WorldatWork conducted a study in which they asked organizations to rate their performance management systems. Not surprisingly, 58% of those organizations gave their performance management system a “C” or below.
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Marching orders don’t cut it anymore.
Barking orders from the top, down with little context and no real goal alignment is now an antiquated method of corporate communication. Today’s workforce craves more involvement on the macro level of the organization. They need to see, hear and feel how their work impacts the entire organization. They want accountability through transparency, not one-way communication from management.
Leaders need leadership.
This new concept of a two-way dialogue between employer and employee, creating accountability through organizational transparency and clearly and constantly communicating goals isn’t learned in a memo. Leaders need the right tools, direction and training in order to effectively lead in a rapidly changing environment.
Annual reviews are the worst.
A huge part of any performance management system is going to consist of performance reviews, feedback and any type of documented goal tracking. Well, it turns out we’ve been doing it pretty wrong. Annual reviews or even surveys have been proven to be extremely inefficient for a number of reasons. They are a yearly monster that sets HR back, they are so long that employees are rarely engaged in the process, they don’t attack issues or give the opportunity to praise successes in a timely manner and last but certainly not least, they don’t give an accurate picture of any employee’s last 365 days.
Performance needs to be tracked daily, and feedback needs to be solicited constantly. Every day, every process and every goal are all opportunities to improve. That’s real performance management.
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Leaders are fully aware that recognition is tied to engagement, and engagement is tied to productivity. They have that part down, but what they’re missing is a system that ensures that recognition is consistent, timely and effective. The day-to-day of business can allow a job well done to fall right through the cracks. By the time management gets around to their “thank you”, resentment and disengagement might have already set in.
Employees need to be recognized in real-time, in order for it to impact their performance in any way. Furthermore, when those around them see that recognition (or lack thereof) is apparent, it affects the entire team.
What about what I think?!
Self-assessment is a huge opportunity to learn from your workforce, yet it is so commonly overlooked in performance management. Balanced self-assessment, with management creates that two-way dialogue that is essential to real performance analysis. Employees will always want a voice.
Sylvia Vorhauser-Smith, author on the subject of talent management said:
“Traditional performance management programs have become organization wallpaper. They exist in the background with little or no expectations for impact. Yet despite its poor popularity, the concept of performance (at an individual and organizational level) is critical to business success. It can’t just be ignored.”
If you would like for your performance management system to be more than wallpaper, we would like to connect with you. Our goal is to help you help your workforce carry that vision out. Get started!
