With so much happening lately, it has become acutely vital for companies to measure the performance of their employees on a regular basis. Having a tab on employee’s productivity is a crucial process that must be carried out with an efficient system. According to a recent study, more than 75% of working professionals are disengaged and fail to concentrate on their daily deliverables. These people are commonly distracted with their phones, social media and most importantly, their work-life balance. This lack of attentiveness usually results in decreased productivity. This is the reason, it is suggested that companies should redefine the performance management meaning from a one in a year event to a routine process.
In this blog, we will tell you the five effective tools to gauge the performance of employees during this pandemic. Let’s dive in.
Set Benchmarks & Expectations
HR managers and leaders should start discussing their findings with employees and give them a chance to understand that the organization expects a lot from them. Additionally, employees must also be made aware that the company cares about their growth and development. Besides, HRs should make sure that the individual goals of every employee are aligned with the organization’s goals.
Also, giving feedback is not enough. HR professionals should also invest some time and understand the gaps in terms of process, training and collaboration among employees in the company.
A recent research stated that working professionals who have a direct correlation between their performance and organization goals are far more satisfied and engaged than those who do not see how their hard work contributes to company goals.
The 5 As Approach To Goal Setting
Companies should ensure that their performance management and objective process are collaborative. Also, goals should be- assessable, aspirational, aligned, accountable and agile.
- Assessable- Only quantifiable goals reflect one’s achievement. So, HRs should make sure that every goal is quantifiable
- Aspirational- Unlike a normal goal, aspirational goals motivate working professionals to know their capabilities to grow and boost productivity.
- Aligned- Goals should always be aligned with the goals of the company.
- Accountable- employees should know the accountability for a goal and understand if the goal is for an individual or whole for the whole team.
- Agile- Every goal must be short-term and reviewed daily. This will make the goals more meaningful and relevant. Besides, these goals should also be flexible so as to accommodate other priorities and duties.
Real-Time Feedback
Real-time feedback has become popular after this pandemic happened. Now, it has a host of advantages such as increased retention, enhanced hiring, improved productivity and much more. Unlike before, giving real-time feedback is super easy today. HRs and leaders can share their feedback using their laptops and tablets. Not to forget, performance management software makes this process efficient. It allows companies to share real-time feedback among their employees anytime and anywhere.
Personal Development Plans
It is no news that personal development plans or PDPs are an effective way to aid employees as well as managers benchmark their performance. Every organization should use it for better performance management. Managers and leaders should be mindful while setting goals. They should create SMART personal development plans that can be easily implemented, updated and reviewed throughout a year. This will motivate employees to daily observe their performance against their goals and get a direction. Personal development plans are important now more than ever before as while working remotely, it is easier for employees to lose their concentration and objectives.
A Wellbeing Scheme
Every individual is aware of the havoc caused by this pandemic. Employees are still worried about their future, career, health and family. Working under so much pressure is undoubtedly difficult. Employees cannot be productive when they experience burnout. In such a scenario, they need a forward-thinking company that not just considers but also caters to the wellbeing of its employees. A good number of businesses do this in the form of flexible working, others have wellbeing coordinators. Several organizations in India even encourage their employees to do regular workouts or yoga sessions. Likewise, every company out there should find innovative ways to cheer up its people and improve their mental wellbeing. Remember, when employees have inner peace, they will put their best foot forward.
Right Technology
One good thing that has happened due to this pandemic is the adoption of technology. Like anything else, human resources have also become digital to stay ahead of the curve. If invested in HR software, a company can easily improve its engagement and productivity. This is the reason why more and more companies are investing in such systems. Using HR and performance management software, gathering employee feedback and analyzing it also becomes fast and seamless.
So, these are the five effective tools that will help you to change the performance management meaning during this pandemic.