HR Recruitment Blog | HR Recruitment Insights

Make Performance Management Part Of The Daily Conversation

More and more we are seeing a shift away the annual appraisal system. It can be a costly and timely exercise. Where they are done due to process, employees can end up feeling dissatisfied rather than more engaged. Performance management is increasingly deemed to be an ongoing process and not an annual event. An employee can easily go on the defensive when something is brought up at their annual review that was never mentioned to them before. Likewise the employee could highlight issues to the manager, which if given the opportunity could have been discussed and resolved months earlier. Performance management can only truly be effective when it becomes part of an organisation’s and its employee’s daily actions. The new method of performance management is to foster an ongoing culture of informal and spontaneous performance reviews through ongoing feedback, coaching, support and guidance. This can be done in conjunction with a more formal process which will avoid any bombshells dropped by either party at an annual review. It is now rather a continuation of an already ongoing conversation. Pre-requisites of ongoing performance management: Establish clear goals. This should happen at induction and be repeated on an ongoing basis. Coach along the way, identify weaknesses and areas for development, recognise success and encourage conversation. Golden rules of giving feedback: Constructive feedback is always more effective the closer it is to the event. The risk of waiting for a formal review is the possibility of the employee resenting that they were not told earlier and given the opportunity to improve. They could also continue with the ‘wrong behaviour’ in blissful ignorance. Equally positive feedback can reinforce the right behaviour and really motivate staff. Give specific feedback, don’t be vague. Explain the consequences both positive and negative, of doing the job correctly or incorrectly. Is this the right setting, do you risk embarrassing the employee if it is in front of others? Would a private setting be better? The employee needs to know that feedback is provided to develop them, not to punish them. Are they listening? Do they know what is expected of them going forward? Why not check by asking them to tell you what they will do from here on going forward and see if their answer is in line with what you had in mind. If it differs do you need to adapt? Collaboration – Listen Listen Listen! Why does the employee feel there has been poor performance? What suggestions do they have for improvement? Benefits of effective performance management to an organisation include: Hold on to your top talent! Employees including your highest performers are less likely to leave. Employees are incentivised to perform at a high level. Empowered Employees! A culture of employee accountability is fostered. As the employee becomes more independent, learns more skills and takes on greater responsibility the management job becomes easier. Identify problem areas quicker. Poor performance can be identified and improved. Your customer will have a better experience. Employees will be more motivated when they have been coached and received feedback. No matter what terms are used to describe it: coaching, feedback, goal setting, measuring performance, development etc., the common trend is that companies are striving to make performance management ingrained in the daily culture of the organisation and the actions of its employees and management. This may or may not be coupled with a formal annual appraisal system, with or without a ratings system. Either way increased two-way ongoing communication should lead to a more open and honest relationship between a manager and their employee, a workforce that are motivated and understand their role within the larger organisation as well as a more productive and effective performance by the individual, the team and the company. More and more we are seeing a shift away the annual appraisal system. It can be a costly and timely exercise. Where they are done due to process, employees can end up feeling dissatisfied rather than more engaged. Performance management is increasingly deemed to be an ongoing process and not an annual event. An employee can easily go on the defensive when something is brought up at their annual review that was never mentioned to them before. Likewise the employee could highlight issues to the manager, which if given the opportunity could have been discussed and resolved months earlier. Performance management can only truly be effective when it becomes part of an organisation’s and its employee’s daily actions. The new method of performance management is to foster an ongoing culture of informal and spontaneous performance reviews through ongoing feedback, coaching, support and guidance. This can be done in conjunction with a more formal process which will avoid any bombshells dropped by either party at an annual review. It is now rather a continuation of an already ongoing conversation. Pre-requisites of ongoing performance management: Establish clear goals. This should happen at induction and be repeated on an ongoing basis. Coach along the way, identify weaknesses and areas for development, recognise success and encourage conversation. Golden rules of giving feedback: Constructive feedback is always more effective the closer it is to the event. The risk of waiting for a formal review is the possibility of the employee resenting that they were not told earlier and given the opportunity to improve. They could also continue with the ‘wrong behaviour’ in blissful ignorance. Equally positive feedback can reinforce the right behaviour and really motivate staff. Give specific feedback, don’t be vague. Explain the consequences both positive and negative, of doing the job correctly or incorrectly. Is this the right setting, do you risk embarrassing the employee if it is in front of others? Would a private setting be better? The employee needs to know that feedback is provided to develop them, not to punish them. Are they listening? Do they know what is expected of them going forward? Why not check by asking them to tell you what they will do from here on going forward and see if their answer is in line with what you had in mind. If it differs do you need to adapt? Collaboration – Listen Listen Listen! Why does the employee feel there has been poor performance? What suggestions do they have for improvement? Benefits of effective performance management to an organisation include: Hold on to your top talent! Employees including your highest performers are less likely to leave. Employees are incentivised to perform at a high level. Empowered Employees! A culture of employee accountability is fostered. As the employee becomes more independent, learns more skills and takes on greater responsibility the management job becomes easier. Identify problem areas quicker. Poor performance can be identified and improved. Your customer will have a better experience. Employees will be more motivated when they have been coached and received feedback. No matter what terms are used to describe it: coaching, feedback, goal setting, measuring performance, development etc., the common trend is that companies are striving to make performance management ingrained in the daily culture of the organisation and the actions of its employees and management. This may or may not be coupled with a formal annual appraisal system, with or without a ratings system. Either way increased two-way ongoing communication should lead to a more open and honest relationship between a manager and their employee, a workforce that are motivated and understand their role within the larger organisation as well as a more productive and effective performance by the individual, the team and the company.

