HR Tech Wrap Up

Getting ready to pack up and head back to the office after several great days here at the HRTechnology Conference and Expo.

As always, attendees were treated to some truly thought-provoking presentations including a lively panel discussion moderated by David Gergen about how data and analytics will shape the workplace. And, as always, I met some extremely dedicated HR professionals who were interested in discussing my favorite topic, the state of performance management.

Being that we’re here in Sin City, however, I also happened to see some pretty crazy behavior when the nightlife got underway, the kind of behavior that made me look the other way. Thankfully, none of these shenanigans took place at the event itself! But now I fully understand why they created the slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

It struck me that I’m not usually in the business of looking the other way, and neither are the people I spoke with at the conference. We’re performance management and HR professionals. It’s our job to pay attention to behavior—to recognize and reward good behaviors in our employees … to offer counsel and feedback when we see the wrong behaviors … and to develop and instill the right behaviors throughout our workforces by modeling desired behavior ourselves.

Of course, I’m using the term “behavior” in a pretty large sense here and I’m mostly referring to performance-related behaviors, the kind that make individuals either effective or ineffective in their roles. Still, the whole behavior issue got me to thinking that this is one more reason performance reviews are more necessary and valuable than ever—provided they’re conducted well.

At one point during the conference, I was asked whether performance reviews are here to stay or whether they’re dying out. I said that performance reviews, in one form or another, will always be around for a whole host of good reasons. But I’ll add a caveat here. I certainly don’t want those traditional, once-a-year, paint-by-numbers reviews to stick around. As we’ve said in the past, they’re not much good to anybody.

The good news is … the performance review revolution has begun! I’ve seen firsthand how more and more employers are updating and improving their review process. (Read a few of our recent case studies to see for yourself.) When I think of the progress they’re making, I want to do backflips and jump for joy.

But that kind of behavior tends to draw attention—unless you’re in Vegas.

From the Floor at HR Tech …

 The hustle and bustle of the HR Technology Conference and Expo are in full swing in Las Vegas! And despite the famous slogan, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” I want to tell you about a subject that a surprising number of HR professionals here have raised with me.

That subject is … more frequent and streamlined performance reviews.

These conversations have been music to my ears! As you know if you read this blog with any regularity, we’ve been writing about the benefits of holding more frequent and informal reviews for quite some time. (If you’re interested, you can read “The Case for More Frequent Performance Reviews,” “The Art of Effective Performance Reviews,” and “Heed These 5 Performance Management Realities—Before It’s Too Late!” for more about the topic.)

The type of review we’ve been advocating increasingly is conversational in nature, less geared toward “criticism” or “critique,” and intended to either supplement or replace the traditional annual review (we prefer supplement). We’ve been recommending that managers hold meetings with their reports at least quarterly, if not even more frequently. And we’ve been stressing that managers should focus on asking just a few very simple and direct questions during these meetings—questions such as:

·      What have you accomplished since the last time we spoke, and what do you intend to accomplish in the next two or three months?
·         What are the main challenges you face in doing your job?
·         How can I help you overcome these challenges and clear roadblocks you’re facing?

With so many HR pros actually seeking me out at this conference to discuss revamping their performance review process, I’m more certain than ever that our cloud-based technology can be a catalyst for real change. It not only helps companies streamline their review process but it also gives their managers the tools they need to guide and track these discussions more effectively.

Given the urgency I’m sensing in these conversations, there’s no way that what’s happening in Vegas is going to stay here! In fact, I’m sure these conversations are going to continue long after we all get home.

Compensation Audit: Checking Where You’re At

Over the course of a few years, things can dramatically change for employees. They could be in new positions, new departments can be created, and other functions of the business might change or

even be removed.

Does your compensation system reflect those changes?

Information is critical to a company’s success, especially when leaders rely on that information to make decisions. As we see a push to more data-driven decision-making, companies need to perform more audits to ensure that their systems have clean data. Just a few errors could cost millions of dollars.

Whether titles no longer relate to the work employees do or salaries need some calibration, it’s time to take stock of where your company is at with its compensation information.  

First, get employee information up-to-date. Having a SaaS system for employee information is a great way to make sure employees keep their information up-to-date. This can be through your HRIS or an employee portal. Send a reminder to employees to update their information, with managers checking titles and workgroup information of their employees.

Second, check salaries. Even if all of your salaries aren’t eligible for calibration against market rates, you can start with key positions. You then need to make a plan to calibrate all other positions, whether by department, type, or location. Ideally, you perform this as new positions are created, as new employees are hired, and when it’s time for annual rewards.

