02 Feb Transitioning From Performance Management To Staff Feedback
WORKING within the corporate and SME sectors; my philosophy is that employers pay people to do their jobs well, come up with solutions, challenge their thinking and make their life easier.
Call them whatever; appraisals or performance management reviews need to be ‘forward focused’ to recognise people who can achieve or exceed these reasonable expectations.
Many review systems over-complicate the process and burden management and employees to the extent that even an annual appraisal is a chore … and often avoided.
Review systems need to be consistent with the business environment and culture of an organisation.
Sure, there are situations where some elaborate measures and weighting-based-systems are required but in the main, a cyclic review process just needs to:
– Identify what is obstructing the achievement of objectives
– Recognise 100% the achievement of tasks; and
– Acknowledge and appreciate performance which exceeds expectations
Poor performance should be addressed separately and promptly and – not deferred for a cyclic review discussion.
The rest of the conversation should focus on employee perceptions on how the business/systems could be improved and the individual’s aspirations and needs (and how these can be nurtured/accommodated for mutual benefit).
If the process is positive and simple, people on both sides of the desk are more likely do it, enjoy it and be happy to undertake it on a more frequent basis.
This reduces ‘appraisal anxiety’ and promotes a conversation environment where feedback and encouragement can be provided.
If all people understand the process it can be completed in half an hour per person per review…then everyone is happy, from the CEO down.
A suggested review template can be found on the ‘Download’ page under Blog.
Rowen Gransden
Founder – Smart Advantage / Recruit Smart