360 degree respondents can be the employee’s peers, supervisors, managers, team members, other staff members, customers, suppliers – anyone who can provide objective feedback on the employee. Sources should be chosen on factors such as their knowledge of the employee’s performance, the importance of their relationship with the employee and their ability to provide objective feedback and use examples to back up their opinions. The process for identifying respondents should be clearly set out with employees having some opportunity to input. The feedback is typically provided on a form (paper or online) showing job skills/abilities/attitudinal/behavioural criteria and some sort of scoring or value judgement system. The employee should also assess themselves using the same feedback form. In order for the 360-degree feedback process to be effective, it is important that it be designed and used correctly. The confidentiality of everyone involved should be respected at all times and the feedback should be summarised and delivered to the employee by individuals trained in feedback techniques. Employees should always be offered support to act on feedback.
Why use 360 feedback:
360 feedback can help to identify strengths and development needs for the employee and also help managers by providing insights into their management and leadership role. 360 feedback can open up communications about performance because the process involves giving and receiving feedback from all directions in the organization. Understanding ourselves and how we interact with others helps us understand the impact we have on those around us.
Companies typically use a 360 feedback system in one of two ways:
1. 360 feedback as a development tool to help employees recognize strengths and weaknesses and become more effective When done properly, 360 feedback is highly effective as a development tool. Employees can gain insight into how others perceive them and have an opportunity to adjust behaviours and develop skills that will enable them to improve / excel at their jobs. It can tell you where the development is needed for your employees so you don’t end up wasting a huge amount of money on training that people don’t need.
2. 360 Feedback as a Performance Appraisal Tool
360 feedback focuses on behaviours and competencies more than on basic skills, job requirements, and performance objectives. These things are most appropriately addressed by an employee and his/her manager as part of the annual review and performance appraisal process. The 360 feedback can enhance your performance management system, by incorporating 360 feedback into a larger performance management process, but only with clear communication on how the 360 feedback will be used.
What does 360 Feedback measure
360 feedback measures competencies – for example leadership, decision making, problem solving, customer service, motivation etc
360 feedback can identify underlying attitudes and thinking patterns that drive behaviour and even help resolve what is causing counter-productive actions
360 reviews provide feedback on how others perceive an employee
360 feedback addresses skills such as listening, planning, and goal-setting
A 360 evaluation can identify and measure areas such as customer service, teamwork, training needs, work environment and leadership effectiveness. The feedback can then be used to create development plans to increase capabilities and performance.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
Rewarding and recognising your staff can be as simple as a pat on the back to a more structured salary review process. What is important is that your employees feel valued and know they are recognised for the contribution they make to your business. While it is true that people often do not move jobs for money alone, the remuneration on offer can play a significant role, both in attracting a candidate to join your firm, or leading a current employee to “look around”. Here we look at the salary review process.....
Why do a salary review
You can keep your salary review and performance review separate but it does make sense to bring the two together and allows you to reward your high performing staff. If you are managing both processes it is best practice for the salary review to happen immediately after the performance appraisals. For those who manage these processes they believe that being paid appropriately is a form of recognition and sends a message to staff regarding how much they are valued. Whilst money is by no means the sole motivating factor at work, if you underpay, it is a definite de-motivator, and in this employment market this is likely to lead to staff moving to firms who will pay them the recognition they feel they deserve.
In general, salary reviews are about two things:
How the employee performs their job.
Where that employee fits relative to the external job market.
Getting the right information for your salary review
It’s important when managing a salary review to look at what the market is paying. You can get information from contacts in your network, from industry information gained through salary surveys from various organisations and from Human Resource and recruitment professionals. Finding out what it would cost to replace an employee in the current market is revealing and valuable information.
