“Performance appraisal” refers to the evaluation of an employee’s work.
“Discipline” refers to the outcome of an employee’s unsatisfactory behaviour.
The principal is responsible for the performance and behaviour of employees. There are board policies and procedures that will guide you. The evaluation of performance and behaviour must always be carried out in a fair and transparent fashion. The individual must know what is expected and what will happen if expectations are not met.
When supervising support staff, for example, caretaking staff and office administrators, the principal usually works in co-operation with a board-designated manager for that particular classification of worker.
These procedures might include topics such as:
- culpable behaviour
- human rights
- workplace harassment
- performance appraisal.
Some boards have common procedures for all employee groups; others have differentiated processes.
The principal carries out performance appraisals and imposes discipline on behalf of the employer / board. For this reason it is critical that you follow the board’s procedures scrupulously with regards to timelines, processes and documentation. Failure to do so may result in complaints about the quality of your supervision.