| If your employee performance management system is | | | | subordinates need to submit self-appraisals or sign off |
| not effective - in other words, your managers aren't | | | | after an evaluation has been written and discussed. |
| meeting their responsibility of getting their employee | | | | An online system can be set up to automatically send |
| performance appraisals written, approved and | | | | managers (and their subordinates) regular reminders |
| delivered on time - here's the first question to ask: | | | | every time an action date is approaching and email |
| What happens to the manager who doesn't turn in all | | | | red-flag notifications if a deadline is ever missed. Finally, |
| of his appraisals on time? | | | | a good online system can track the current status of |
| Too often it turns out that the answer is "Nothing," or | | | | employee performance appraisal completions for |
| at least nothing sufficiently disagreeable to get the | | | | different organizational units. Having this information will |
| manager to act. Managers often discover that it's | | | | allow you to let the head of the sales department |
| easier to put up with toothless gripes from the | | | | know that the completion percentage in his |
| personnel department about not getting employee | | | | department is only 84 percent, while manufacturing |
| performance appraisals done than actually evaluating | | | | and accounting are at the 100 percent level. |
| subordinates. As a result, appraisals get pushed aside | | | | Lighting A Little Fire |
| so that "real work" can be done, and your employee | | | | Though HR's role in creating an effective employee |
| performance management structure is broken. | | | | performance management system. Senior managers |
| Initiating Hardball Consequences | | | | also own some responsibility to make sure the |
| Make sure that there are some real consequences for | | | | company's expectations for employee performance |
| not getting employee performance appraisals in on | | | | appraisal quality and timeliness are followed. |
| time. For example, withholding salary increases until | | | | Every senior manager should review each appraisal |
| paperwork is up-to-date creates a powerful incentive | | | | written by a subordinate manager before that |
| for getting them done on time. This is particularly true if | | | | manager reviews it with the employee. This |
| the human resources department has the clout to | | | | one-over-one review procedure will ensure a level |
| refuse making salary increases retroactive to rescue | | | | playing field, since the senior manager can make sure |
| managers who just didn't get around to submitting | | | | that all of his juniors are applying similar standards and |
| them on time. | | | | expectations to their subordinates. He also will learn |
| No manager wants to be in the position of explaining a | | | | who's taking the responsibilities of employee talent |
| subordinate's delayed salary increase to them - | | | | management seriously as he reviews the appraisals |
| especially if the boost in pay is being held up simply | | | | and sees how honestly they're written. |
| because the manager failed to submit their employee | | | | Remembering the Power of Shame |
| performance appraisal on time. This strategy is called | | | | Shame is a powerful motivator that is often |
| "building accountability." It's a tough-minded approach, | | | | overlooked. There's nothing wrong with shaming |
| but all you're doing is insisting that managers play by | | | | managers into doing what they're supposed to do. |
| the rules. | | | | How do you do it? The easiest way to make shame |
| Establishing Deadlines | | | | work for you is to ask a senior executive if he'd like to |
| A gentler measure is simply to make sure that | | | | be updated on the status of employee performance |
| managers know exactly what they're supposed to do, | | | | appraisal completions - he will invariably say yes. |
| and when they're supposed to do it with a checklist | | | | (Senior executives always want to know the status of |
| that provides key dates of the employee performance | | | | everything). That's your license to report on exactly |
| management cycle. And make it easy for them to do | | | | who has their employee performance appraisals in on |
| what you want - make sure forms and procedural | | | | time and who's not performing. |
| instructions are readily available, and there's someone | | | | Provide a short report beginning, "As you requested, I |
| on hand to answer the inevitable questions that arise. | | | | have listed below the current status of appraisal |
| Both approaches establish shared responsibilities. Not | | | | completions," followed by nothing but two columns of |
| only are line managers required to get their employee | | | | names - one labeled "On time" and the other labeled |
| performance appraisals written, but HR must make | | | | "Overdue." Send copies of your report to everyone on |
| sure the employee performance management | | | | both lists. You can probably count on an immediate |
| process is models for best practices. Forms should | | | | reaction from those managers on the overdue list to |
| reflect the reality of people's jobs; managers must be | | | | finish their appraisals and move to the list of good |
| able to assess all of the subtle elements of both | | | | guys. |
| results and behaviors; training and other support must | | | | Again, an online system can provide executives with |
| be available in a just-in-time basis; and what is | | | | up-to-the-minute information about the status of all |
| expected should be made crystal clear. Without all of | | | | employee performance management activities without |
| these elements, HR bears the lion's share of the | | | | HR having to feed it to them. And senior managers |
| responsibility for not creating a system that | | | | can have a powerful influence of creating the |
| encourages employee performance management | | | | environment where one hundred percent appraisal |
| excellence. | | | | completions is the norm. |
| Sharing the Honey | | | | Creating Fool-Proof Accountability |
| But consequences aren't the only area where HR | | | | At one major oil company, the CEO and his VP of HR |
| drops the ball. We've talked about arranging negative | | | | developed an employee performance appraisal |
| consequences for those managers who don't do | | | | procedure that was a model of simplicity: a |
| what's expected. But remember - honey influences | | | | requirement that each manager discuss 13 open-ended |
| behavior better than vinegar does. How often does | | | | questions about performance with each subordinate in |
| HR provide positive consequences to managers who | | | | March of each year. |
| are doing a good job of meeting their employee | | | | The only writing the system required was a memo |
| performance appraisal responsibilities? | | | | from each manager to the CEO every year no later |
| A simple email from an HR rep to a supervisor saying | | | | than March 31. The memo indicates whether or not the |
| that in reviewing the employee performance appraisals | | | | manager had conducted all his discussions - if the |
| she wrote, he was impressed by how seriously she | | | | discussions had not been conducted, the memo |
| took the responsibility and the fact that they were all | | | | needed to explain why. And the reason had better be |
| submitted before the deadline. Copy her boss on the | | | | good, the VP-HR explained, because on April 1 the |
| email, too. | | | | CEO picks up the phone and starts calling. "Why didn't |
| Providing Gentle Reminders | | | | you do what I asked you to do?" he asks each |
| It's important to have some mechanism to remind | | | | manager who didn't complete the |
| managers when key dates are approaching. That's | | | | performance-discussion assignment. As the VP-HR |
| one of the great advantages of online systems. | | | | explained with a sly smile, "You don't ever want to get |
| Well-designed online systems greatly complement | | | | that call from Roy." |
| employee performance management efforts, providing | | | | Employee performance management is a necessary |
| managers with at-a-glance information about tasks to | | | | tool in making sure your company's employees are |
| be completed. | | | | putting their best foot forward. Your managers are the |
| For example, a dashboard screen can let them know | | | | catalyst for this, and they need both incentives and |
| which employee performance appraisals need to be | | | | consequences to make sure the job's getting done. |
| written and when they're due, which appraisals written | | | | Having a checks and balances system in place helps |
| by subordinate managers have been submitted and | | | | keep the process focused and effective. |
| are awaiting their review and approval, and which | | | | |