Setting clear goals
People perform better when they understand what is expected of them and how it connects to the wider organisation. Well-framed goals are specific, measurable and time-bound, and they focus on outcomes rather than mere activity. Frameworks such as SMART objectives or lightweight OKRs can help, but the framework matters less than the clarity.
Agree goals collaboratively where you can. Objectives that a person has helped shape command far more commitment than targets imposed from above. Revisit them during the year rather than freezing them in place, because business priorities shift.
Distinguish between what is delivered and how it is delivered. Behaviours and values matter as much as raw output, particularly in small teams where one person's conduct affects everyone. Reflecting both dimensions in goals gives a fuller, fairer picture of performance.
Reviews and appraisals
A formal review is a chance to step back, take stock and plan ahead. It should hold no surprises: if a manager has been giving honest feedback throughout the year, the review simply consolidates what has already been discussed. Reviews that ambush people with unspoken criticism damage trust and rarely improve performance.
Keep the process proportionate to your size. Elaborate rating systems and forced distributions can create more friction than value in a small firm. A structured but human conversation, briefly documented, is usually enough.
Guard against common biases: judging on recent events rather than the whole period, letting one strong or weak trait colour everything, or scoring everyone in the middle to avoid difficult conversations. Simple awareness of these tendencies improves fairness.
Everyday feedback
The most powerful performance tool is timely, specific feedback given in the ordinary course of work. Recognition delivered promptly reinforces good work, while a concern raised early is far easier to resolve than one saved up for months. Frequent one-to-ones create the space for both.
Effective feedback is concrete and focused on behaviour and impact rather than personality. Describing what happened, the effect it had and what would be better next time is more useful and less defensive-inducing than a general verdict on the person.
Feedback should flow in both directions. Inviting your team to tell you what is and is not working builds trust and often surfaces problems — with processes, tools or workload — that no review form would ever capture.
Performance improvement plans
When performance falls persistently short despite feedback, a performance improvement plan (PIP) provides a structured, documented way forward. A fair PIP sets out the specific shortfalls, the standard required, the support to be provided, a realistic timeframe and the consequences if things do not improve.
A PIP should be a genuine attempt to help someone succeed, not a paper exercise to justify a dismissal that has already been decided. Approached honestly, PIPs frequently turn performance around; approached cynically, they undermine trust and rarely survive scrutiny if later challenged.
Keep contemporaneous records throughout: the plan itself, review meetings, the feedback given and any adjustments. These records are essential if the situation ultimately leads to dismissal and the fairness of the process is questioned.
Dismissal risk and fair process
Dismissing someone for poor performance carries real legal risk in Ireland and the UK, where employees with sufficient service are protected against unfair dismissal. There is no at-will employment as in the United States; you need both a fair reason and a fair procedure.
A fair procedure typically means the employee understanding the required standard, receiving clear warnings and a genuine chance to improve, being allowed representation at formal meetings, and having a right of appeal. Skipping these steps can render an otherwise justifiable dismissal unfair.
Some dismissals are automatically unfair regardless of length of service — for example, those connected to pregnancy, trade-union activity, whistleblowing or asserting a statutory right. Where any complexity exists, take professional advice before acting; the cost of advice is usually far lower than the cost of a successful claim before the WRC or an employment tribunal.
