Managing and monitoring employee performance is an important priority for most organizations. It ensures that employees understand what is expected of them as well as any learning and development needs, goals and accountability to the organization. The process of performance management can be made easier if you have the right tools to measure, report on, and manage employee progress.
What are employee performance management tools?
Different organizations have different priorities when it comes to managing and monitoring employee performance. Sometimes it might be annually, half-yearly or quarterly. In other organizations, it could be monthly, weekly, or even daily - depending on the nature of the work that is being performed.
There are a wide variety of employee performance management tools out there to help with this task, these are some of the most popular ones:
1. Regular one-on-one check-ins
Regular performance discussions between managers and employees help to improve relationships, set goals and identify any issues in a timely manner and apply early interventions before they become difficult to deal with.
This has proven to be a much more effective way to review employee performance than the traditional method of formal, annual reviews.
An example of this success can be found in the software company Adobe. It implemented ongoing check-ins between managers and employees with the goal of setting expectations, offering feedback, and providing recognition for good work. The outcome of this was that the company experienced a 30% reduction in turnover in what is a very competitive field, meaning it was retaining talented employees.
2. KPIs and other metrics
Having meaningful data can help with decision-making. Performance management is no exception to this. When you set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you have a way of measuring how well your employees are tracking and giving you quantitative data to structure conversations around.
3. 360-degree feedback
The 360 survey tool goes beyond manager and employee: it helps to build an overall picture about how the employee is performing in the eyes of a range of stakeholders such as clients, colleagues, suppliers, their direct reports, and others. The feedback provided is anonymous and helps to give insights into the way the employee works with others so that training and development opportunities can be appropriately identified.
4. 5 As goal setting
The 5As goal setting method is a collaborative process where goals are set jointly between the manager and the employee in order to have useful and practical goals.
These are:
- Assessable: the goal can be easily measured.
- Aspirational: the goal encourages the employee to succeed and develop their own potential.
- Aligned: the individual’s goals are consistent with the overall goals and objectives of the company.
- Accountable: the employee understands that they are accountable for achieving the goal that has been set.
- Agile: the goal should be achievable within the near future and subject to regular review to ensure they are relevant.
5. Management by objectives
Management by objectives - also known as MBO - is where specific objectives are defined and a process is determined as to how each goal will be achieved. MBO is especially useful when there is a process-oriented piece of work that has to be done with specific, often technical, steps that must be followed.
6. Personal development plans
A personal development plan (PDP) is a performance management tool where employees and managers can collaborate to set out goals and measure them. It provides a sense of direction and guidance for the employee and manager alike to track the employee’s work and identify successes and weaknesses.
7. The Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard is a performance management framework that helps organizations to clarify and communicate their key objectives and priorities, monitor how these are being slivered, and formulate and manage action plans that include individual employees to ensure that the work is being done by the right people at the right time.
8. Performance management software
Performance management software helps managers with a range of tasks related to performance management. This includes writing accurate and targeted job descriptions, setting out expectations and objectives, aligning individual goals with company goals, as well as the appraisal process.
Often it will feature other employee engagement tools such as feedback and reward and recognition.
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DeskAlerts Pulse surveys: an additional employee performance management tool
DeskAlerts is an internal communications and employee engagement software system that features a range of tools and channels to improve the sharing of information within an organization. One of these tools is performance management surveys - an enhanced version of the standard DeskAlerts surveys module, that enables HR specialists and line managers to collect meaningful data.
These performance management surveys enable Human Resources specialists to run scheduled, recurring surveys which can be used to evaluate key engagement metrics - effectively keeping a finger on the organization’s pulse.
DeskAlerts pulse surveys will equip you with rolling reports offering insights into the metrics dynamics. You’ll be able to identify any trends and/or culture shifts based on the regular feedback received from employees.
The surveys are delivered through pop-up windows that are immediately shown on the employees’ desktop screen or mobile device. Intrusive in nature, they will appear over the top of any other applications that are open and in use at the time, which means you will have 100% visibility and great response rates compared with other survey delivery methods.
The benefits of DeskAlerts performance management surveys
Compared to other performance management solutions, DeskAlerts stands out as a more invasive way to deliver the message and to provide better response rates in near real-time, allowing HR departments to survey employees more quickly.
Key features and benefits of the pulse survey software include:
- The ability to set up performance management surveys to be sent on a recurring schedule (for example, weekly, daily, on a specific date every month) which then builds a rolling report to identify any changes in employee responses over time.
- Recipients can quickly provide responses using a linear scale (for example, from 1 to 10, as set by the survey sender).
- This team survey tool lets you automatically send your performance management surveys to a targeted audience. It will help you easily follow up issues with a particular segment of your workforce.
- You can gain insights into how well your employees understand the company’s goals and values, their engagement in company life, and how safe and valued they feel at work.
- The ability to use pre-defined survey templates allowing you to save time and start using the tool straight away.
- Measurable data to assist with common problems such as low staff retention rates, general dissatisfaction of employees, lack of employee feedback, reduced levels of engagement, etc.
- Greater team well-being insights for Human Resources specialists and line managers.
- The same recurring survey mechanism can be used by your IT department to determine any common issues and challenges staff are facing IT-wise. (Frustration with digital resources can contribute to a negative workplace experience for many employees!)
- Your security department can also use the pulse survey tool to run periodic tests that check your workforce’s knowledge about common security vulnerabilities and risks.
- An extended reports feature that offers a greater level of detail.
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If you recognize that you need to overhaul your employee performance management tools to allow you to collect more meaningful data, you can contact our team of specialists as a starting point and get guidance about how our new DeskAlerts Performance Management Surveys can be integrated into your work practices to help your company achieve its potential.