Third, run reports when you can. Many systems have standard reports, but make sure you’re identifying the information you really need to make good decisions. For example, you might want to compare performance data against compensation information, so that would require further analytics. These reports, though, help give context to compensation information in your company. Context helps you know why something might be happening or what other factors could be modified to get the desired results.

Get into the habit of conducting these audits early so your information is clean and ready to be used to make decisions. You’ll better inform your executives and help them understand what it takes to plan for the future.

Customizing Performance Reviews for Higher Education

Faculty and staff populations at universities are filled with people who have been doing the same thing for many years, as well as new employees trying to find the best ways to be productive on small budgets. The performance review can seem like an interruption when people have other priorities.

Instead, universities can embrace their learning culture with Reviewsnap and make the performance review an opportunity for development.  

Download “Customizing Performance Reviews for Higher Education: Make Performance ManagementMeaningful for Faculty and Staff” so you can see how universities can get more out of the performance review process.

In this brief, you’ll learn how to customize reviews to make the process more meaningful by:

• Changing the language
• Defining the goals 
• Asking for clarity

Download the brief and see how customizing goals and competencies can make the performance review process worthwhile.

Connect Learning Back to the Job

With the Internet, it’s never been more obvious that the skills you learn in school could drastically change over the years of your professional career. The Internet (as we know it) didn’t exist prior to 1991, yet graduating college students are incredibly savvy about SEO and mobile connectivity.

When you don’t have the option to go back to school, get updates through skills-based learning.

Learning exists to help you do your job better, and learning management systems have matched the most-needed skills with training modules. Instead of classes on topics too vague or high-level to be useful in your daily job, today’s learning dives into the proficiencies that you actually need.  

Here’s how a flexible learning strategy can help you perform better:

·       Learning to update your skills: You might have already learned something once, but your brain fills up fast. If you need a refresher, you should be able to breeze through some short learning modules that help you remember what you covered before. For example, you might have to work on a new machine in the shop, something you’ve done before but it’s been awhile. A quick tutorial will get you up to speed and moving products down the line in no time. 

·       Learning just in time: Usually more tactical, these types of training courses will cover skills you need to perform a function or get you background information when you need it. The idea is that you don’t spend five weeks in classes to get where you need to be. If you’ve got a sales meeting and you’re pitching the most recent updates to a product, just-in-time training should have a short video of the product updates along with some talking points so you don’t sacrifice the sale.

·       Learning for the long term: These types of training courses might include strategic perspectives or behavioral development that you don’t need right away. Learning how to communicate as a manager (when you’re not a manager) will help you practice early in your career, help your soft-skill development and help you better understand the communication techniques your own manager uses.

You can always learn, and unfortunately, the pace of change means you’ll be constantly learning on the job. When you’re in need of some information, check out your company’s learning management system. You could find the answers you need before you have time to ask questions

Setting Goals That Mean Something

Unless you’re in sales, goals can seem vague and unrealistic. Instead of a clear goal, like increase sales by 5 percent, vague goals take on the similarity of New Year’s resolutions — be a better team member, communicate more frequently, and focus on personal development. No wonder most resolutions get dropped before February.

Instead of generalizing goals, get really specific. Set both quantifiable and qualitative goals that mean something to employees.

·       Find the numbers. Most employees’ duties can be measured in a quantifiable way. Some metrics are easy (sales), and some are going to be a little trickier (customer satisfaction). For each goal an employee has, make sure there’s a way to measure it and track it with numbers.

·       Check the numbers. Do some digging to make sure those metrics reflect what’s important to the business. For example, number of leads can be important for a sales role, but converting those leads to sales is even more important.

·       Narrow qualitative goals. How people do their jobs is just as important as hitting milestones. Qualitative goals can naturally lead to vague descriptions, but you can help employees narrow those goals to specific desired outcomes. Instead of learn to write better, make the goal more specific, like learn three writing techniques used by top industry writers and apply them to company materials.  

·       Ask your employees. Your employees probably have a good idea of measures that accurately reflect success on the job. Set goals together so that business gets taken care of and the employee is part of the goal-setting process.

·       Follow up. Progress reports are important to help people not just follow goals as well as meet them. Without specificity, it’s hard to know an employee’s progress or if something has impeded the completion of the goal. By following up on a regular basis, goals can be adjusted and obstacles can be removed. Both the employee and the business will be better for it.

