Background Staff are an organisation’s biggest resource, largest investment and most significant asset. Encouraging staff to give their best is every organisation’s greatest challenge. Managing performance is central to this. It is no longer sufficient for an organisation to focus on ‘what’ people do; they must also focus on ‘how’ staff are expected to do it. Encouraging exceptional behaviour through positive behaviour, attitude and approach encourages staff to recognise when they are at their best and a Behaviours Framework provides the structure that enables this.

Aim To design a Performance and Development Review (PDR) process with a Behaviours Framework at its core that links the organisation’s core values with the exceptional behaviours and positive attitudes and approaches expected of all staff.

Methods Following a staff survey that highlighted concerns over how poor performance was managed, a review of multi-organisational performance management processes and behaviours frameworks was undertaken. Led jointly by HR and Education, an internal cross-organisational working group embarked on a six-month design and consultation period which concluded with intensive all staff training prior to implementation April 2017.

Results All staff are tasked with taking responsibility for the completion of their own PDR and having this in place by 30 June 2017. A quality assurance review will follow and a staff survey circulated asking for evaluative feedback. Any emerging issues will be assessed and addressed through further staff training.

Conclusion Longfield’s new PDR and Behaviours Framework strikes a balance between managing the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ of staff performance. It provides staff and managers with a ‘common language’ and a framework with which to recognise exceptional and challenge unacceptable behaviour and attitude. It encourages a dialogue between staff and managers and celebration of the exceptional behaviour and attitude that Longfield demands of its most significant resource and asset – its staff!