Only 2 in 10 employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that supports them to do outstanding work. By taking the individual needs of your employees into account and by implementing new strategies, you can change that in your workplace. 

Many of the tactics that have been traditionally used for employee performance management aren’t working today because they haven’t been tailored for a changing workforce that has shifted drastically around technology, a more casual work environment and a very different nature of work. Ensure your company gets the most out of performance reviews with just a few simple steps. 

Streamline Your Talent Performance Management

Performance reviews do not need to be a lengthy or draining meeting for the employee and manager. Streamline your performance review process by ensuring effective communication between the two parties involved. 

  • Set Your Game Plan: Often, after a performance review, there is misunderstanding and lack of communication. If the lines of communication weren’t easy to follow, the point of the performance review was lost. Set workplace performance goals, plans of action, and specific next steps so both the employee and manager are on the same page. 
  • Create an Outline: An outline for the meeting lets both parties know what to expect and gives the employee a chance to know when they can chime in to ask questions or ask for guidance during the meeting. 

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Set Workplace Performance Goals

Employee evaluations are a key time for setting long and short-term goals. Setting goals helps employees improve as individuals, but also as staff in your workplace. There are many do’s and don’ts of setting goals, but one big one is making sure that you set attainable goals. 

Goal-setting should be a dynamic, two-way process between managers and employees that aligns employee goals with greater company goals. When employees at each level of your business are on the same page and working toward the bigger picture together, they are more likely to value their position and work more productively. When evaluating performance and setting goals, make sure employees have an opportunity to voice the goals they would like to set and why. 

Don’t Set Unrealistic Workplace Performance Goals 

Setting the goals with the SMART model (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Based, and Time-Bound) is a great way to conduct two-way goal-setting between managers and employees. As companies prepare to hire more Millennials and Generation Z employees who value instant feedback, SMART goal-setting is especially important, because it works well with both smart and long-term goals.

For example, a SMART goal for an apprentice working on a commercial apartment building could look like this:

Goal: Install each first floor unit doors, knobs and locks by the end of the week.

This goal has a specific task, time frame and is within the skill set expected from apprentices.

Identify High Potential Employees 

Identifying key players is vital in growing your business, and performance reviews are a perfect time to pull them aside to make them feel valued at your company. During these meetings, take the time to give bonuses, raises, or even offer promotions to those individuals who have been identified as high performing employees. Rewarding your highest performing employees helps them feel appreciated and strives them to work harder. A reward system for top employees is also a key component in improving your business’s overall retention rate.

Switch From Yearly to Regularly Scheduled Reviews 

Especially for Millennials, who crave more fluid conversation and engagement with management, creating a more regular performance review process could be highly beneficial. Anything from a weekly touch base to a monthly meeting can be a great way to connect with employees on their goals and set new ones. These regular meetings can be far more effective at assessing and redirecting performance in a positive way than a yearly review because they are more frequent, there is more space for growth.

Performance management is a big task and it can be daunting to go at it alone. The BirdDogHR Performance Management Software can turn the employee evaluation into an automated process that does all the administration for you. The automated, cloud-based software helps with goal-setting and tracking, and because it is cloud-based, you can conduct your meeting from anywhere.

Get rid of the headache associated with performance reviews. By transforming performance reviews into a productive, collaborative process, employees and your business will grow.

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