Taking Legal Risks Out of AppraisalsIt’s an unfortunate reality that organizations need to be cautious in how they deal with employees day to day. With the increase in the number of employee lawsuits, it’s imperative that companies arm themselves with the appropriate tools that will help them deflect any potential legal hazards. From a legal perspective, performance reviews provide proper documentation, and if done right, can be a great way to avoid any mishaps.

If your company fails to administer performance reviews on a regular basis, you could be putting yourself at risk for accusations relating to wrongful dismissal and discrimination, to name a few.

Avoid sticky situations by administering sound and accurate performance appraisals.

 

Here are 5 ways to cover your tail:

1. Check your pre-determined biases at the door. Managers should always be objective in their approach and should never carry-over personal feelings or opinions they may have of an employee into the review process.

2. Ensure that appraisals are fair and accurate. The most effective way to do this is to assess every employee the same way and ensure your process is consistent. Use a set rating scale to avoid generalizations.

3. Implement and document goals and development plans for under-achievers. Doing so will provide written back-up and justification for dismissal should an employee fail to follow-through with their suggested development plan.

4. All managers should provide ‘realistic’ reviews. Give credit where credit is due, but also don’t be afraid to speak the truth. If an employee is under-achieving, then say so! And then follow-up with the proper corrective measures. Failing to do so could potentially come back to haunt you.

5. Communicate performance expectations all-year round. A performance review should never be a once a year thing. Employees should get regular feedback throughout the year to avoid performance surprises.

 

ChristmasIt’s that time of the year again for many organizations. And no, I’m not talking about the holidays. I’m talking about a different kind of season; Performance review season.

If you think about it, these two seasons actually have a lot in common. Both bring about a lot of hustle and bustle, and last minute chaos and stress. While most people are struggling to get their Christmas shopping done, inside the workplace HR is feeling the pressure of getting performance reviews in on time.

But HR isn’t the only ones that feeling the weight. Performance review season can be a hectic occasion for all, employees and managers alike. As HR scrambles to prepare and execute appraisals efficiently and successfully, employees and managers are thinking of ways to recall performance-related events of the past year, and often need help ‘getting past the blank page.’

The good news is that an automated performance review system can help. An automated tool is like the Santa Claus of the performance review season. It comes bringing gifts and goodies that help make everyone’s lives easier come appraisal time, such as:

 

1. Automatic reminders

This is one thing you won’t get with a paper-based system! Automatic e-mail reminders are the simplest way to speed up the appraisal process and ensure that everyone stays on track. Not to mention, they also take some of the pressure off HR and prevents them from feeling like a nagging parent.


2. Content Libraries

Content libraries help HR professionals build appraisals, as well as help managers and employees complete their evaluations. Content libraries can include anything from rating scales to 360 multi-rater review questions, competency libraries to appraisal templates.

 

3. Writing Assistants

A writing assistant is a great little feature that often comes with any good automated tool. A writing assistant does just that – assists in the sometimes very tedious writing process. It helps users overcome writer’s block by providing suggestions and phrases appropriate to the topic they’re writing about.

 

4. Year-Round Journaling

One of the difficulties of putting together an employee review or a self-appraisal is not having enough performance-related documentation. In other words, it’s hard for an employee to think back an entire year and try to remember specific events or situations having to do with their performance. It’s even harder for a manager, who’s job it is to write reviews for their entire team, to do so. Keeping a record of activities and successes throughout the year helps keep track of performance year round, and makes it easier to put those thoughts down on paper come appraisal time.

Not using an automated system? Maybe it’s about time you put that on your wish list for next year. Come take a peak in our gift bag and see what emPerform has to offer!

 

“Employees want to be successful at work. It makes people feel good to perform well. But to perform well, employees need to understand what a job well done looks like.” – Madeline Homan Blanchard, executive leadership coach.

The above quote is from a great article I read this week in Talent Management magazine titled “Where Have All the Good Managers Gone?” This piece is jam-packed full of interesting commentary on effective employee and performance management, and the quote alone raises an interesting point.

How exactly do employees get a handle on what a ‘good job’ looks like? One way is through feedback, of course. But then what exactly constitutes good feedback? How can managers provide it? And are there certain rules or etiquette when it comes to delivering effective feedback?

No manager is perfect. And when it comes time to give good feedback to employees, there is always room for improvement. Here are a list of do’s and don’ts to keep in mind:

DO be sensitive. I think it’s safe to say that managers need to be diplomatic in their approach when it comes to providing feedback. Whether it’s during an annual review or spontaneously throughout the year, managers should be cautious in how they deliver criticism. Bullying or overloading an employee with negative feedback all at once is anything but useful, and could potentially do some serious damage to one’s ego.

DO provide constructive feedback on a regular basis. The ability to present good feedback goes hand-in-hand with truly knowing your employees and what they do day in and day out. This type of insight can be easily gained through regular conversations and weekly one-on-one meetings. A weekly meeting may seem like a lot, but it’s a necessary component of effective performance management. It not only helps you keep tabs on your employees and where they’re at, it in turn gives employees a better sense of what is expected of them making it easier for them to stay on top of their own performance.

DO give credit where credit is due. What might seem like a no brainer is often forgotten. Paying tribute to an employee when they’re on the right track is the simplest form of optimistic feedback. Sometimes a simple “great job” or “keep up the good work” goes a long way.

DO provide direction. In her article, Madeline Homan Blanchard brings forth the idea of “praise and re-direct.” Essentially, there are two types of feedback: positive and negative. With positive feedback should come praise, while with negative feedback should come re-direct. Meaning if a manager notices a struggling employee, they should not only provide input but a proper plan of action to help that employee grow and develop. Praise without direction or follow-up is like an empty promise; useless and meaningless.

DO automate: An automated talent management tool will give you everything you need to follow-up and re-direct. It allows you to document goals and development plans for your employees and then monitor results and progress, all from one central location.

 

DON’T limit feedback. Okay, so maybe I sound like a broken record when I say that performance management should be an ongoing process and not a once a year event but, it’s the truth. And seeing as how giving feedback fits comfortably under the performance and talent management umbrella, the same applies. Don’t wait until an annual review to provide feedback. You’ll only be setting yourself and your employees up for failure.