Spend time on goal setting and make sure the goals you set are meaningful to the employee and to the business. Articulating what’s expected early on means people stay on track. And by keeping your employees involved, you’re likely to see high performance and great success.

MY DIRECT REPORTS AND I TALK ALL THE TIME

“I Don’t Need 360 Feedback; My Direct Reports and I Talk All the Time  (Not)”

Let’s be clear: Conversation is not performance management. No way, no how.And just as that’s true for assessing performance down the ladder, it’s also true for getting effective, meaningful assessments of managers from their direct reports.

It doesn’t matter that you’re a personable manager who enjoys chatting it up with your direct reports around the proverbial water cooler. Or that you play together on the company softball team or hang out at the local pub.

It doesn’t matter that you think regular staff meetings and an open-door policy are good enough means of communication for your direct reports to let you know their concerns about how you’re doing your job — or if they want to praise and support you.

So, we’ll say it again: Conversation is not performance management. You may be talking, but you’re sure not engaging in performance assessments in any valid meaning of the term.

In Fierce Leadership, executive training authority Susan Scott puts it this way: “Simply having the conversation isn’t enough. It’s the quality of the conversation that matters. Conversations provide clarity or confusion. They invite cross-boundary collaboration and cooperation or add concertina wire to the walls between well-defended fiefdoms.”

Many 360 reviews fail because, at best, managers mistake casual office conversation for performance assessment input. At worst, managers use the veil of office camaraderie as concertina wire atop the walls Scott refers to.

In short, managers often confuse “conversation” with performance management because they or their organization lack a plan for communication that is specifically centered on defining performance goals and establishing formal performance management.

The solution is to develop a culture-wide appreciation for the power of discussing performance assessments in the “right environment” and at the appropriate time. That ain’t the water cooler, the softball field or the local pub.

To help get you there, Roland Smith and Michael Campbell, co-authors of Talent Conversations: What They Are, Why They’re Crucial, and How To Do Them Right, offer these six steps to guide a true talent management discussion: 

1. Clarify the goal
2. Explore the issues
3. Identify the options
4. Set expectations
5. Motivate
6. Identify the plan

As Smith and Campbell say, a conversation of performance assessment is not done to someone but with someone.

Give My Manager Feedback? Are You Serious?

You re-read the email from HR in disbelief: “As part of this year’s performance appraisal process, employees will be asked to evaluate their managers.” As if performance reviews weren’t painful enough; hiding out under your desk sounds more comfortable than giving your boss feedback.

Regardless of how you — or your manager — feel about this new process, you’re both expected to comply. So crawl out from under your desk and get underneath your fear. Better start identifying your assumptions and planning a strategy:

    ·  My manager’s not open to my feedback. It’s hard to know if your input is welcome, since the directive came from HR and not the manager himself. Ideally, your manager would initiate the request and create an environment of safety for your discussion. Absent his doing so, it’s up to you to determine his receptiveness. Ask your manager how he’d prefer to receive your comments. If you sense disengagement, peppering him with constructive feedback will fall on deaf ears or may even be turned against you. Better to play it safe and stick with positive statements. If your manager genuinely supports the process, ask him where he’d like you to focus your feedback —

ü  Is there an area of development he’s working to improve?

ü  Was there a past project he was involved in that could benefit from your input?

Knowing specifically what type of feedback your boss is looking for will help you frame your response in a way that resonates well when delivered.

·        It’s not my role to coach my manager. True, your manager’s boss is primarily responsible for her development. But for organizations using a 360-degree feedback process, gaining a full spectrum of performance insight typically includes direct reports. So now that you’re involved, be sure you understand how the process works:

ü  Will you be asked to complete a manager assessment form?

ü  Will your responses be open or confidential?

ü  Will the feedback be delivered at a skip level or directly to your manager?

ü  Should you expect to have a face-to-face meeting with your manager to present or review your feedback?

Once you have a handle on the process, follow it:

ü  Answer questions honestly and professionally.

ü  Focus responses on your own perceptions and avoid acting as a spokesperson for others.

ü  Use specific examples of performance.

ü  Provide recommendations for improvement if requested, but avoid telling your boss how to do her job.

Your feedback, when combined with others, will help your manager to develop and improve her leadership skills, which ultimately benefits you.

·        Why does my feedback matter, anyway?  In short, because it’s in your best interest to tell your manager how you want to “be managed.” Your manager plays a central role in the company’s performance management process. Beyond just reviewing the performance of his direct reports, he’s also expected to understand the unique motivational triggers of everyone on his team:

ü  What do employees expect from him as a manager?

