Positive performance management
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The Queensland public sector uses a positive performance management framework to help employees thrive. The Public Sector Act 2022 establishes the principles for this approach. The Positive Performance Directive 02/24 directs public sector managers on how to apply these positive performance principles when managing employee work performance.
Under the framework, managers must set clear expectations, so employees understand their role responsibilities and how their role contributes to their agency’s strategic objectives. Managers must also provide regular and constructive feedback, communicate any gaps between actual and expected work performance and identify training and development opportunities.
Performance expectations
Working for Queensland (WfQ) survey results consistently show that employees clearly understand their role expectations and how their work drives organisational success.
Positive performance management is strengthened when employees receive regular feedback from their manager or supervisor and have access to learning and development opportunities. Learning and development can occur through a range of formal and informal approaches, including job shadowing, on-the-job learning experiences, mentoring, coaching, secondments and training courses.
Survey responses suggest that stronger engagement between managers, supervisors and employees supports improved performance. Results are reported on a frequency scale, with positive results representing the proportion of respondents who report these behaviours occur often or always.
Analysis of the WfQ survey results indicates that improved performance management practices by managers and supervisors will result in higher levels of employee engagement. For example, the frequency of informal and constructive conversations about performance can have a significant impact on engagement.
The impact of positive performance management:
When an employee states that their manager never or rarely provides informal or constructive feedback or acknowledges good performance, employee engagement is low (23%).
When an employee states that their manager often and always provides informal or constructive feedback or acknowledges good performance, employee engagement increased to 80%
Source: WfQ 2025.
Manager/supervisor communication
Effective communication is a key part of positive performance management. Managers and supervisors play an important role in setting clear expectations, providing feedback and supporting employee performance. WfQ survey results indicate that employee perceptions of manager and supervisor communication are positive and continue to improve over time.
Performance and wellbeing
A strong focus on employee health, safety and wellbeing drives a high-performance culture. To sustain this performance, organisations must help employees understand their safety obligations, manage their wellbeing, and create psychologically safe environments.
| Responses | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| I feel that my organisation considers the wellbeing of employees to be important. | 66% | 63% |
| I am confident in my understanding of my health and safety obligations. | 89% | 90% |
| I am confident discussing my wellbeing with my manager or supervisor. | 72% | 73% |
| In my workgroup, we proactively discuss workplace safety. | 38% | 39% |
| In my workgroup, we discuss ways to promote wellbeing. | 40% | 41% |
| My manager or supervisor proactively encourages people to speak up if they feel something could be a risk to their health, safety or wellbeing. | 71% | 73% |
Source: WfQ 2024–2025
| Responses | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Psychological safety index | 76% | 76% |
| In my workgroup, we share lessons learned. | 82% | 82% |
| My workgroup accepts others for being different. | 81% | 81% |
| In my workgroup, we work together to manage workload. | 79% | 80% |
| In my workgroup, we can raise and discuss problems and tough issues. | 79% | 79% |
| If I make a mistake, I don't feel my workgroup will hold it against me. | 75% | 76% |
| Members of my workgroup value and use my unique skills and talent. | 73% | 74% |
| I don’t feel anyone in this workgroup would deliberately act in a way that would undermine another member's efforts. | 71% | 71% |
| In my workgroup, it is safe to take calculated or managed risks. | 65% | 65% |
Source: WfQ 2024–2025.