There are a lot of issues when it comes to the difference between employees and employers in the workplace, some which are easier to solve than others. Nevertheless, no matter how small the problem may be, it is important that you come up with the best solution. And when it comes to keeping in close communication and monitoring employees in an effective and unalienating way, one of the best ways to do this is to try the performance management process. But what is performance management, and why is the process important?
Utilizing a solid performance management process is very important, as it helps in a number of ways. It engenders a sense of cooperation between employer and employee, as well as ensuring that your employee is able to learn the job and do it well to boot. An employee who does not get adequate training in what they are expected to do for their job is not going to have a good time with your company, and you are not going to get the results out of having hired them in the first place. Hiring and training are not cheap things, but you don’t want to go half-hearted, as you want to be able to get as much out of your new hire as is humanly possible. But what exactly does the performance management process entail?
Essentially, performance management does exactly what you think it would: makes sure that the employee’s performance is managed in such a way that they meet — or ideally, exceed — the expectations they have developed for their new hires. This process works over a long period of time ideally, hopefully priming them to be a successful element of your business for years to come.
What does the performance management process entail in your business?
Essentially, a supervisor is meant to provide adequate communication for their employees while they are learning the ropes of their new job. What is meant to be communicated here is exactly what they are expected to accomplish, provide them objectives to meet, and give them a good idea of how long a span of time they have to get these objectives done. However, the process does not involve simply throwing them into the deep end and seeing if they sink. Rather, it’s meant to offer them a safety net, such that they will be able to stumble without feeling the risk that any mistake will see them losing their job or otherwise damaging the potential for their advancement in the company.
When employees under the purview of the performance management process have completed their objectives, the next step is for the supervisor to provide any feedback, both positive and negative. Both are quite important, as failing to point out one or the other all too often results in the employee not fully appreciating what mistakes they are making, but also not realizing where they operate at their strongest. Deliver both with the appropriate tone; so long as the mistakes aren’t grievous or otherwise problematic for their future in the company, they should not be given too much weight. Just enough to make sure that they are aware that they need to avoid these kinds of mistakes in the future.
Positive reinforcement goes a long way, and unfortunately, too many companies fail to realize just how beneficial it is to uplift their employees. Poor employee morale sees quite a few people quitting their jobs, as they can find a job that treats them not only as an essential part of the company, but also worthy of respect as well. Make sure that they do not get a big head from the performance management process, but they should still be made aware of where they are their strongest, and be able to feel proud of their accomplishments in turn.
The supervisor will review future accomplishments, with the idea that they can then compare the future results to previous results. If they have shown improvement while they have gone through the process, the supervisor will be more able to guide them, and this brings both parties one step closer to having the process complete.
Is performance management an effective tool?
While performance management is not a silver bullet to get the best result out of your employees, it is an incredibly valuable one in general. And honestly, while you cannot hover over your employees for the entirety of their tenure, even beyond the initial performance management process, there is good reason to continue doing it to at least some extent. Communication is one of the most valuable ways to make sure that things are done, and when done productively, it makes all the difference in your employees’ work lives. Just be careful that you do not turn communication into hounding, as this can obviously have the opposite effect, where the employees simply do not feel comfortable in the workplace.
