CODAC Management Manual

interview questions also demonstrate that all candidates were subject to the same questions and may be used to create a record of each candidate's responses. Interviewing skills should be honed so that any questions that are inappropriate or that may elicit information that could give rise to liability risks are not asked of a candidate. Questions regarding the following could be problematic: • Parental status • Age • Religion • Citizenship • Birthplace • National origin/ancestry • Race or Color • Disability • Genetic information (including family history) • Sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation) • Political affiliation • Military service • Any inquiry that is not job related or necessary for determining an applicant’s potential for employment A supervisor must also be able to defend a hiring decision by properly documenting and articulating why one candidate was chosen over another. A supervisor should never make any promises to a candidate regarding an employment offer before one is made or about the permanency of the job. Any stray remark could lead a candidate to believe that they are being offered a long-term employment contract instead of a job that is at-will. Authorized representatives within CODAC’s Human Resources department are the only ones authorized to make employment offers. HONESTY Honesty is the central requirement in communicating about an employee’s performance. A candid conversation with an employee regarding the level of their performance must be the central purpose of performance management. It takes time and no small amount of effort to adequately communicate to an employee about their performance. Candid performance management that includes a detailed discussion of strengths and weaknesses may prove difficult for a supervisor that hopes to be popular. However, if approached in a positive fashion, addressing negative performance issues can be communicated in a way that an employee may use as a tool for growth. Finally, an awkward conversation regarding poor performance is often preferable to a larger problem later due to dishonesty. Less-than-truthful performance management conversations can lead to a number of liability risks. See the Limiting Liability Risks section. MAKE IT A CONVERSATION During a performance management conversation (especially one in which less-than-stellar performance is being discussed), supervisors may instinctually monopolize the conversation in order to end the meeting quickly. Instead, a supervisor should always ask for an employee's input regarding his or her performance and any barriers that may exist to achieving better results. Open conversations include open ended questions. By having this two-way conversation, a supervisor may learn of various challenges that could be addressed to improve performance.

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