Plan of Assistance

Evaluating Employees Who are Having Job Performance Difficulties

When a staff member is having difficulty, it is important to help them improve. The best way to initiate this improvement is by evaluation and, if necessary, through a Plan of Assistance. If a staff member is in need of such a plan, an intervention team from the Human Resources Department can help develop a program of improvement. A booklet entitled Plans of Assistance Process Guide for Principals and Department Supervisors is designed to help guide the administrator through the Plan of Assistance process.

Steps Leading to a Plan of Assistance
If an employee’s poor work performance indicates a need for a Plan of Assistance, before moving to a plan, be certain to have:

• Contacted a representative from Human Resources and notified her/him that there are concerns about an employee.
• Talked with the employee about her/his specific workplace performance behaviors which fall below acceptable standards and written a summary memo to the employee regarding the conversation. This memo includes the specific concerns that fell below acceptable standards, the resources that were offered to her/him to bring about improvement and the date set for a review of the employee's progress toward improvement.
• Monitored and kept a written record of the employee's efforts to bring about improvement in her/his workplace performance and provided her/him with constructive feedback about her/his efforts.
• Worked with the employee to encourage her/him to make a sustained commitment to improve her/his workplace performance. If the employee's workplace performance continues to fall below acceptable standards, talked with her/him about your continuing concerns and written a letter of serious concerns summarizing that meeting (formal directives are often included in the conversation and summary letter). The employee is also informed in the conversation and the letter that continued failure to make improvement may result in her/him being placed on a Plan of Assistance. A copy of the letter of serious concerns is placed in the employee's personnel file.
• Used formal directives to the employee to focus her/his attention on specific improvements needed in her/his workplace performance.
• Discussed with the employee the possibility of having to move to a Plan of Assistance to improve her/his specific workplace performance behaviors which fall below acceptable standards?
• Notified the Human Resources representative that you are ready to place the employee on a Plan of Assistance.
• Read the HR publication Plans of Assistance Process Guide for Principals and Department Supervisors (August 1993).
• Collaborated with the Human Resources Department representative to develop a draft of the proposed Plan of Assistance.

Minimum Lengths of Time for Plans of Assistance:
Educators with Contract Status = 45 working days
Probationary/Temporary Educators = 20 to 30 working days
Classified personnel = 10 to 30 working days

Important Notice Concerning Educators with Probationary Status:
If an educator with probationary status needs to be placed on a Plan of Assistance, it must be done no later than the first week in December. The plan must be completed no later than mid-January in order for the school board to take action by March 1, should nonrenewal be recommended.