ü  How does each employee prefer to receive coaching and direction?

ü  How much oversight does the employee need and how can they best be challenged?

By collaboratively participating in an exchange of feedback, you’re improving your chances for a successful and supportive working relationship between you and your manager.

As with any new process, start by getting answers to your questions and understanding the process. You’ll alleviate your fears and be in a better position to focus on feedback that benefits your manager and, ultimately, you.

Calibrating Performance Appraisals

Calibration, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a set of graduations to indicate values or positions. In the realm of performance management, calibration can be important to getting performance appraisals as accurate as possible by introducing graduated review of the performance appraisal to help ensure it is as accurate as possible.

Because of inherent individualized bias that we all tend to have when it comes to how we perceive the behavior and performance of those who work for us, having a process in place where others are allowed to review the ratings, comments, goals and development plans for employees will generally yield better performance appraisals. Yes, there are new biases introduced into this process, but by inserting multiple people into the performance review process, there is opportunity for new perspectives and for alternative views to help create an appraisal that is reflective of the employee's performance.

The process of having other individuals or groups review appraisals is the basis for performance management calibration. In a recent SHRM study, fifty-four percent of HR professionals who responded said their organizations conduct some form of calibration and 35 percent said ratings were changed as a result of the calibration process.

With more than one-third of the appraisals being changed in some manner, it is likely that the quality of performance appraisals is enhanced on an overall basis. That is a significant quality assurance process that is lacking in many organizations.

Some calibration processes involve a simple escalation from the manager to his or her manager for review of the appraisal. Others are more stout in that they involve a group that is responsible for looking appraisals over and working closely with the manager in refining appraisals.

It's important that the process be kept agile and to not involve too many people. By doing so, you can help avoid paralysis by analysis. A performance management calibration process is intended to be a quality assurance measure and not a means by which criticism is levied against the manager.

Calibration generally involves other managers, supervisors or team leads who have a fair amount of knowledge about the employee in question. The preference is that they be in a position to provide input based on some level of first-hand experience working with the employee.

There are some organizations, however, that will place an individual with little or no knowledge of the employee's work or workplace behavior into the group reviews. The thinking here is that that individual can ask appropriate questions and take an unbiased view of how the appraisal is being conducted. What they can't offer though is any substantive input on the performance of the employee. But, if performance notes (journal entries) have been used extensively throughout any given appraisal period, that individual will have a fair amount of information to use as a basis for discussing the employee's appraisal.

Having some sort of calibration laid over the top of the performance management process is something most organizations should consider. From a morale perspective, employees will feel better knowing that more care has been taken to complete their appraisals.

Employees in Denial

The employee who refuses to believe anything that might be remotely negative about their performance or behavior can be frustrating to say the least. That unwillingness to listen and accept something that could actually help them improve no doubt partially explains why their performance may be less than acceptable.

If denial is a pattern for an employee, it can be next to impossible to get through to them. When conducting their performance review, there is a strong likelihood they will become argumentative and try their best to confuse the issue.

The inability or unwillingness to see one's own weaknesses and skill gaps is not uncommon. Employees who fall into this category are distinctly different from those employees who take feedback well and use it to grow and achieve at new level.

The challenge with these employees is that because they are not able to get past insecurities or whatever is causing them to be in denial, it may be difficult to get them to change their behavior enough to remain on the team. This also points out why documentation of performance on an ongoing basis is so important. When employees default to denial as a defense mechanism, it's critical for the manager to have readily at hand specific examples or even a complete list of those performance "events" that relate to the ratings and comments the employee is questioning. Having these close at hand provides the opportunity to present factual supporting information that the employee may still dispute, but will have a difficult time proving to the contrary.

When an employee has a tendency toward denial, the manager should be focused on being as clear as possible and choose words carefully. Also, employees in this category often can't consume large doses of coaching in one sitting. Incremental coaching using smaller bites of information is often more effective with this type of employee. In other words, give them a tidbit to think about and then revisit that point in a follow up to determine if the employee is positively assimilating the feedback and accepting it in a way that could lead to behavioral change.

No performance review should be a surprise to an employee. But with an employee with a leaning toward denial, it is even more important to provide ongoing feedback and coaching so there is not "feedback overload" when the performance review is conducted.

Yes, employees in denial can be challenging. But with proper ongoing documentation, feedback and coaching along with a well done and well supported performance review, there is a chance that something will click with the employee and performance will improve.