HIRING, SUPERVISING, EVALUATING EMPLOYEES

By Shawn Hoffman-Bram January 2011

Components of Hiring

People are not the most important asset of a company—the RIGHT people are.

Jim Collins: From

Good to Great

Interviewing Veteran’s Preference Pre-Planning Protected Classes Screening

Pre-Planning

Purpose /mission/beliefs of the organization What duties and responsibilities? What skills, abilities, and attitudes?

Job Description



Essential Duties



Non essential Duties

Protected Classes

          Race or color National origin Religion or creed Sex Age Disability Marital Status Sexual Orientation Status with regard to public assistance Membership on a local human rights commission

Determine ranking criteria prior to review Number of people to interview Determine date for decision

Veteran’s Preference

 Definition – a citizen of the US or a resident alien who has received an honorable discharge from any branch of the armed services of the US and has served on active duty for 181 consecutive days or was discharged by reason of disability incurred while serving in active duty.

New Language



H.F. No. 2238, as introduced - 86th Legislative Session (2009-2010) Posted on Mar 30, 2009

     1.1 A bill for an act 1.2 relating to veterans; expanding veterans preference in

hiring and dismissal from

1.3 state and local government employment by applying current veterans preference 1.4 law to teachers; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 197.46.

1.5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Veteran’s Preference cont.

 School districts must use100 point based hiring method – for all positions - except those exempt under Minn State 197.45

 School district can ask for verification  Employer is not required to hire even if they have the highest score

Screening Form Example

Applicant Name Education Training Licensure (Points) Work Experience (Points) References Letters (Points) Overall Assessment (Points) SUB TOTAL Veteran's Preference (Points) TOTAL SCORE

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Scoring Criteria

Education/Training/Licensure Requirements Work Experience: Limited - 5 pts; Adequate - 10pts; Extensive - 15pts References: Fair - 5pts; Good - 10pts; Outstanding - 15pts Overall Assessment: Weak - 5pts; Average - 10pts; Exceptional - 20pts

Possible

30 15 15 20

80 Passing

30 10 10 10

60

If an applicant receives a

Passing score

, add Veteran's Preferance points: Veteran Disabled Veteran Spouce of deceased or disabled Veteran

TOTAL POSSIBLE SCORE:

5 10 5

20 100

Interviewing

Must have a scoring method Keep chat to a minimum Focus on applicant’s qualifi cations Keep questions consistent Involve more than one person Document follow-up questions Check references Keep notes for 1 year Hire tough so you can manage easy Promote the right ones for the right reasons Harvey, Cottrell, Lucia, & Hourigan The Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus

Components of Supervision

What we resist persists Supervision Do’s Supervision Don’ts Supervision Errors Basic Rules in Documentation Types of Discipline

Supervision Do’s

 Do identify strengths  Do identify available resources  Do follow district policy on employee discipline and use due process  Do address issues in a factual manner  Do evaluate probationary employees but know when the probationary time is up  Do follow-up

Don’t avoid performance issues

Supervision Don’ts

Don’t surprise the employee Don’t violate policy or law Don’t evaluate personalities Don’t minimize performance concerns Don’t talk about employee performance to others

Supervision Errors

 No current job description  Supervisor doesn’t know job duties  Evaluation form doesn’t match duties  Unclear rating system  Too many indicators, or too few  Becomes personal not performance based  Identify too many areas to improve

Evaluation

 Evaluate the performance not the person  Understand the job description  Use an evaluation tool/instrument if:  It matches the job description  Is recent (less than 5 years old)  Has been seen by the employee  Is understood by the union  If it provides constructive feedback options

Evaluation Do’s

     Do identify strengths Do identify areas for improvement Identify no more than 2-3 goal areas Encourage employee to develop a plan for each goal area and set another meeting Do have a plan of action to address the goals

Evaluation Summary

Discipline

 Board Policy  Progressive  Documentation  Usually is about:  Performance issue  Attitude problem  Broken “rule” or policy violation

Progressive Discipline

 Definition – a sequence of disciplinary actions where the severity of the discipline imposed increases with each subsequent incident of misconduct or performance problem.  Contract language – know timelines!!!

Steps of Progressive Discipline

 Oral directive or warning  Written directives  Written warning 

Notice of deficiency/written reprimand

 Unpaid disciplinary suspension  Termination of employment

Dismissal/Termination

        Keep it simple Keep it factual Be specific Have documentation – Just cause Be consistent Know the contract Involve appropriate personnel - Union representation New Law for Veterans!

Just Cause

 Notice  Reasonable Rules/Directives  Adequate Investigation  Fair Investigation  Proof  Equal treatment  Fair penalty

Remember

 In hiring, evaluating, disciplining, or terminating employees, supervisors cannot be arbitrary, play favorites, change procedures, or alter expectations/qualifications for the job or for job performance.

 Anyone not suited for the job affects the overall quality of the organization

Three/Four Main Reasons

Dismissal/Termination

•NEW – Inappropriate use of technology •Insubordination •Legal issues •Incompetence

Resources

    Kennedy & Graven, Legal Update for School Administrators Seminar, Maggie R Wallner, The Hiring Process Workshop. July 29, 2008 Ratwick, Roszak & Maloney P.A., School Law Seminar, Margaret Skelton and Julia Halbach, Hazards of Hiring Workshop. November 16, 2007 Ratwik, Roszak, & Maloney P.A., Employee Supervision and Progressive Discipline, August 12, 2009 Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statues, www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us