Performance Improvement Policy
This policy defines the structured, transparent framework for managing and remediating underperformance across anDREa B.V. (anDREa). Designed around ISO/IEC 27001:2023 (A.06.02- Terms and Conditions of Employment ) and NIS 2 personnel security principles, this policy balances a commitment to professional development with the operational realities of a lean cloud-enterprise. All procedures strictly comply with Dutch employment law under the Work and Security Act (Wet Werk en Zekerheid - WWZ) and corporate Risk Inventory and Evaluation (RI&E) protocols.
This policy undergoes mandatory evaluation and re-validation annually or immediately following key regulatory shifts.
1. Context, Definitions, & The Operational Floor
To maintain platform velocity and strict adherence to our certification baselines, every team member must continuously achieve and uphold acceptable performance targets.
- Underperformance Defined: A consistent, documented failure to meet established, clearly communicated performance expectations or standards aligned to an individual's designated job responsibilities.
- Proactive Dialogue: Employees are strongly encouraged to act proactively, immediately bringing up concerns regarding their own capacity, resource limitations, or operational blockers directly to their leads.
- The Resource Boundary Constraint: While anDREa actively provides constructive support systems, our small size means the organization cannot sustainably carry the operational burden of an individual's unfulfilled tasks over an extended period. This framework protects collective team capacity from structural strain.
2. Feedback Layers & The 4-Eye Performance Review
Performance management operates through two distinct operational feedback tracks:
A. Dynamic Informal Feedback
Between structured check-ins, managers and direct leads address performance variables informally. These discussions clarify team expectations, surface underlying technical issues, and deliver immediate support without introducing bureaucratic friction.
B. Formal Feedback & The Quarterly Evaluation
To ensure structured alignment, formal reviews are executed on a mandatory quarterly cadence.
- The 4-Eye Principle: All quarterly evaluations are conducted by the employee's direct lead in the absolute presence of an HR representative.
- The HR Mediation Floor: The HR representative serves an explicit mediating function, guaranteeing a psychologically safe environment and facilitating transparent dialogue around sensitive or complex topics.
- Documentation: Reviews require compiling the official Employee Evaluation Form under the guidelines of the master Performance Review Process.
3. The Structured Formal Improvement Lifecycle
If informal coaching and formal quarterly checkpoints fail to drive an employee's output to baseline expectations, management will initiate a three-step formal remediation lifecycle:
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 1: THE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT MEETING │
│ Draft 3-month plan with measurable goals & support │
└───────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 2: BI-WEEKLY / MONTHLY AUDIT MATRIX │
│ Track trajectory, resolve blockers, log milestones │
└───────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEP 3: FINAL EVALUATION & SIGN-OFF │
│ Sufficient Lift: Exit | Failure: Formal Separation │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 1: The Performance Improvement Meeting
The direct lead initiates a formal session to establish unalterable baselines. This session results in a written improvement plan detailing:
- Deficit Mapping: Explicitly pinpointing the specific areas of functional underperformance.
- Target Mapping: Establishing clear, objective, and measurable performance objectives.
- Support Allocation: Defining dedicated company-funded support measures (such as targeted technical training, peer mentoring, or executive coaching).
- The Timeline Horizon: Setting clear execution windows—standardized at 3 months—punctuated by mandatory, scheduled review dates. The employee receives explicit written confirmation of the finalized matrix.
Step 2: Regular Review Meetings
Mandatory check-ins are conducted on a bi-weekly or minimum monthly cadence. These tracking sessions evaluate intermediate progress, proactively mitigate systemic barriers, adjust active support allocations if technically justified, and document milestone trajectories.
Step 3: Final Review & Consequences
At the conclusion of the 3-month lifecycle, a final evaluation is executed by the lead and HR to determine the trajectory:
- Sufficient Improvement: The formal tracking file is closed, and the employee returns to the standard informal monitoring track.
- Insufficient Improvement: The direct lead and HR review operational consequences, which are strictly limited to three options under Dutch law:
- Extension: Granting a final extension of the improvement plan, capped at a maximum of 3 additional months.
- Reassignment: Reallocation to alternative organizational duties (subject strictly to suitability and active role availability).
- Termination: Formal cancellation of the employment contract executed in strict accordance with the WWZ, applying all statutory notice periods, legal authorization tracks, and applicable severance configurations.
4. Fundamental Employee Rights & Policy Onboarding
To guarantee absolute fairness, any employee subject to this policy retains three unalterable structural rights:
- The Trusted Person Rule: The right to be accompanied by a trusted advisor, legal counsel, or internal employee representative during every formal meeting executed under this framework.
- Objective Evidence Floor: The right to receive clear, objective, non-anecdotal, and thoroughly documented performance data.
- The Opportunity Standard: The right to a fair, logical, and reasonable window of time to actively correct documented performance deficits.
Reviewing and digitally signing this policy is a mandatory condition of employment. It forms a core component of the baseline Policy Agreements that must be completed and logged within an individual's first week of corporate onboarding.
Central Compliance Registers (Internal Audit Access Only)
- Corporate Performance Review Process Guide
- The Master anDREa Employee Evaluation Ledger (Employee Contracts)
- Statutory Notice & WWZ Dismissal Checklist (Dutch Labor Code Alignment)