Performance management is no longer an annual event. It has become a continuous project, with or without performance management software. The need to evaluate employees regularly especially in terms of goal achievement has become vital for all companies be it big or small. Mentoring is also an integral part of any employee’s development and performance management plays a very important role in gauging the need and extent for coaching and guidance. However, performance management in India is still in an evolutionary stage facing multitudes of challenges.
One of the reasons for this is ineffective communication.
Once the employees’ performance review against set goals is completed, the
measurements and relevant feedback needs to be shared with the employees in a
transparent manner so that there is a scope for improvement in the future.
Instead of an annual performance review, feedback should be given on a monthly
basis. At the same time, negative feedback should not be delayed but delivered
simultaneously. Withholding such information leads to distrust and lowers
confidence.
Often poor measurement metrics are developed and while goals
are set, no relevant measure is put in place. Performance metrics should be
chosen keeping in mind the company structure. Irrelevant mapping can result in
distorted results. Also, care should be taken while analyzing the data as any
error can disrupt the functioning of the program. Similarly, the old system of
keeping scorecards on employees for targets achieved has to go as it has no
relevance in the current scenario.
Performance management system also lacks alignment between individual performance,
departmental performance and organizational goals. The gap between companies’ strategic planning
and performance review is also a challenge. Strategic planning focuses more on
the process and implementation while almost no thought is given towards the
employees’ performance and development planning. Organizations need to adjust
their goal setting and planning after assessing the employees’ performance.
Adopting performance management as part of the company
policies is critical for both the employees and the management. Often, it is
not taken seriously by the employees which results in misplaced expectations by
the management. Lack of commitment by the management also impacts the delivery
of an effective performance management
system.
Employee engagement
also plays a pivotal role in performance management. The year round process
should be conversational and timely and employees should be able to solicit
information and feedback from anyone in the hierarchy, making the interface
more open. Activities such as team lunch, family days, birthday celebrations,
competitions and motivational emails are some of the other ways in which
employee engagement can be fostered. Incentivizing top performers without
penalizing non-performers can be another way to ensure full employee
co-operation. Rewards could be in form of public acknowledgement, financial
inducement, educational break, promotion or even a vacation.
In case of India, there is an urgent need to reduce the
element of favoritism and biasness during the performance review. Issues like
these should be addressed before it puts a dent on employee morale and
compromises the performance completely.
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