4 Best Practices for Your Performance Management Process

Employee performance management is a critical aspect of company performance. Especially during a times of economic uncertainty, communicating closely with your employees is priority to weathering the storm. Right now, many companies are administering mid-year reviews. The last few months have been a unique challenge, and performance reviews may pose a challenge as well since none of us have ever experienced pivoting talent expectations at the outbreak of a global pandemic. But the benefit of a good performance management process, is that it amenable to changing needs.

Check out these 4 performance management best practices that any organization can benefit from, under any circumstances:

1. Clearly Dictate Goals and Roles

The human brain is conditioned to best remember groupings of 3 or 4 items at a time. Often, organizations become hyper-ambitious in their goal-setting strategies, with many companies attempting to achieve 8, 9, or 10+ goals at once. Issues begin to arise when employees and leaders are unable to remember their goals. A study from the London Business School found that over 66% of senior-level managers are unable to identify the priorities of their organization. When it comes to organizational goals, the more clearly defined and specific the goal, the better.

By narrowing down the focus to a set of specific and measurable objectives, your team can more easily attain their goals. The same logic applies to organizational role descriptions. Organizations with clearly defined roles and responsibilities see higher levels of engagement than companies with unclear expectations. As you manage and evaluate your team's performance, take the time to review the goals and responsibilities for each member. Pay close attention to areas that could use clarification and find ways to improve the clarity of performance expectations.

Bonus Content: Want more information about goal-setting? Check out our blog, 7 Noteworthy Tips for Successful Employee Goal Setting.

2. Monitor and Provide Feedback Continuously

Continual conversations allow managers the opportunity to highlight areas in current processes that need improvement in real-time. There are many benefits to having frequent performance conversations, such as boosts in productivity, reduced turnover rates, and increased engagement. Performance management software assists in this process by continuously monitoring engagement and providing measurable results. Managers can and should be utilizing this information when giving feedback and communicating with employees.

Bonus Content: Check out our step-by-step infographic for providing quality feedback!

Professional development is an ongoing process for all members of an organization. Managers, employees, and even executive leaders should capitalize on opportunities for training and development. Studies have shown 47% of employees state they would be more productive and engaged at work with increased training opportunities. Increased engagement is one of the many benefits that come from professional development. Through consistent training, employees gain a deeper understanding of job responsibilities and goals, leading to improved work performance.

Pro Tip: It takes practice and patience to become an effective coach. Help to better you and your managerial staff’s skills by investing in professional coaching training.

3. Review and Recognize Success

Part of the performance management process is reviewing the results of your efforts and determining their effectiveness. Rather than discuss the results at the end of the quarter or fiscal year, managers should continually evaluate whether their current processes support employees in their responsibilities.

Additionally, utilize the results from your performance management software to provide recognition to high performers, or employees who need a boost in motivation. By effectively using recognition and employee appreciation, leaders can see quantifiable results such as higher profits, productivity, and more satisfied customers.

4. Keep It Professional

There are bound to be difficult conversations, as with any discussion about performance. Strong, professional leaders do not shy away from these tough topics but embrace them as an opportunity for improvement. Through proper training and practice, leaders can learn how to navigate these conversations effectively. One tip experts have: keep your feedback on employee behaviors rather than personal characteristics. Performance feedback indicates areas that can be improved or adjusted. Employees are much more willing and capable of changing their behavior than their personalities when it comes to job performance. Remain mindful of how you structure your feedback; always end conversations with action items that employees can act on immediately.

The performance management process evolves as technology improves. Leaders have increased access to data, and with ClearCompany’s Performance Management Software solutions, managers can track performance and measure results in real-time. By following these 4 steps, managers can ensure they are utilizing their data most efficiently and effectively.

If you’d like to learn more about how ClearCompany’s Performance Management Software can help your organization reach its goals, reach out to one of our experts today to schedule a free demo.