Salary reviews are an important process and require care and preparation in order to meet your employees’ expectations and ensure that the review is a valuable process. It is also important that full explanations are offered as to the reasons and criteria behind why salaries are reviewed. Not everyone may receive a salary increase or at least an increase at the level they were expecting, so it is important that their expectations are managed correctly by fully justifying and preparing prior to undertaking the review. Likewise, you may be in a position to offer someone a pay increase at a higher level than they were expecting. Here, it is important that you fully utilise this situation by praising and congratulating on excellent performance or contribution.
Although companies have different approaches to reviewing and remunerating employees, simple considerations can help you make the process become more effective:
Tips for your salary review process
Have a good understanding of the objectives of your performance and salary review processes prior to beginning e.g. to align your business and employee goals, to recognise and reward well performing employees etc
The process should be carefully planned and documented from beginning to end
Ensure all your Managers are trained in the process being used and understand how the review should be conducted. Have template documents that are used so that employees are all treated in the same way and so fairly
Ensure feedback and decisions are objective and based on your benchmarking criteria and that they are clear and easily understood by your Managers and employees
Make sure your rating system is fair and easy for employees to understand. Have each rating translate into what the raise in salary will be (if performance unsatisfactory then there would not be a raise)
Ensure pay is reviewed in line with the Modern Award rates of pay
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
In recent newsletters we have discussed the importance of finding and employing the right employees, their induction and their probationary period. Hiring employees is just a start to creating a strong work force. Next, you have to keep them. High employee turnover costs you in time and productivity. Here we discuss ways to reward and retain those employees, the importance of showing employees why they should stay working for you and also how it can improve your reputation with future employees. Salary increases and bonuses are ways to reward and retain employees but in this article we will focus on non monetary ways for retaining that key talent in your business......
Why put so much effort into keeping them?
Retaining employees is a good measure of how healthy your business is. If you are losing key employees chances are that other employees are looking also.
There are a lot of benefits to retaining your employees and these include:-
Cost savings – the cost of staff turnover is very expensive as well as time consuming
Improved productivity – continued work efficiency and customer service. It also ensures a reliable knowledge base about your business processes, policies and procedures
Positive staff morale
Happy clients – clients have continued relationship with same staff members
Allows employees to build on their knowledge base and make career development
Positive culture for your business which is good for current employees and new recruits
Ways to reward and retain employees
It is important for your business to keep your employees motivated and engaged and in return retain them. As the saying goes; “A happy worker is a productive worker”.
Salary is not the only way to motivate staff. There are a number of non monetary ways to help your staff feel important and rewarded and keep them motivated and happy. These include:-
Incentivise your employees – there are low and no-cost incentives you can use to make your staff feel valued e.g. an afternoon off, cinema tickets, breakfast morning etc
Meet your employees regularly to talk about their work, what motivates them, their professional development and discussing the long term vision for them with your business
Good quality supervision of employees – supervisors have an important role in the retention of employees. Its very important the supervisor does not make the employee feel undervalued. Examples of good supervision include providing feedback about performance, having regular meetings and being clear about work expectations.
Allow employees to offer ideas, have open communication and give feedback – let employees feel comfortable doing this and encourage their involvement
Having a fair and equitable company – treating employees equally is very important in retaining them
Giving employees the opportunities to learn and grow in their knowledge, skills and career - coaching employees by Managers, attending seminars, training, conferences etc
Promoting from within whenever possible, having clear paths of advancement for employees
To retain staff you must make them feel rewarded, recognised and appreciated. It is good to be creative in (non monetary) ways of keeping employees happy and choose whatever works best for your business, even the simple act of saying “thank you” can go a long way…….
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
These notes are provided to give you a head start when you are managing poor performance or behavioural issues which result in the discipline of your people. It is our intention that with knowledge and a plan, you will assist your people to improve (if they can and desire to) or to assist them to leave the business with dignity. Good luck – let us know how you go!
General points
Examine the workforce profile for distribution of groups of employees across the organisation, consider what is the most appropriate way of evaluating their performance and behaviour.
Implement a consistent method of doing this; eg probation reviews, quarterly reviews, anniversary reviews, always using self assessments, formal and informal discussions.
