This conversation happens once the job expectations are clear, and the employee is at work or ready to return to work. The employer and employee work together to develop the plan that supports the employee’s success. The ultimate goal is to develop a plan that supports job success while maintaining well–being.
Once your employee has completed the Supporting Employee Success tool, they’ll be given a link to help them prepare for this conversation. For your preparation, you’ll want to be familiar with the employee’s feedback which you can view in the Dashboard. You can also review and modify these questions to suit your situation.
Potential questions
What will allow you to be successful at your job and still have energy at the end of the day?
Focus on getting at all the issues that will affect the employee's ability to be productive, including:
- Start time
- Break times
- Re-training needs
- Reorientation and reintegration into the workplace, if appropriate
- Gradual increase in hours and/or days worked, if stamina is an issue
- Tasks the employee is most confident about completing successfully
- Changes or modifications to tasks
- Changes or modifications to communication, including instructions, directions and feedback
- Attendance at meetings, offsite events or social events
What will you commit to that will help you successfully manage your return to work and maintain your well-being?
Support the employee to take both control and responsibility for their own well-being at work. Encourage them to come up with ideas. Some employees have answered this question in the following ways:
- I commit to taking my lunch break rather than staying at my desk, because I know it allows me to be more productive in the afternoon.
- I’ll write down instructions rather than ask for them several times.
- I won’t speak in anger. I’ll wait until I feel calm before responding.
- I won’t cry at my desk. I’ll briefly leave and compose myself and come back.
Are there current tasks you would like additional training or re-training on?
It can be quite stressful when someone feels they aren’t keeping up with new or evolving job requirements. By offering training or re-training, you can help eliminate some of that stress and set the employee up to be more successful.
How can feedback be provided to you in a positive and constructive way?
To help with this question, you may want to have the employee complete the Feedback preferences form | PDF and then have a discussion about what constructive feedback looks like for them. Be sure to include the agreed-upon approach in this plan.
How often would you like to receive feedback that recognizes your contribution?
To help with this question, you may want to have the employee complete the Recognition preferences form | PDF and then have a discussion about what recognition looks like for them. Be sure to include the agreed-upon approach in this plan. For more ideas, check out Recognition strategies for leaders.
How should future issues be managed in a way that is positive and healthy for you?
This question is intended to identify how you or others can best interact with the employee in the following situations:
- When you believe the employee may be unwell.
- Some leaders may be uncomfortable approaching an employee when they feel the employee may be experiencing a mental health issue. The employee may just be having a bad day. Approaching an employee will be easier for you both if they’ve already provided their preferred method in advance.
- Example: An employee suggested the supervisor say, "You don’t seem yourself today. Are you okay?"
- The actual words are less important than the shared understanding that you’re using them as directed by the employee to show your concern.
- When the plan isn’t being implemented in the way you and the employee agreed.
- There’s usually a honeymoon period following the development of a workplace plan in which everyone is trying their best for success. There will likely come a time when a challenge comes up. Having an agreed-upon process in writing for how to address this with the employee will make it much easier to deal with when or if it happens.
- Example: A workplace plan includes a bi-weekly 10-minute check-in with the supervisor to discuss how work’s going. The supervisor and the employee agree in advance that either of them could request a longer discussion if an item (work task or behaviour) wasn’t being implemented according to the plan. This helps to ensure that the 10-minute check-ins don’t become hour-long sessions on a regular basis. It also provides an opportunity for either party to review each section of the workplace plan to determine if everything is being carried out as agreed.
- When there are performance management issues.
- Discussing how to give critical or corrective feedback with an employee before a problem or challenge arises sets up a dynamic for a more positive outcome.
- Example: An employee asks that all critical feedback be done in a private setting and be accompanied by positive reinforcement. For more examples and information, see Performance management.
What else might you need from me or the organization to support your success at work?
This is just to be sure that all potential and current issues are addressed. If the employee says there’s nothing else, your plan is complete. But, if they have an answer, continue to ask, “And what else might you need?” until they are able to confirm that they don’t need anything else to be able to successfully do their job.
When, and how often, should we re-visit this agreement to make adjustments?
By setting up a schedule in advance, your plan is more likely to be successful and sustainable. In addition, regular follow-up holds both leaders and employees accountable to the plan.
For more guidance on how to create an employee plan, see Developing an employee plan for leaders.