In an ideal world, the hiring process would be so flawless and efficient that every employee would be perfectly suited to their position and would have a complete understanding of their role from day one. Growth within the company would happen naturally, and as an employee gained the trust and confidence of his/her superiors, their responsibilities would increase at a proportional rate.
In reality, employee growth often happens in fits and starts, with a vast increase in one area often accompanied by stagnant skill acquisition in another. The pace and direction of an employee’s contributions can vary, and some of her greatest contributions can be among the most difficult to measure. Just like the evaluation process, the goal setting process is best approached with a dose of common sense and an understanding of the flexibility of human nature. As long as managers and employees keep the process meaningful and realistic, goal setting can be vital to employee growth and company productivity.
Here are a few common circumstances that can derail realistic goal setting. If you see these things happening, take control of the process and steer it back on track.
Employees are being compared to an unexamined standard. Employees need to meet and exceed expectations. But how are these expectations established? What is the gold standard, how is it measured, and how often is it reviewed and changed?
Employee resources are not being considered during the evaluation and goal setting process. Are employees working with limited tools under circumstances that undermine performance? If the answer is “I don’t know”, find out. Goals are realistic only when resources are taken into account.
Employees are being compared to each other, and nothing else. What productivity measurements are standard for the industry? Your geographic area? Research this before putting goals in place.
Performance is excellent but growth is slow, or vice versa. Often the most productive employees don’t Read More
The employee appraisal process is a vital component of any productive workplace. There’s no way around this critical task, and as long as human beings drive the workplace, the process will involve a human element that can never be fully automated. HR managers, directors, and department heads will always need to spend a few hours carefully considering the accomplishments and contributions of each employee, and this process will always involve face-to-face meetings, thoughtful self-evaluations, and individually tailored goal-setting. But there are some aspects of the review process that can easily be handed over to cutting-edge HR management software applications. Before you face a few of these annual headaches this year, consider a technology upgrade that can save time, reduce errors, and help you manage data more efficiently.