Performance Management - Are Your Managers Up To It?
Research carried out by the CIPD at the beginning of 2011 indicated that the main barrier to improving employee performance was a lack of confidence or competence on the part of line managers.
Yet a performance management process that’s carried out effectively will develop a more engaged workforce focusing on the right priorities which will enhance business performance and ultimately increase profits.
Unfortunately, performance management is all too often perceived as a negative process involving difficult conversations with under-performing employees. In many cases the process is reduced to a mere tick-box exercise that’s endured once a year.
The challenge is getting managers not only to recognise under-performance but to have the courage to address it themselves rather than waiting until the problem is out of hand and then passing it over to HR.
A common problem is that no-one is responsible or accountable for employee motivation and productivity. Is it HR, line managers or the Board? Developing an effective performance management system which line managers lead and own is the key to getting things done right first time and achieving the goals of the organisation as a whole. It may well be that managers themselves need coaching and training to recognise under-performance, deliver feedback constructively and set appropriate goals that motivate.
To read more – click through to our User Guide on The Benefits of Effective Performance Management.
