Focus on Performance Management

The Focus series is a collection of reports that present the results of the 2014 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), broken down by theme. Focus on Performance Management looks at results for performance management and examines how they relate to results for other aspects of the workplace. The information provided in this report is intended to help target efforts to improve people management practices in the public service.

Results and Comparisons Over Time

The 2014 PSES asked five questions^{See Footnote 1} relating to performance management, including two new ones that were added to assess performance management in the work unit more directly. Table 1 shows the results for all five questions.

**Table 1: Results for questions relating to performance management (2008, 2011 and 2014)**
Question Number	Question	2008 (%)	2011 (%)	2014 (%)
Table 1 Notes Table 1 – Note 1 n/a – Question not asked in the survey for this year, or question modified in the subsequent survey(s) Return to Table 1 – Footnote * referrer
Q12	I receive meaningful recognition for work well done.	n/a^{See Table 1 – Note *}	59	57
Q28	In my work unit, unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively.	n/a^{See Table 1 – Note *}	n/a^{See Table 1 – Note *}	38
Q30	I receive useful feedback from my immediate supervisor on my job performance.	67	70	72
Q34	My immediate supervisor assesses my work against identified goals and objectives.	73	75	79
Q38	I receive the support I need from senior management to address unsatisfactory performance issues in my work unit. (for supervisors)	n/a^{See Table 1 – Note *}	n/a^{See Table 1 – Note *}	66

In 2014, 79% of employees agreed that their immediate supervisor assesses their work against identified goals and objectives (Q34), which is higher than the 2011 (75%) and the 2008 (73%) results. In 2014, 72% of employees reported that they receive useful feedback from their immediate supervisor on job performance (Q30), an increase from the 2011 (70%) and the 2008 (67%) results. These improvements coincide with the implementation of the Directive on Performance Management across the core public administration in 2014.^{See Footnote 2}

When asked whether they receive meaningful recognition for work well done (Q12), 57% of employees agreed in 2014, which is slightly lower than in 2011 (59%). The 2014 results show that 38% of employees felt that unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively in their work unit (Q28). Also, 13% of employees responded that they don’t know whether unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively.

Two thirds (66%) of supervisors agreed that they receive the support they need from senior management to address unsatisfactory performance issues in their work unit (Q38).

Demographic Findings

Occupational category

The 2014 PSES results indicate that opinions on performance management vary among occupational categories.^{See Footnote 3} Employees in the Executive category expressed the most positive opinions; employees in the Operational category expressed the least positive opinions.

The most pronounced differences between Executive and Operational employees’ opinions in this area relate to their views on how unsatisfactory employee performance is managed in their work unit. Employees in the Executive category were three times more likely than those in the Operational category to agree that, in their work unit, unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively (72% of Executive employees, compared with 24% of Operational employees, Q28) (see Figure 1).

Bar charts of the results for Question 28 by occupational category. Text version below: — **Figure 1: Results for Q28 (In my work unit, unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively) by occupational category**

Executive	Scientific and Professional	Administration and Foreign Services	Technical	Administrative Support	Operational
72%	37%	39%	33%	37%	24%

Community

The 2014 PSES asked employees to indicate the community with which they most closely identify. Employees who identified with the access to information and privacy, the human resources and communications or public affairs communities tended to express the most positive views relating to performance management; employees who identified with the security community tended to express the least positive views. For example, supervisors who identified with the access to information and privacy, the human resources, and the communications or public affairs communities were more likely than supervisors who identified with the security community to agree that they receive the support they need from senior management to address unsatisfactory performance issues in their work unit (73% to 76% compared with 57%, Q38).

Age

Employees aged 24 years or younger tended to have more positive opinions on performance management than did their older counterparts, particularly in relation to the recognition they receive for good performance and the management of unsatisfactory employee performance in their work unit. For example, 74% of employees aged 24 years and younger felt that they receive meaningful recognition for work well done (Q12), compared with 56% to 61% for employees in older age groups. Also, 53% of employees aged 24 years and younger agreed that in their work unit, unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively (Q28), compared with 34% to 41% for employees in older age groups.

Years of service

Employees with less than one year of service in the public service and in their current organization tended to express more positive opinions on performance management than did those with more years of service. As with age, this pattern was most pronounced in relation to recognition (Q12) and management of unsatisfactory employee performance (Q28). For example, 76% of employees with less than one year of service in the public service agreed that they receive recognition for work well done (Q12) compared with 54% to 63% for employees with more years of service (see Figure 2).

Years of Service	Less than 1 year	1 to 4 years	5 to 9 years	10 to 14 years	15 to 19 years	20 to 24 years	25 to 29 years	30 or more years
In public service	76%	63%	55%	54%	54%	56%	55%	58%
In organization	73%	60%	54%	53%	53%	55%	54%	57%

Organization size

Employees in smaller organizations tended to have more positive opinions on performance management than did employees in larger organizations. This pattern was most pronounced on the matter of recognition, with 69% of employees in micro-organizations (those with fewer than 150 employees) having agreed that they receive recognition for work well done (Q12), compared with 53% of employees in very large organizations (those with 10,000 employees or more).

