Foundations of Personnel Management: Employee performance management

by TechRepublic Staff | Jul 26, 2006 7:00:00 AM

Tags: Performance management, Workforce management, personnel management, TechRepublic Staff, training, performance, IT Organizations

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Takeaway: Part one of this four-part series covered interviewing and hiring. In part two, we'll explore employee performance management. Topics include conducting employee evaluations, giving employees valuable feedback, generating new ideas for staff training and development, and implementing effective reward systems.

As an IT manager, one of your key responsibilities is to develop your staff. This requires you to assess your employees, offer them feedback, find methods for developing or introducing new skills, and implement ways to reward good performance. Since so much is required of IT pros these days, this is not an easy task.

Evaluations

You need to keep on hand an effective means by which to assess and measure employee performance, such as TechRepublic's evaluation form. This form provides a framework for developing an evaluation system. It's built on an assessment of five categories of performance: communication, interaction, productivity, quality concerns, and job knowledge and skill.

Feedback

Once you assess an employee's performance, you must offer him or her feedback. By communicating what you and others see in the employee, you can provide both positive and negative reinforcement. As stated in the TechRepublic article, "Coach your tech staff by providing meaningful feedback," employees must find the feedback acceptable so that they will try to integrate it into their daily routine. In order to create an accurate reflection�and one that the employee will have faith in�your feedback must be timely, specific, purposeful, credible, and behavior-based.

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Training and development

Building a great team starts with assessing the skills your employees have now and determining the skills they will need later. Then, you need to identify training that addresses the needs of the organization. You should develop a list of skill gaps in your team that you want to fill and critical support position skills that you want to enhance or add depth to within your team. Next, you should incorporate the organizational needs into an individual development plan that consists of two to four areas of focus for the year. The amount of yearly training will depend upon the needs of the organization, the current capabilities of the employee, and your available training funds.

Rewarding performance

IT organizations often struggle to retain and motivate their employees. One factor is that management can fall into the trap of throwing money at valued employees instead of getting to the real root of what motivates them.

It's important to know the difference between motivating and manipulation. Good managers who value motivation work hard at helping people find positive reasons for doing their best. Manipulators resort to punitive measures that may seem to work at first but will quickly drive talented people out the door. Get expert tips in the article, "Craft a motivational plan that will help you, your employees, and your company."

For a comprehensive list of employee performance management resources, see page two.

Downloads

Template for identifying employee performance
Using this template, one IT executive identified a core group of employees as top performers and then recruited them for a pilot program. This group then helped guide company policy and raised the bar for other employees.
Performance review template: Peer feedback
When it's time to conduct an employee's annual performance review, his or her peers can be an excellent source of information and insight. This template includes a cover letter explaining the process and a survey designed to elicit useful, targeted peer comments.
Training/tuition reimbursement kit
This kit can serve as a framework to define and formalize your organization's approach to employee training. It consists of a policy that outlines expectations and guidelines for the program.
Training assessment templates
Training new employees and assessing the effects of training is an involved process. These templates can help busy managers keep training efforts on track and organized.
Motivation tactics for those who lead techies
In this chapter from his book, Leading Geeks, Paul Glen warns that traditional methods of motivating staff won't work with knowledge workers. Check out his suggestions for what will work.
TechRepublic's Morale Boosters Hall of Fame
TechRepublic's Morale Boosters Hall of Fame provides true tales of managers who've succeeded in boosting employee morale through simple actions, policies, and perks. Use these ideas to improve morale in your office.
Use these documents to build a morale-boosting sabbatical program
Sabbaticals can promote professional development and company performance by revitalizing weary staffers. This sample sabbatical policy and application will help you take the first steps toward establishing this valuable career program.

Articles

Set annual review goals that aren't project related
When doing annual reviews for your staff, stay away from making individual goals project related. Here's how to align goals with individuals.
Guide staff behavior by setting a good example
Make all the rules and recommendations you want, but don't lose sight of the fact that your team is led more by your actions than your words. Here are some strategies for shaping your team's attitudes and habits through your own behavior.
Go the extra mile before writing off an employee
A member has just been promoted to director of IS and finds that an employee seems unqualified to work in IS/IT. Find out what steps this member should take in order to give the seemingly unqualified employee a chance for an IS redemption.
Focus your staff behavior to position your department as a strategic business partner
If you want to position your IT department as a true strategic partner to business goals, you have to first address the collective behavior of your staff and make changes where needed to align with the rest of the business.
Use one-on-one sessions to guide your team
How much time do you spend talking to team members about their performance? Probably not enough, unless you've got a schedule and plan in place. Ken Hardin offers these tips on helping employees and projects succeed.
IT Discipline Mentoring program: Increase staff motivation and productivity
IT has been lean for years and now staff is burning out from consistently working 12+ hour days and weekends. IT executives have taken some steps to stem the tide such as developing best practices and buying the latest technology, but this hasn't had much effect. Read about an idea that may be the best way to keep your staff working productively and happily.
These motivation methods counter retention and morale issues
From doling out t-shirts to organizing development and career planning programs, companies strive to keep their employees motivated. Here are some tips for keeping your staff happy and productive�and under your employ.
Retention measures trigger new organizational vigor
To reduce employee turnover, one company launched an experimental program. After careful planning and execution, it put the power to change the culture into key employees' hands and revolutionized company dynamics.
Members describe bonus plans that actually work
Although bonus plans are not as common or as generous as they were during the boom years, consulting firms still use them to reward and retain valuable workers. Here are a few real-life examples of effective bonus plans.
Members suggest alternatives to traditional raises
It's no surprise that many companies are finding it difficult to offer raises in this economy. Until the economic IT meltdown is over, these suggestions from members on compensation alternatives might just fill the company bill�and your employees' needs.

White papers

Giving and Receiving Feedback Well
When the thought of having to give or receive feedback arises, most people assume that the experience will be a negative and uncomfortable one. This isn't necessarily the case; in fact, it's good practice to highlight positive achievements or traits in any type of feedback situation. This paper from Business, The Ultimate Resource, explains how to deliver and receive feedback well.
Improve Your Training: Reduce Training Time and Boost Customer Satisfaction
Read this case study sponsored by Citrix Online to discover how KaulkinGinsberg, a leading provider of merger and acquisition services, uses online collaboration to: reduce training and travel costs, close the communication gap between trainers and students, focus on the content instead of how to use the training tool, and realize instantaneous ROI.