Rethinking Performance Management in Digital Era

Conducting employee performance reviews isn’t the easiest part of any person’s job, but it shouldn’t be something you avoid. No one likes to be criticized, but always praising employees doesn’t allow them to grow and become a greater part of your business.

Everyone would like to assess their performance to ensure the scalability of their KSA's (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities), But the only challenge they face is the fact based evaluation is not adhered in most of the reviews and conversations between employee and Managers . Traditional way of Evaluation is mostly like after effects where in the evaluation will happen post completion of projects and frequency of this process in most common approaches would be Annually. Do you think that Annual review would be effective to assess the Performance for entire year during the end of the Performance cycle? Answer would be "NO".

?? Now Lets rethink the approach of Performance management reviews with key strategical tips with the essence of digitization in mind.

??Hold Regular Check-Ins Instead of Annual Reviews :

Frequent check-ins and conversations are a better gauge of individual performance than reviews held once or twice a year. Regular feedback improves creativity and problem-solving skills, keeps productivity high along with eliminating mistakes or errors. In addition to this builds positive relationship between Manager and his team.

?? With rise of technology we can now leverage on digital tools that can help tracking and monitoring individual performance regularly and capturing key nuggets that will trigger for improvement which can be discussed by the team Vs Managers for better efficiency.

??Own Your Statements :

When discussing how employees can improve, it’s best not to make accusatory statements. Instead, you should own your statements by using phrases like, “I believe,” “I see,” and “I feel.” Doing so has the benefit of showing you take responsibility for your statements and is much more likely to gain the respect of your employees. Most important thing is dont give fake promises which cannot be implemented since this will break the trust levels and lead to attrition going forward.

Be realistic and Practical in decision making and setting expectations.

??Establish Clear Performance Criteria and Examples :

Goals or Objectives must be SMART and set criteria for evaluation crystal clear with the few pointers that needs to be achieved and this needs to be part of the tool with key timelines to Assess and review frequently by having productive conversations between managers and team members. In case of any issues or challenges the same needs to be brainstormed and arrive at a solution which can be captured as a documentation. This will help to review and implement the solution easily in future for similar chaos.

??Multi-Rater Feedback or 360 deg Evaluation is key:

Multi-rater feedback, also known as 360o feedback, gathers feedback from a variety of sources, including other co-workers, managers, and senior leadership. Since feedback is anonymous and drawn from multiple people, it can potentially make the assessment process seem more fair and accurate to employees. Although multi-rater feedback has a number of advantages, incorporating it into a performance evaluation strategy is often counterproductive.

??People are less likely to be candid and forthcoming when they think their comments might impact the performance ratings and compensation decisions for fellow employees. For this reason, multi-rater feedback should not be gathered right before performance reviews are conducted, and it is critical that managers and employees have a shared understanding of the purpose of multi-rater feedback and how the data is used.

??Leave With an Action Plan:

Your employees constantly look forward to the next step. Even if they’re currently on the right track, they want to know what the next level is and how to get there. As such, every check in you have should end with an action plan. It could be a reassessment of the established Objectives, KRAs and KPIs, or you and your employee can discuss new goals and objectives to propel him or her forward.

Digital tool must have the details of the employee Talent profile with key highlights of SWOT analysis, Key achievements and behavioral parameters tied up with their Short-term or Long-Term goals . As a Manager it is prime responsibility to Coach/Mentor each team member as a leader rather than a Boss . "Leader must develop Leaders not Followers".

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??Conclusion : #Bharathspeaks ??

Performance management shouldn’t be a dreaded hassle. Rather, it should be a chance to help your employees grow, increase productivity and create a better business.