How To Carry Out Effective Performance Management Strategy
Did you know that only about 55% of employees feel as if their performance management reviews are effective? Your job as a business owner is to find ways to make your employees more productive while keeping them motivated.
Some business owners think that being hard on their employees is the best way to get the most out of them, but this is rarely the case. Detaching from the needs of your employees can be extremely damaging to your company. Employees want to feel like they’re working for someone who cares about their needs.
Providing employees with effective performance management allows them to reach new plateaus. It can also take your business to the next level by increasing productivity levels.
The following are some of the things you need to consider when trying to provide effective performance management to your employees.
Effective Performance Management Requires You to Become a Coach
If an employee is making the same performance mistakes over and over, they probably need to be educated on the correct way to perform a certain task. Merely making notes about their mistakes and handing them over will not fix these issues.
Switching from performance evaluator to coach in these situations is essential. Going into one of these evaluations anxious to judge team members can backfire in spectacular fashion.
Employees put on the defensive by this judgment may lash out or even lose interest in their job altogether. This is why you need to take the role of educator in these situations.
Providing inexperienced team members with your wisdom and knowledge can help them with their performance issues.
Performance Needs to Be An Ongoing Discussion
Some business owners make the mistake of making performance discussions a one-time event. Not only does this make employees tread these evaluations, but it can also make it difficult for employees to drive home the importance of high productivity levels.
This is why you need to make performance an ongoing topic of discussion. If you see an employee’s performance start to suffer, you don’t need to wait until evaluation time to address it.
Nipping these issues in the bud can reduce the negative impact performance issues have on your small business. Letting your team know that performance is a priority will keep them on their toes all year long.
Collecting Feedback Is Vital
If you’re like most business owners, you have very little time to observe the inner-workings of your company. Since you’re not able to view employees at work on a daily basis, seeking out some feedback from other team members is crucial.
Asking your employees where problems exist and how they propose to fix them provides you with important information. Also, allowing employees to offer their feedback makes them feel like a part of the team.
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As you collect this feedback, you will need to inform other team members about the problems their fellow employees have noticed. Be sure to avoid mentioning where this feedback comes from due to the inner office conflict this can cause.
Give Your Employees a Chance to Prepare
During the performance evaluation process, you’ll probably ask your employees a series of questions. Before these meetings occur, give your team an idea of what will be covered in the evaluation.
Launching into a series of questions can increase the stress and tension in the room. Rather than making employees nervous, you need to make this experience as carefree as possible.
By letting your team prepare, you’re able to see how well they know your company and their job. Intimidation and stress are two things you don’t want in the room when evaluating an employee’s performance, which is why providing them with this heads-up is crucial.
Don’t Forget to Listen
Some business owners get so wrapped up in making notes and asking questions during these reviews that they forget to listen. Being polite and actually listening to the answers your employees give can be beneficial for everyone involved.
Employees may feel a bit on the defensive during these meetings, especially if they’re experiencing performance problems. Actually listening to these explanations can help you see their side of the situation. In some instances, problems at home or even sickness can cause employees to fall behind.
Repeating back key phrases and points an employee gives you lets them know you’re listening. Employees that feel like they’re listened to will generally open up more.
Talk About the Goals an Employee Has
One of the best ways to find out more about employees during a performance evaluation is by talking about the goals they have. Getting to know a person’s goals can also tell you if they have aspirations of growing with your company.
If an employee expresses interest in moving up in your company, you need to do all you can to facilitate this. Pairing these employees with experienced mentors is a good idea. You may also want to give them a shot at taking on a smaller management position.
Some companies who ignore the practice of promoting from within lose lots of valuable employees. Showing your employees you are passionate about helping them reach their goals can do wonders for morale.
Performance Evaluations Should Be About Motivating Team Members
With effective performance management practices, you can keep your team motivated and moving forward. The main goal you should have when performing performance evaluations is showing your team a better way of doing things.
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