PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Part 2
Employee Relations
Within A Vet Practice
Andrew Christie
BComm (Industrial Psychology)
This article is the second in a series of three which deal with maintaining
positive and mutually fulfilling employee relations within a Vet Practice.
The first article dealt with the start of the employment relationship (recruitment, selection and appointment); this article explores management of the employment relationship (performance management, the grievance procedure and the creation of an
HR policy) and the third will examine the termination of the employment relationship
(resignations and dismissals, as well as the disciplinary procedure).
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The first step in achieving this is recruiting and selecting the appropriate staff correctly – as outlined in the
first article in this series. Maintaining an optimal employee relationship consists of 3 main components,
which will be examined in this article:
1. Managing performance on an ongoing basis
2. The creation and upkeep of a Human Resource
Policy and related policies
3. The establishment and application of a formal
grievance procedure
However, performance management should be an
ongoing process and can very often be less formal.
Introduction
Maintaining good relations with employees is
crucial, not only for a positive and productive work
environment, but also to limit the possibility of future
disciplinary action and unfair labour practices which
could result in CCMA hearings.
Performance Management
Most people understand performance management to be an annual event, one that causes fear and
apprehension amongst staff and creates frustration
among the practice management at the additional paperwork caused.
This means fewer issues need to be addressed annually, and the staff members can address performance
issues on an ongoing basis.
In the first article, the job description was outlined and
briefly discussed. From the job description, the sections relating to “general responsibilities” and “perfor-
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