I have an employee who is very good at her current responsibilities and has indicated an interest in advancement. I want to develop an action plan to advance her within the bank but am not sure how to address some of the issues that would need to improve before she could be promoted. The action plan will be a six month plan with task to complete to improve her knowledge of banking, manage a project, etc but I also need her to improve in areas of a more personal nature.
I need her to improve her attendance as she frequently will let me know at the last minute she is taking time off.
She can be emotional at times – if there is something going on outside of work she often brings it into work and discusses it with others in the department and spends time on the phone calling her mother, husband etc.
She dresses ok for her clerical position but if she is promoted to a junior officer position I need her to dress more professionally.
There have been times that she has received call from bill copllectors or has overdrawn her employee account.
While these have been addressed both formally and informally, can improvement in these areas be made part of an action plan.
(She really does do a good job at her assigned responnsibilities!!!)

IMO, these personal items need to be the action plan, before embarking on the professional items.

Once she has demonstrated that she can get these items together and in order, then create a new action plan based on growing her banking knowledge, and her advancement there.

No sense in pursing the latter until she can demonstrate that she can handle and manage the basics as you describe above, otherwise you will be going through this a second time, with her replacement.

I can't offer much advice on an action plan, but thread carefully on this issue. I would have multiple people in the room if this topic is brought up. A local bank I know is fighting a sexual harassment case due to this very issue.