Make sure you train the staff that is assessing the performance and behaviour.
Keep good records so you can justify your counselling discussions.
Setting Expectations
It is critical that your employees know what is expected of them. This can be done early by using up to date position descriptions during the Onboarding process and taking new starters through all relevant workplace policies.
Ensure that you are only assessing performance against the agreed (and current) position description and workplace policies.
Ensure there are no unnecessarily restrictive English language qualifications on roles that do not require them.
Be specific in your assessment. eg, does “needs improvement in communications skills refer to talking on the phone to customers, writing reports for management, instructing technical operators, inter-cultural skills or teamwork?
All employees need to be advised how their performance will be assessed: probation reviews, quarterly reviews, anniversary reviews, always using self assessments.
Let them know what the expectations are for improvement. Who is responsible, when will the improvement need to occur?
Employees should be made aware of your company grievance procedure. What do they do in the situation that they disagree with a performance or disciplinary counselling meeting? This should be clear and easily accessed.
The Counselling Session
Give comments with care. Focus on the performance or behaviour of the employee rather than them personally.
Avoid comparisons with other employees.
Show empathy - try and understand the employee’s perspective. Be prepared to step back from your position if something you didn’t know comes up.
Be a positive listener.
Advise the employee what has happened that you are not happy with. You should give reference to the tool that has set the standard (this could be the policy or the position description).
Be specific and compare current performance to expected performance or behaviour. Give examples.
Establish how and when to follow up on commitments for improvement. There should also be a date set to review.
Close on a friendly note, keeping the lines of communication open for future discussion.
Counselling Forms
Make sure that the language and length of the form (and process) is relevant to the performance of the job.
Do not include any invasive or irrelevant questions.
Predetermine to what use the information collected will be put and ensure no discrimination.
Ensure strict confidentiality.
Appropriate personal attributes for the reviewer
Praise for good performance.
Give examples of bad / unacceptable performance.
Criticise gently and constructively.
Be assertive, stick to the facts and be empathetic.
Use statements and questions to get more information.
Base the review on the typical performance for the entire period.
Base the review on accurate records.
Be prepared to ‘retreat’ if they have information which contradicts your perspective.
Don’t let salary or length of service affect the review.
Speak with other supervisors who work with the employee and ask them for specific examples of how they meet or do not meet the expectations of the role;
Show empathy - try and understand the employee’s perspective;
Be a positive listener;
Give comments with care. Focus on the performance behaviour of the employee rather than them personally;
Avoid comparisons with other employees;
The employee should complete a self assessment before the interview. This should form the basis for the discussion with the manager;
Work through each section of the review form, asking for the employees perspective and then discussing yours;
Be specific and compare current performance to expected performance, give examples of good and not so good performance;
Where there is agreement, congratulate the employee and use your copy to make the appropriate notes;
Where there is disagreement, ensure you have examples which are specific and allow the employee to understand what you mean.;
Establish how and when to follow up on commitments for improvement;
The employee should review the points made during the appraisal and summarise them;
Encourage the employee to make comments in addition to the appraisal comments;
Discuss the employee’s aspirations, potential and development needs;
If they are unrealistic, explain the processes required and encourage more attainable goals;
Set action plans detailing the person responsible and a time table for completion;
Set a date for review of the performance issues and / or development requirements;
Close on a friendly note, keeping the lines of communication open for future discussion.
Setting employees up for success in a new role requires planning and action. There are times that things won’t go according to the plan, but the system should be flexible enough to allow for this, and help it get back on track.
As business owners we are operating in one of the most challenging times ever. Many of us have had to change the structure of our business, lay off staff and rethink our priorities.
We have people in our organisations that we trust with the vision for our business and we are working hard to maintain productivity levels and customer satisfaction results. What can we do to make sure we keep our people fired up and excited?
These 5 key elements to effective performance reviews are presented to give you a head start when you are managing the performance of your people.
