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Employee performance management

Find out how to manage the performance of employees at work with our selection of articles, books and online resources.
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Latest on employee performance management

Read our latest features and articles on employee performance management.
Finance team toolkit part 4: the right people
  • Article
  • 17 Feb 2023
If the current war for talent shows us anything, it’s that systems and processes are nothing without talented people. Here finance transformation executive, Neil Cutting focuses on the ‘people pillar’ of organisational transformation.
How to recognise and help male victims of domestic abuse
  • Article
  • 29 Mar 2021
Domestic abuse cases have risen over the course of lockdown. Male victims are three times less likely to confess they are suffering from domestic abuse than a female victim, making it harder to spot.
Exclusive How to deal with people problems
  • Article
  • 06 Apr 2020
Handling people well will make things go right
Business performance management: When not to measure
  • Article
  • 02 Mar 2017
When not to measure, provides some ideas on why measurement systems are not resulting in the behaviours your organisation desires.
Exclusive Measure by measure
  • Article
  • 08 Jan 2014
Performance measurement is an ongoing struggle for many organisations. But how can it be improved? Mike Bourne maps out the journey and assesses the obstacles.
Exclusive Ten steps to performance success
  • Article
  • 08 Mar 2013
When the faculty identified ten factors for good performance management, they were tested in a global study by the Advanced Performance Institute. Bernard Marr examines the details.
Exclusive 10 BPM tools every manager needs to know
  • Article
  • 17 Jan 2013
Managing business performance is everyone’s everyday job. You could argue that making sure the business is performing well is THE job of any manager. The challenge is that there are many different tools available to mange business performance, here I want to look at 10 popular BPM tools that every manager should know.
Exclusive Integrate performance and risk framework
  • Article
  • 15 Jan 2013
Many organisations run their performance management approaches and risk management approaches separately. The Royal Air Force (RAF) wanted to ensure that they were integrated and that an assessment of their performance led to a reflection on the risks and issues.

Reports

Exclusive Special Report 64: Managing People
  • Report
  • 2019
  • PDF (1,487kb)
Managing people is one of the most important skills needed to successfully navigate your way to the top of the corporate ladder. This report provides practical tips and advice on topics such as team management, dealing with difficult people and the effect of technology on recruitment.
Multi-dimensional performance frameworks
  • Report
  • 2018
Academic research that analyses multi-dimensional performance frameworks and strategic investment decision-making.
Finance business partnering - a guide
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2018
  • PDF (2,833kb)
This report provides practical advice for those considering business partnering initiatives and those looking to improve their approach.
Exclusive Special Report 56: Soft skills that FDs need
  • Report
  • 2017
  • PDF (5,953kb)
A special report looking at the soft skills that FDs need to succeed
Business Performance Management: When not to measure
  • Report
  • 2017
  • PDF (1,936kb)
This report sets out a series of ways in which we can better understand performance management and control, extending beyond the naturally dominant themes of measurement and key performance indicators (KPIs). Sometimes we may have to confront, and accept, that not everything relevant can be measured
Exclusive Special Report 39: Leadership
  • Report
  • 2012
  • PDF (572kb)
This special report on leadership has been compiled to point you in the right direction in your leadership search. The authors all firmly support the idea that, although some leaders may be born, many more are made, and the appropriate training and support forms a vital component in this development.
Exclusive Special Report 34: Balanced scorecard
  • Report
  • 2011
  • PDF (442kb)
This special report discusses how to ensure success, the technology available to support the tool and how to incorporate your business strategic objectives into your balanced scorecard.
Finance Function: a framework for analysis
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2011
  • PDF (694kb)
Building effective finance functions is a key concern of organisations and finance professionals. This report provides a foundation for considering the key challenges and a reference source for those analysing or researching the role of the finance function.
More reports

Webinars

Better people management
  • Webinar
  • 2020
Practical ways to help improve your people management skills including being able to deal with difficult situations.
Difficult conversations
  • Webinar
  • 2018
This webinar provides practical tips on how to deal with difficult conversations. It took place on 11 July 2018.
More webinars

