AU Performance Management Program — Medium Business

01 — WHAT

What is it?

The Performance Management Program — AUS Medium is a comprehensive, ready-to-implement performance management system designed for Australian businesses with 16–100 staff. It gives HR managers, business owners, and team leaders a structured, legally defensible way to manage performance across multiple teams — with the manager accountability controls, reporting tools, and formal warnings framework that a medium-sized employer operating under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) needs.
It includes 51 documents covering every aspect of performance management — from setting KPIs and conducting calibrated annual reviews to managing underperformance, issuing s.387(e)-compliant warnings, running PIPs, managing probation, and making defensible employment decisions.
________________________________________

02 — WHO

Who is it for?

• HR managers and business owners with 16–100 staff
• Businesses with multiple managers who need consistent, compliant performance processes
• Organisations that have experienced or want to avoid Fair Work Commission proceedings
• Medium businesses that need formal warnings documentation before any performance dismissal
• Any AU employer who needs to demonstrate compliance with s.387 of the Fair Work Act
________________________________________

03 — WHY

Why does it matter?

For medium business employers, the stakes of getting performance management wrong are higher — more staff means more claims risk, more complex award coverage, and more managers making decisions that can create legal exposure for the business. The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) requirements apply regardless of business size, and the standard of documentation the Fair Work Commission expects increases with the resources available to the employer.

Relevant obligations include:
• Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) — unfair dismissal (ss.385–387), general protections (Part 3-1), NES
• Modern awards — automatic application by industry and occupation; annual wage review obligations
• Enterprise agreements — where applicable, additional process obligations
• Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) — APPs 3, 6, 11, and 12 govern all performance data
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) — psychosocial hazard obligations; Safe Work Australia Code of Practice
• Equal opportunity legislation — federal and state/territory; calibration required to identify systemic bias

Without a documented, manager-level performance program, medium businesses risk:
• Unfair dismissal claims where managers have issued informal rather than written warnings
• General protections claims with reversed burden of proof — from any point in employment
• Inconsistent ratings across managers that create discrimination exposure
• Modern award underpayment flowing from poor role classification and review processes
• WHS liability from performance management processes that create psychological harm
• Reputational damage and staff attrition from an unsupported or inconsistent review culture
________________________________________

04 — WHEN

When do you need it?

• Before rolling out a consistent performance review process across multiple teams
• Before any manager issues a formal warning without a documented procedure
• When underperformance action is being considered and documentation is insufficient
• Before any employment decision involving a staff member who has been on a PIP
• When modern award coverage across your workforce has not been formally confirmed
• Whenever a Fair Work Commission matter has exposed a gap in your existing process
_______________________________________

05 — WHERE

Where does it apply?

• Formal performance reviews — annual, mid-year, calibrated, and post-PIP
• Underperformance management — four-stage process with business owner approval gates
• Formal warnings — issued under 4.6 Warnings Procedure with 5.7 Formal Warning Record and 6.7 Warnings Register
• PIPs — business owner-approved, milestone-reviewed, legally defensible
• Probation — aligned to the 6-month MEP for standard employers with MEP end dates tracked in the register
• Modern award compliance — annual check with dedicated policy and checklist
• Manager reporting — monthly dashboard, quarterly report, department summary, and manager compliance register
________________________________________

06 — HOW

How does it work?

• Train all managers using the mandatory Manager Performance Management Training Guide before any formal action
• Set KPIs at the start of each cycle — documented and agreed using the KPI Tracking Form
• Conduct formal annual reviews using the structured procedure and calibration process
• Issue warnings correctly — business owner-approved, in writing, entered in the Warnings Register within 24 hours
• Manage underperformance through the four-stage procedure with approval gates at Stage 3 and 4
• Run PIPs with business owner sign-off, structured milestones, and documented outcomes
• Report on performance health monthly and quarterly — including Fair Work compliance metrics
• Audit the program annually — including modern award coverage, warnings register currency, and manager compliance
________________________________________

07 — INCLUDED

What is included?

• 1.0 Product Document Index
• 1.1 Welcome Pack
• 1.2 Quick Start Guide
• 1.3 30-Day Implementation Roadmap
• 1.4 Programme Navigation Guide
• 2.1 Executive Summary
• 3.1 Performance Management Policy
• 3.2 Performance Review Policy
• .3 KPI & Goals Policy
• 3.4 Underperformance Policy
• 3.5 Document Review & Update Policy
• 3.6 Probation Management Policy
• 3.7 Warnings Policy
• 3.8 Modern Award & Enterprise Agreement Policy
• 4.1 Performance Review Procedure
• 4.2 Underperformance Management Procedure
• 4.3 Performance Improvement Plan Procedure
• 4.4 Performance Review Approval Workflow
• 4.5 Probation Review Procedure
• 4.6 Warnings Procedure
• 5.1 Performance Review Form
• 5.2 KPI Tracking Form
• 5.3 Performance Improvement Plan Template
• 5.4 Manager Performance Conversation Record
• 5.5 Probation Review Form
• 5.6 Performance Improvement Sign-Off Record
• 5.7 Formal Warning Record
• 6.1 Performance Review Register
• 6.2 PIP Register
• 6.3 Action Plan Register
• 6.4 Version Control Register
• 6.5 Department Performance Summary Register
• 6.6 Manager Compliance Register
• 6.7 Formal Warnings Register
• 7.1 Manager Performance Conversation Guide
• 7.2 Performance Review Calibration Guide
• 7.3 Annual Review Guide
• 7.4 Monthly Review Checklist
• 7.5 New Starter Performance Framework
• 7.6 Quarterly Performance Report Template
• 7.7 Monthly Performance Dashboard
• 7.8 Difficult Performance Conversations Guide
• 7.9 Performance Management Audit Checklist
• 7.10 Fair Work & Unfair Dismissal Guidance Note
• 7.11 Modern Award Compliance Checklist
• 7.12 General Protections Guidance Note
• 7.13 WHS & Psychosocial Hazards Guidance Note
• 8.1 Manager Performance Management Training Guide
• 8.2 Staff Performance Management Briefing Guide
• 8.3 Advanced Manager Training — Difficult Conversations
• 8.4 Staff Self-Assessment Guide