Performance Management Made Easy

Performance Management is a process that both employer and employee often fear!

Why is this so!

There is much misinformation about the performance management process and performance appraisals in management circles today. We often think that best practice demands that we must performance appraise ‘no matter what’. This is not true. Best practice can involve many other mechanisms that ensure employee compliance and monitoring.

The performance process can be propagated by intellectuals who themselves have not had to make the tough decisions and be accountable for the process. Any person can give advice but the application of the advice is what matters!

The whole process is often viewed with a carrot and stick process and sometimes a game, a waste of time.

Much of the process is conducted within what is termed as 'I have to do it' and 'performance management is part of my job get it over and done'

As previous CEO in corporate life I found the best approach was not so much the written appraisal but the process of day by day communication and relationship with my employees. It took effort and time but the rewarding productivity was worth it.

We are by nature complex 'beings' and a one fits all approach will not always work. In my day to day consultation with employers and assisting them getting a reward and compliance mechanism implemented we look at the whole business with simple key performance indicators.

The process of managing and appraising performance is essentially ensuring that clear lines of communication exist, continue and that employees are aligned with business goals.

This can not be done once or twice a year.

The process requires a highly interactive approach with regular feedback and dialogue.

Simple key performance indicators can be;

• Attitude
• Reliability
• Flexible
• Proactive
• Punctual
• Many others such as budget, sales, productivity

Everything we do in life and in business is based around relationships; good, bad, its relationship.

By giving and receiving regular feedback in the workplace framed around issues such as attitude your success rate in managing performance will dramatically increase.

Ask yourself the question; If all my employees had the right attitude how would my business look?

Secondly ask yourself if you are willing to put in the hard yards and give your people what they need ‘regular feedback and positive reinforcement.

I have proved this over 20 years in the workforce and am yet to be proved wrong!

The choice is yours, pay the price and win. Remember the simple things in life are often work the best. Complexity just adds layers of potential contention and strife.

Philip Lye is the Director of Biz Momentum providing strategic human resource management to help your business grow. Philip is also a qualified accountant. Biz Momentum assist small to medium businesses. Visit http://www.biz-momentum.com for other helpful articles and to subscribe to Biz Momentum's free monthly newsletter.

Related Articles