Learn by Source
Starweaver · on Coursera

Managing Employee Performance

Beginner English Course CertificateFREE
SkillsPerformance managementFeedbackDifficult conversationsSetting expectationsCoachingPeople management

Is this course right for you?

Our take
A Starweaver course from Catherine Mattice built for the moment most new managers dread: their first real performance conversations.

Good for: New managers who need to handle performance conversations confidently.

Skip if: You want organisational theory or a formal HR qualification.

It's deliberately hands-on rather than theoretical — setting clear expectations, giving feedback that lands, and handling the difficult conversations without making them worse. As a focused primer for exactly that skill it's well judged, which also means it isn't the place for organisational theory or a formal HR qualification; it's about doing the conversation well, not studying the field.

Free to audit on Coursera; a certificate needs a subscription (about $49/month) or Coursera Plus, with financial aid available, and marks completion rather than a credential. The craft of a good feedback conversation doesn't date (as of 2026).

Comparison · LBS

Compare alternatives for Managing Employee Performance

Same topic, different options. We surface the trade-offs others hide so you can pick the course that actually fits your time, budget, and goals.
Coursera
Managing Employee Performance
Price
Free
Audit free · Certificate available
Duration
—
Level
Beginner
Certificate
Course Certificate
Udemy4.5(4,000)
TikTok Ads & Marketing Masterclass 2026
Price
Paid
Paid, frequently discounted
Duration
8 hrs
Level
Beginner
Certificate
Course Certificate
View course →
LinkedIn Learning4.7(8,476)
Strategic Thinking
Price
Paid
LinkedIn Learning subscription
Duration
0.9 hrs
Level
Beginner
Certificate
Course Certificate
View course →
LinkedIn Learning4.5(1,500)
Customer Success Manager Fundamentals
Price
Paid
LinkedIn Learning subscription
Duration
4 hrs
Level
Beginner
Certificate
Course Certificate
View course →
Prices & availability can change — confirm on the provider's site. We're not affiliated with any single provider.

About this course

Managing Employee Performance is built for new managers facing performance conversations for the first time. From Starweaver and instructor Catherine Mattice, it covers setting clear expectations, giving regular feedback, conducting evaluations, and handling performance issues constructively.

Browse all Leadership & Management courses Browse all Coursera courses

Instructor

CM
Catherine Mattice
Coursera instructor

Catherine Mattice is a management consultant and author specialising in workplace culture and performance. The course is delivered through Starweaver, a training provider that partners with practitioner-educators for applied, skills-focused courses.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, primarily. It focuses on the practical side of managing performance — setting expectations, giving feedback, coaching, appraisals, and handling underperformance — which new and less-experienced managers most need. It assumes no deep management background, so it suits people newly responsible for others' performance. Experienced managers may find parts familiar, but for someone building these skills it is well-targeted.

More practical than academic. It aims to give managers usable approaches for real performance conversations and processes rather than management theory, so the value is in techniques you can apply to your own team. As with any such course, the ideas land only when you actually use them — the course provides the structure; the practice happens in your day-to-day management.

No. It is a professional-development course from the training provider Starweaver, not an accredited HR qualification like a CIPD or SHRM credential. It teaches genuinely useful performance-management skills, but the certificate is a completion marker, not a recognised HR credential. If formal HR certification is your goal, look to the professional bodies; use this to build practical capability.

Typically you can audit it on Coursera (where Starweaver courses often appear) to watch the lectures at no cost, with the graded elements and certificate behind a subscription. Since much of the value is understanding and applying the performance-management approaches, auditing gives you the substance if you want the skills rather than the credential.

It is a focused course — typically a few hours to a couple of weeks at a modest pace, depending on the version. It is concept-and-practice oriented rather than a long program, so the time goes into absorbing the performance-management approaches and, ideally, trying them with your own team, which is where the real development happens.
Free
to audit
Enroll now