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How to overhaul your company’s employee evaluation program

Employers looking to redesign their performance management process should know it isn’t a quick, one-step change which can be implemented overnight. Finding the right process, which can cause an impact in every aspect of the organization, is important. From employee engagement to turnover rates to simply creating a company culture which your employees feel is open, having an effective performance management system in place can make all the difference.

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Research from Deloitte found that in 2014, 68% of HR respondents rated performance management as important or very important, and that number is growing. Performance management is a hot topic on the rise and acknowledged as something that needs to be given more attention, especially because something is wrong with the way things are being done in many organizations. Three out of 10 workers say their organizations’ performance management system actually helped improve performance, according to research from Performance Group, a New Zealand-based firm that consults organizational psychologists.

See also: Employers slowly moving toward interactive evaluation technology

For something which takes up a lot of time and energy, it’s simply not seen by many as something worth doing. People don’t feel it makes a difference when done in terms of a yearly or even quarterly review, and therefore often aren’t willing to engage with the process.

Things are changing, though. Of those asked in Deloitte’s 2015 Global Human Capital Trend survey, 89% had recently or were intending to change their performance management process within the next two months.

Here are some practices that ensure you’re getting the most from your performance management process:

Keep it simple

With performance management already being overlooked, trying to introduce overly complicated changes is not going to encourage people to engage with the process. Mobile technology, such as Impraise, allows employees to give and review feedback at their own pace, integrate seamlessly into the workflow and remove unnecessarily complicated or distracting processes.

See also: Audit and tax firm ditches annual performance reviews, ratings

Have a purpose

Decide what you want your performance management process to achieve. Do you want to focus on increasing communication amongst managers and their teams? Fix specific issues that keep arising? Ditch your annual performance review in favor of something more useful? Whatever your reasons for redesigning the process, let your team have some input, have a clear idea what your purpose is, and communicate it with the team before and during implementation/

Ditch the top-down only feedback

Gone are the days when manager reviews were the most valuable feedback tool. The review process now revolves around 360-degree feedback, which allows for employees to receive a comprehensive view rather than just that of their manager or supervisor. This not only means that more perspectives are gained, but also that people can gain a more relevant view, as those they’re working with closely each day are likely to have different insights. Ditching just manager-employee feedback and heading for a more all-round approach means managers can also gain valuable insights into their leadership skills.

See also: Are performance reviews dead?

Introducing upward feedback

Comprehensive feedback isn’t just team members. Supervisors are also able to receive constructive criticism. The introduction of upward feedback is a great practice that allows for a more open company culture where team members feel they can be honest with their managers. It also means that managers have the necessary resources to improve and gain insight to improve themselves.

Set regular and useful goals

Goal-setting is highly important because it keeps employees on track, motivated and aligned with company-wide aims, helping team members be aware of how they contribute to the organization’s success. Performance management should be about more than what’s gone well over the last period. It is also important to focus on future achievements and give your team something to strive toward to keep them engaged, motivated and actively working toward the success of the company.

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