On Monday 18th July 2022, constituents of Suame Magazine vented their spleen on their MP, Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu. According to news sites, the constituents expressed their displeasure at the Government’s delay in fixing the deplorable state of their roads by pelting the MP and his entourage with sachets of water.
In HR parlance, this is a typical case of Performance Management in action. The Suame Constituents, dissatisfied with the performance of their elected parliamentary representative, took measures to express and address their displeasures. Performance Management comprises of a number of processes that includes, defining and measuring performance of an institution or a person. The grievances of the artisans ranged from poor roads to other deplorable amenities that they were forced to manage in the constituency.
Mr. Ahmed Ibrahim, a Senior HR Professional at iExcel Boulevard, shared his thoughts on the subject with us. He said, “Performance Management can be a daunting task for an organization depending on how it’s handled. CLEAR ACTIONABLE GOALS should be agreed on (communicated and documented) at the beginning of the year and tracked quarterly.”
Honourable Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, according to Joy News, shared his views on the constituent’s reaction to his arrival in the constituency. “I am the face of government, so if they are really angry that it’s been a while since the scraping of the surface and the dust is killing them, certainly when they see any government official, they will vent their spleen on him”, he said. This goes to show that there is disappointment from the people’s perspective with regards to the work done.
“Once goals are not being met met in the corporate world, the gaps need to be identified and plans put in place to have them filled.” Mr. Ahmed further shared his experience on how such a situation can be handled. “Personally, I like to have a ‘sit down’ with my team members and the “WHY” which informs my line of thought and action.”
In the worst cases for consistent non-performance, I like to advise further CPD Programs (Continuing Professional Development) – or at the very least a career change”. Mr. Ibrahim went on to explain that for performance to be progressive, the goals set need to be revisited and low performing employees put on a Performance Improvement Plan.
Workers across the world of work should be glad their supervisors and managers do not resort to throwing sachets of water at them to get them to improve their performances. That will definitely be an interesting work environment to live in!