Please Don’t Go! How To Retain Top Talent In Your Organisation

Businesses exert a lot of time and resources in sourcing and appointing the right people. Having excellent staff is great but you cannot rest on your laurels. Competitors are always ready to prise them away with lucrative offers. How do you ensure that your best and brightest remain happy in their jobs and committed to your company? Create a nice atmosphere If your workplace is a pleasant place to work, your staff will feel more comfortable and have less reason to seek a move. Good rapport can be fostered by organising occasional staff outings, parties and collective participation in charity events. The investment in morale boosting activities can be crucial to staff retention in the long run. Keep the lines of communication open The phrase ‘my door is always open’ may be a cliché, but every manager should operate an open door policy. Look for employees input at meetings and ask for feedback when introducing new measures or projects and consider implementing suggestions they might have. This openness and transparency generates positivity amongst staff as they feel that you trust them and value their input and opinions. Keep staff challenged The best talent in any organisation want to be challenged in their role. If they are not stimulated by their work they may consider looking for pastures new. Vary tasks where possible. Assign staff to testing projects where they can put their skill set to use in different areas of the company. This will help invigorate staff and make them feel that every day at work represents a new challenge. Reward excellence Hard work and great results need to be acknowledged by management. Few things are more disheartening in the workplace than top class work not being appreciated. Acknowledgement can take the form of bonuses and generous commission rates or staff outings and parties. If employers feel their efforts are going unnoticed they can feel undervalued and begin to look at other organisations where they may receive more recognition and rewards. Allow for work/life balance Companies that recognise that employees have lives outside of the workplace generally have higher staff retention rates. If at all possible, offer schemes that allow for flexi time and even working from home. For example I’m currently working remotely from Canada for Sigmar in Ireland as I really wanted to go travelling for a few months without having to look for a job, so my boss has let me do that. Ensure that you have adequate sick leave in place and provide sufficient holiday time. If employees don’t feel that they are receiving good perks or are unhappy with their work/life balance they could think about making a move. Provide a platform for continued learning Assertive employees want to learn and grow within an organisation. Allow them to attend seminars and training courses and sit internal exams if feasible. Staff will be grateful for the chance to upskill and increase their knowledge base. Opportunity for progression Every ambitious employee has the desire to progress their career as much as possible. It’s vital that structures are in place to allow progression. Hiring from within the organisation can have a really positive effect. Staff can see that there is a chance of advancement within the company. If talented members of the organisation see senior roles being filled by outside candidates, they can feel undervalued and become disheartened. This may lead to them seeking a move to another company where they feel they may receive the opportunities they deserve. Conclusion We hear time and again that employees are an organisations most valuable resource. Keeping them feeling valued and satisfied should be one of your main priorities. Staff leaving can be bad for company spirit and hinder productivity, while finding replacements can be difficult. Happy employees who are comfortable in their post are a lot less likely to leave. The onus is on you as a company to ensure that your employees are content and fulfilled in the job.