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Assessment methods in recruitment selection and performance
  • eBook
  • 2005
  • Robert Edenborough
  • Kogan Page
A manager's guide to psychometric testing, interviews and assessment centres.
Exclusive Conversations about job performance: a communication perspective on the appraisal process
  • eBook
  • 2012
  • Michael Gordon, Vernon Miller
  • Business Expert Press
A new approach to job appraisals for practitioners and advanced students.
Exclusive Effective people management
  • eBook
  • 2011
  • Pat Wellington
  • Kogan Page
A short guide to team management and leadership.
Exclusive Essentials of business ethics: creating an organisation of high integrity and superior performance
  • eBook
  • 2009
  • Denis Collins
  • John Wiley and Sons
A practical guide to managing ethics in organisations.
Exclusive First-time manager's guide to performance appraisals, The
  • eBook
  • 2008
  • Diane Arthur
  • Amacom
Guide to performance appraisals from a US perspective.
Exclusive How to engage, evaluate and align employees
  • eBook chapter
  • 2014
  • Anne Francke
  • FT Press
A chapter covering: how to get employees more engaged; how to do a meaningful performance review that improves performance; how to align employees and ensure decision making clarity.
Exclusive Investment appraisal: applications and risk
  • eBook chapter
  • 2019
  • Denzil Watson, Antony Head
  • Pearson Education
A chapter on how the investment appraisal process can take account of the effects of taxation and inflation on project cash flows and the required rate of return.
Exclusive Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs
  • eBook
  • 2020
  • David Parmenter
  • Wiley
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) help define and measure the organizational goals which are fundamental to an organization's current and future success. This book provides a model for simplifying the complex areas of KPIs while helping organizations avoid common mistakes and hazards.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More HR eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive Root out gender and ethnicity bias in performance reviews
  • Article
  • 01 Oct 2022
  • Judy Ellis
  • TD - Talent Development
Give managers guidance on setting objective criteria to evaluate staff performance, and teach them to recognise their biases. Judy Ellis has some advice on strengthening your organization's performance appraisal system in light of your diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals.
Exclusive Management accounting systems and performance measurement at Lean companies
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2021
  • Lawrence P.Grasso, Thomas Tyson
  • Management Accounting Quarterly
Results from a survey of manufacturers interested in or actively engaged in Lean manufacturing and Lean production. The authors' research supports the common perception that Lean transformation of the accounting function lags behind other areas.
Exclusive Employee appraisals and the calibration process
  • Article
  • 01 Nov 2020
  • Will Demere, Karen Sedatole, Alexander Woods
  • Strategic Finance
The article discusses the calibration process in employees' annual performance appraisal. It states that involving higher-level managers on the process will prevent bias and favouritism, thus preventing negative feedback affecting employee motivation. It suggests that this process will improve consistency and increase employee satisfaction.
Exclusive Appraising the performance appraisal
  • Article
  • 01 Jan 2020
  • Deanna M Merritt
  • Supervision
Article analysis the performance appraisal process and makes suggestions how to improve it.
Exclusive CFOs: How to enable finance as a business partner
  • Article
  • 20 Mar 2019
  • Neil James
  • CFO Innovation Asia
How to use the integrated business planning (IBP) approach to support finance business partnering in your organisation. IBP can be used in various elements of performance appraisal by the finance business partner, such as budgetary control, alignment of KPIs and risk management.
Exclusive Feedback doesn't always work
  • Article
  • 01 Mar 2019
  • Marcus Buckingham, Ashley Goodall
  • Harvard Business Review
Article discusses how giving employees feedback, whether it be positive or negative may not be as effective as believed and may actually negatively affect an employees development.
Exclusive "Getting our managers to change is the most powerful thing we've done"
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2018
  • Jo Faragher
  • People Management
The article reports on the growing number of companies replacing annual employee and business appraisals with a more frequent evaluation scheme. Topics discussed include the factors behind the growing move away from annual appraisals, the factors that may influence the success or failure of changes to the annual appraisal and the benefits and potential negative effects of regular discussions or appraisals.
Exclusive The fairness factor
  • Article
  • 01 Jun 2018
  • Bryan Hancock, Elizabeth Hioe, Bill Schaninger
  • McKinsey Quarterly
Discusses the role of fairness in performance management, including employee perceptions, business priorities, arbitration and rewarding success. The article also looks at the use of digital technologies in performance management.
More articles

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on employee performance management. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue (Libcat).

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

External resources - Acas guidance

Advice, guidance and practical resources on a wide variety of recruitment topics for both employers and employees, produced by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Acas. Acas is the employment relations service for England, Scotland and Wales offering practical, independent and impartial advice to employers, employees and their representatives.
Acas guide on managing people
  • Website
Acas guide covering how to motivate staff and improve staff performance.
Acas guide to induction
  • Website
Acas advice for employers on how to settle in a new employee once they have accepted a job offer.
Appraisals templates
  • Website
Acas template appraisal forms and an appraisal questionnaire for managers and employers to use.
Capability procedures
  • Website
Acas advice on how to manage capability issues - a procedure based on encouraging their employee to improve.
Managing-staff who work from home
  • Website
Acas guidance on how managers can support staff, manage and monitor performance, and keep in touch.
Measuring staff performance
  • Website
Acas guidance on considerations to make when setting performance measurements, setting objectives and performance conversations. A draft record of performance is included.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

External resources

Centre for Business Performance
  • Website
  • Centre for Business Performance
Based at the Cranfield School of Management, the Centre for Business Performance specialises in the design, implementation, use and ongoing maintenance of performance measurement and management systems.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
  • Website
  • CIPD
The CIPD website features news, training courses and research publications on a wide range of employment issues including including diversity, performance management, employee relations, recruitment and training.
People Management
  • Website
  • CIPD
Free online magazine of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), with latest news, employment law updates and viewpoints.
Performance appraisals
  • Website
  • Start Up Donut
An overview of employee performance appraisals from the Start Up Donut
Performance management
  • Website
  • Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Factsheets, podcasts and reports from the CIPD on performance management, covering such topics as: competence and competency frameworks, performance appraisal and 360 degree feedback. Registration required for access to content .
Performance management
  • Website
  • Personnel Today
Articles and features on employee performance management from Personnel Today magazine
Personal development plans
  • Website
  • Atom Content Marketing
An overview of Personnel Development Plans (PDPs) from the Start Up Donut. PDPs are a way to manage an employees performance and link the employee's professional and personal development with the development of a business
Unwritten rules
  • Website
  • Catalyst
This series provides access to reports and tools on how to learn, leverage and communicate an organisation's own unwritten rules which exist alongside formal talent management and performance review schemes. The research examines the impact of these unwritten rules and emphasises that those, often women, ‘who do not have the tools to access this maze of unwritten rules and the important knowledge these rules provide remain left out, no matter how competent they are’.
Terms of use

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided 'as is' with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

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