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Performance reviews are challenging. They are time-consuming, often based on stale information, and employees rarely find them truly helpful. Traditional talent alignment is cumbersome for everyone involved, but it is possible to find a better way.
A recent survey of more than 2,000 workers showed a whopping
98 percent think annual performance reviews are unnecessary. About a quarter of that group were HR professionals.
Clearer Corporate Communication With Talent Alignment
Why is the employee review so viewed so negatively? It institutionalizes a process that should already be happening on a daily basis. The traditional approach to talent alignment is to discuss performance reviews as infrequently as every few months — sometimes only once a year. But this isn’t helpful to employees who want more immediate feedback from managers and supervisors. While the idea behind performance reviews is to improve corporate communication, they might actually be getting in the way.
Clear communication with employees is an important part of keeping teams motivated and on track. Yet communication becomes harder as organizations grow. A study by ClearCompany and Dale Carnegie called “How Leaders Grow Today” found that most communication and reinforcement of corporate goals occur on a quarterly basis. The study also found less than six percent of organizations communicate goals on a daily basis. Even more concerning, more than half of the respondents saw communication breakdowns as the number one problem with cascading organizational goals.
So how do you communicate goals, track progress, and reward your best workers without driving them crazy? Move to a real-time talent alignment system in favor of tired quarterly or annual performance reviews. Your employees can track their performance and you can correct mistakes before they turn into major problems.
Always Keep An Eye On Performance
By creating a clear picture of workflow, you can keep your employees on track and communicate effectively to avoid breakdowns of your message and goals. Allowing managers and executives a clear view of their company renders performance reviews obsolete.
Managers can address problems in the workforce as soon as they arise, rather than allowing them space to fester. Keeping employees aligned with company goals means ensuring organizational objectives cascade from the top of the org chart to the bottom. Using a talent alignment platform like ClearCompany, you can see how everything in your company connects. Employees can update you on their progress on a daily basis. When employees see how their day-to-day tasks translate into larger company goals, they become more engaged with company progress.
Improve Employee Recognition
A big part of performance review involves employee recognition and rewarding your best people. These rewards can be anything from compensation bonuses and salary increases to additional benefits and perks.
Traditionally, these rewards only come sporadically. Employees have to await each new performance review for recognition and these reviews could be separated by many months. This often translates into great people in your organization spending a lot of time feeling undervalued.
If you have a clearer view of workflow, you can see your best and brightest workers. You don't have to wait for an employee review to acknowledge and reward your top talent. You can now reward these all-star workers anytime because talent alignment allows for real-time employee recognition. The result? Employees with higher motivation year-round.
Talent alignment means doing away with the traditional performance reviews your HR department and your employees hate. Instead, you can react to your workforce immediately, strengthening corporate communication, improving employee recognition, and ultimately resulting in a more engaged and productive workforce.
IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr user PICNIC Network