Key Observations

Effective performance management linked to positive perceptions of immediate supervisor

Employees who agreed that their supervisor assesses their work against identified goals and or provides useful feedback on their job performance were inclined to agree that they can count on their immediate supervisor to keep his or her promises, that their immediate supervisor keeps them informed about the issues affecting their work , and that they are satisfied with the supervision they receive. For example, 92% of employees who agreed that they receive useful feedback from their immediate supervisor (Q30) were satisfied with the quality of supervision they receive (Q36), compared with 23% of employees who disagreed that they receive useful feedback.

Support to address unsatisfactory performance linked to confidence in senior management

Supervisors who agreed that they receive support to address unsatisfactory performance issues in their work unit tended to express more positive perceptions of their senior management. For example, 74% of supervisors who indicated that they receive the support they need to address unsatisfactory performance issues (Q38) also expressed confidence in the senior management of their organization (Q40), compared with 24% of supervisors who disagreed that they receive such support. Furthermore, supervisors who agreed that they receive support to address unsatisfactory performance issues (Q38) were more likely than those who disagreed to believe that senior management will try to resolve concerns raised in this survey (66% compared with 19%, Q42) and that senior managers in their organization lead by example in ethical behaviour (81% compared with 33%, Q39).

Recognition of good performance linked to higher levels of satisfaction

Employees who agreed that they are recognized for their good performance generally expressed higher levels of satisfaction with their job and their organization. For example, 90% of employees who agreed that they receive meaningful recognition for work well done (Q12) also agreed that they get a sense of satisfaction from their work (Q11), compared with 47% of employees who disagreed that they receive such recognition. Similarly, 82% of employees who agreed that they receive meaningful recognition for work well done agreed that they are satisfied with their organization (Q59), compared with 29% of employees who disagreed.

Recognition of good performance linked to sense of empowerment

Employees who agreed that they receive recognition for good performance were more likely than those who disagreed to give responses indicating that they feel empowered at work. For example, employees who agreed that they receive meaningful recognition for work well done (Q12) were more likely than those who disagreed to report that they have support at work to provide a high level of service (87% compared with 29%, Q18). Employees who agreed that they receive meaningful recognition (Q12) were also more likely than those who disagreed to indicate that they have opportunities to provide input into decisions that affect their work (81% compared with 28%, Q16) and that they are encouraged to be innovative or to take initiative in their work (84% compared with 29%, Q17).

Effective management of unsatisfactory performance linked to positive opinions on staffing

Employees who held favourable opinions on the way unsatisfactory performance is managed in their work unit tended to perceive the staffing processes in their work unit in a more positive light. For example, employees who agreed that unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively in their work unit (Q28) were more likely than those who disagreed to believe that, in their work unit, people who are hired can do the job (91% compared with 38%, Q26) and that the process for selecting a person for a position is done fairly (87% compared with 31%, Q27.)

Methodological Notes

For the purposes of this report, results for the two most positive responses on the scale (e.g., “Strongly agree” and “Somewhat agree”) were added together to create a single percentage total for positive responses. Similarly, results for the two most negative responses on the scale (e.g., “Strongly disagree” and “Somewhat disagree”) were added together to create a single percentage total for negative responses. The totals used to calculate the percentages do not include the responses “Don’t know” and “Not applicable.”

The observations in this report do not necessarily indicate relationships of cause and effect, but they can provide insight into connections between different aspects of the workplace.

For additional results and for the distribution of respondents by demographic characteristics, consult the 2014 PSES website.

Appendix

Occupational Category	Occupational Group
Executive	CI-EXC, DM, EC(CRA), EX, EXPCX, GR-EX, LC, MGT, PL, RLE
Scientific and Professional	AC, AG, AR, AP-AA, AP-PA, ASG-ITS-LA, AU, BI, CH, CI-SPC, DE, DS, EC, ED, EN, ES, FO, HR, LA, LP, LS, MA, MD, MT, ND, NU, OP, PC, PH, PM-MCO, PS, SE, SG, SI, SW, UT, VM
Administration and Foreign Services	AS, CO, CS, FI, FS, HR(CRA), IS, OM, PE, PG, PM, TR, WP
Technical	AI, AO, CIPTC, DD, EG, EL, EU, GT, PI, PY, RO, SO, TI
Administrative Support	CIASC, CM, CR, DA, OE, ST
Operational	CX, FB, FR, GA, GL, GS, HP, HS, IN, LI, PO-IMA, PO-TCO, PR, SC, SR
Other	AB, CIVIL, FT, Governor in Council, GR, IM, MDMDG, MG, NB, RE, REG, RM, SP(CRA), Student, UNI, Other

Footnotes

Footnote 1

Throughout this document, question numbers are abbreviated as Q1, Q2, Q3, etc.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

The first employee performance management cycle under the new Directive on Performance Management for the core public administration was completed on May 8 2015. For this first cycle, 95% of employees (excluding Executives) had a performance agreement, 91% had a mid-year conversation with their manager and 85% were assessed and rated at year-end. The Directive on the Performance Management Program (PMP) for Executives was implemented in 2007 across the core public administration. In accordance with the directive, all Executives have a performance agreement and are assessed at year-end.

Return to footnote 2 referrer

Footnote 3

See the appendix for a list of the occupational groups that make up each occupational category.

Return to footnote 3 referrer

Page details

Date modified:: 2015-07-31

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