or review, important
as it is, does not replace good ongoing performance
management, day to day, week to week, see above.
 The performance appraisal process should be something
everyone is happy with, and sees as useful, not just an empty
exercise of ticking boxes. If this isn’t the case, get a new one or
make up a very simple one of your own, and consult the staff in
its development.
 Train all supervisors in its use. Unless you are a very small
organisation, devolve responsibility for performance reviews to
the staff member’s day-to-day supervisor. Don’t expect the
manager to conduct all performance reviews, and do include
tutors and teachers in the process.

16. Performance Review: how should it
work?
 Use the whiteboard to put up your ideas – don’t be shy!

17. Performance review
guidelines
The Performance Review:
 Provides an opportunity for the staff member to review and reflect
on the work of the previous year (or shorter or longer nominated
time period) and to set goals for the next.
 As part of the review, the incumbent takes time to celebrate
achievements and ponder possible areas of improvement. The
focus is on positive achievement and the support the person
needs to do their job well.
 The review must not be rushed, and should not be seen as an
obligation, but rather a welcome opportunity to reflect on the
position, and to focus attention on the person in it.
 The review should be held in a private space, and sufficient time
allowed to conduct the review without interruptions or intrusions.

18. Performance review guidelines 2
 The supervisor or manager will contribute their
thoughts, but the person being reviewed should do
80% of the talking.
 Professional Development plans will be made for the
individual, and their contribution to the overall strategic
plan of the organisation (past and future) will be made
clear.
 Reviews will not be used in lieu of disciplinary
procedures, but any concerns about performance
should be noted in these reviews.
 Reviews should not take place in a vacuum, but rather
in the context of regular individual and team meetings
throughout the year.

19. Managing underperformance
 How many of you have had to deal with
Underperformance in some way, either
as a manager or a board member?
(Tick if yes)
 Did it come naturally to you?
(Tick if yes, cross if no)

20. Managing underperformance 2
 Never let anything inappropriate pass. Make sure the
person knows if they have done something that isn’t
right. Do it immediately if you can: take them aside.
 If this is not possible, do it ASAP at a scheduled one to
one meeting.
 Don’t put it off because you feel uncomfortable doing
it.
 If you do feel uncomfortable, practise on someone
else, a trusted colleague. Actually practise saying the
words and using the body language; don’t just get
advice. Get the other person to play the staff member.

21. Managing underperformance 3
 Tell the staff member what you’ve noticed, and ask if
there’s a problem. There might be a good reason, but
don’t assume you know what it is. (For example, “I
notice you’ve been coming in late. Is there a
problem?”)
 If what they’ve done is just not right (for example,
shouting at a student) tell them clearly that this isn’t
what we do here, demonstrate the correct way and
explain how that fits with the ethos and strategic plan
of the centre.
 If the problem is related to lack of skill, offer training.

22. Managing underperformance 4
 Become comfortable with giving feedback on
performance. This is your job, it’s not personal.
 The more you do it, the easier it gets. Be calm,
specific, consistent and timely. If necessary, be
boringly persistent as well, like a dripping tap.
 If the staff member doesn’t respond to all of this and
their employment is ongoing, consult the Award or
Agreement and your ER Adviser, particularly if you
think you may need to terminate employment. Make
sure anything you do is legal. If you choose to start
disciplinary procedures, follow them scrupulously.

23. Managing underperformance 5
 If the under-performer is on probation, don’t wait till the
end. Talk to your manager or adviser about it, and if
she/he agrees, terminate the person’s employment.
This must be done well before the last day.
 More on probation to come.

24. Summary dismissal
 In the case of gross misconduct, such as physical or
sexual assault or theft, you should use the summary
dismissal provisions in your award(s) or agreement(s).
 I hope you never need these, but familiarise yourself
with them just in case. If it happens, you might not
have time to consult, work out what to do

25. Induction of new staff
 Think of a time when you have had to induct new staff
 Would you say it was successful?
(Tick for yes, cross for no, chat box for ‘sort of’ or other
comments.)
 What’s one thing you’d do differently next time? (Chat
box)

26. Supervising new staff
 Make it a priority to support new staff and give feedback
often. Have regular one to one meetings. Give them
opportunities to ask questions but also the chance to figure
things out for themselves. Don’t wait till end of probation if
things aren’t working out (see next section).
 Really use those 6 months to try out the employee in
different situations. Make an effort to simulate a task that
happens at another time of year if this is crucial to the
position (for example, course guide preparation, program
planning, budget preparation, enrolments).

27. Supervising new staff 2
 For experienced new staff who’ve worked in a
similar role before, consider asking them for
feedback on your systems while their eyes are still
fresh.

28. Probation- begin at the beginning
 Did you know that there are new rules for probation, under Fair
Work Legislation?
 For starters, you must give each new employee a copy of the Fair
Work Information Statement. This is a good place to start for you
too, if you are new to this.
 The main message about probation is that it’s time-critical. No
matter what else is going on during a new worker’s probation
period, you MUST prioritise supervision of this new worker.
 Without micro-managing, you need to support and monitor this
new person’s work in a proactive and systematic way.

29. If it’s looking as if the probation may be
unsuccessful
DO
 Start early and communicate clearly – what are the issues? How
can the person’s performance be improved? How can you
support them to reach the standards you want? Do they need
training?
 Give feedback immediately and clearly. The principles are the
same as for performance management at any stage of the
employment cycle (see earlier in this presentation), but it’s even
more critical here, and can’t be dodged.
 Practise on someone if you’re not feeling confident. Maybe you
could buddy up with someone in a similar role in another
organisation?

30. If it’s looking as if the probation may
be unsuccessful 2
DON’T
 Let anything important go
 Feel personally aggrieved if the person isn’t measuring
up. You are paid to be the “bigger person” in this
situation – it’s up to you to play your part graciously.
 Delay – timeliness is of the essence!

31. If it’s looking as if the probation may
be unsuccessful 3
Use the resources available to you
 Letters on FWA website (both successful and
unsuccessful)
 FWA phone service
 Your ER adviser
 Small employer definition on FWA website – I suggest
this is one of the first things you do- work out whether
you fit into this category, as the rules are different
regarding unfair dismissal

32. Summing Up
We’ve talked about good day-to day
supervision, performance review,
performance management,
managing underperformance and
have touched on induction, probation
and termination of employment.
I hope you’re feeling more confident
in your role as conductor …er…
manager or [your role], and for those
of you who are old hands, I hope I’ve
provided some reinforcement for
your good practice and haven’t been
teaching you how to suck eggs!

33. Go for it!
 Good luck!
 I wish you a happy
and productive
workplace!
(C) Penny Sara October 2012

34. Feedback and suggestions for
further workshops
 Now I’m going to put up a blank slide for you to write
up (using the whiteboard) any feedback you have on
this presentation, and any suggestions for further
workshops on the general theme of staff management
or self-management for managers (it would be lovely if you
have time to do this today, otherwise email me at
penny.sara@westnet.com.au)
 Thank you for coming to the Webinar, including those
who listen afterwards! I appreciate your interest!

35. Feedback and suggestions for
further workshops