1. Be consistent;
2. Train everyone;
3. Keep good records;
4. Set expectations early;
5. Follow up.
It is our intention that with knowledge and focus, you will set your people up for success and improve individual and team performance and productivity! Good luck – let us know how you go!
1. Be Consistent
Implement a consistent method of reviewing performance at your place. This could mean having a 6 weekly mid probation review; meeting for 30 minutes every 3 months; a six monthly catch up or anniversary reviews. Always use self assessments and let people know what will happen after the meeting.
TOP TIP: As you bring on a new employee, schedule the review meetings in your diary so you are prepared and don’t miss any.
2. Train Everyone
Have you ever felt like you were ‘pulling teeth’ when meeting with your staff? This was probably because they were unsure of the reason for the meeting and what their role was. Make sure you not only train the staff who are conducting the performance reviews, but also those who are being assessed. You will get MUCH BETTER results if everyone understands the objectives and the best ways to participate.
TOP TIP: Give out an FAQ sheet with the review forms so that the reviewer and reviewed can benefit from previous experience and plan for their meeting.
3. Keep Good Records
Keep good records so you can refer back to the meeting content, justify your performance ratings and follow up. Always bring a copy of the position description, any previous reviews, any notes on file and your semi completed review form to the meeting. It is critical that you base the review on the typical performance for the entire period.
TOP TIP: If you can, have someone else making the notes and get everyone to read them and sign off at the
end.
4. Set Expectations Early
Prospective employees should know during the recruitment stage that you have a performance management process – don’t make it a secret! Make sure that performance is assessed against the information in the position description and only refer to tasks, skills levels, experiences that are required to carry out the duties of the role. Let them know what the expectations are for improvement. Who is responsible, when will the change need to occur?
TOP TIP: Your position descriptions are a practical tool that can be used from recruitment, to Onboarding, training and reviewing performance gaps – make sure they are reviewed before each vacancy is filled.
5. Follow Up
Is the change required skills based or attitudinal? Is it more related to continuing development? It is imperative that you do what you say you will – when you said you would! If it is your responsibility to arrange training or a buddy, get it done straight after the meeting so you don’t forget!
TOP TIP: Schedule appointments for follow up discussions and invite the right people as soon as possible so you don’t get side tracked and end up weeks overdue for a critical performance discussion.
We are just starting a brand new (financial year) in one of the most challenging times ever. Many of us have had to change the structure of our business, lay off staff and rethink our priorities.
We have people in our organisations that we are trusting with the vision for our business and we are working hard to maintain productivity levels and customer satisfaction results.
What can we do to make sure we keep our people fired up and excited?
My previous newsletters have talked about many of the environmental and cultural things you can do in your workplace. But key to the business success is an effective performance management process.
So what should it include? I have 15 questions for you to consider how your business could benefit from improved performance and productivity from your people.
· Do you have a documented performance review process;
· Does the system apply to everyone;
· Is everyone trained in the use of the system;
· Are reviews undertaken regularly - 30 mins every 3 months;
· Does your system promote for continuous informal feedback;
· Are your position descriptions used as the basis for the review;
· Is the tool clear and simple to understand;
· Does it have objective measures, set down during the probation period and agreed by the employee;
· Are there qualitative and quantitative measures;
· Are poor performers easily identified;
· Are they managed swiftly – to improve or leave;
· Are there action plans for all under performers;
· Do you address managers with poor management skills;
· Are employees with poor communication and people skills never promoted to management roles?
It is good business practice to set up an effective performance management system; it helps improve the performance and productivity of individuals and teams. And that can only be good for the profit at your place!
Welcome to Inspire Success and a new way of looking at your people practices. Contact us now to see how we can help you gain a competitive edge through your people.
Inspire your people and get Success in your business!
Rae Phillips, founder and Director of Inspire Success shares tips, tricks and FREE articles on how to get the most from your biggest asset - your People!
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