As you progress during the year, how are you doing toward your goals? How are your employees doing toward their goals?
How are you doing with your employees? Staying in touch with them? How are you helping to help them achieve their goals?
For you contractors out there, have you seen your employees this month? (Contractors have always been the definition of remote workers.)
The system of the annual review is far too infrequent to keep tabs on how your employees are doing. With so much going on, the economy, COVID, remote learning, ups and downs of your business, staying close to the action is a really good idea. Keep up with developments rather than developments to happen to you.
Time for that regular check in with your employees
It is a fallacy that annual reviews boost performance. Take a look at this quote from this Harvard Business Review article.
“With their heavy emphasis on financial rewards and punishments and their end-of-year structure, they (annual performance reviews) hold people accountable for past behavior at the expense of improving current performance and grooming talent for the future, both of which are critical for organizations’ long-term survival. In contrast, regular conversations about performance and development change the focus to building the workforce your organization needs to be competitive both today and years from now.”
Part of this is that annual reviews are usually done very poorly. Another part is that everyone needs to try and remember what happened, both good and bad, during the previous 12 months. The speed of business, and it doesn’t matter what your business is, is moving fast and you need to stay with it. The best way to do that is through your employees.
The annual review can be used to establish updated salary, annual goals for the employee, time for them to share what they would like to accomplish in the coming year, it cannot be your only touch with the employee during the year. Below are few suggestions on what to do in addition to the annual review.
Before you start -
How are your listening skills?
Communication with your employees is more than just talking to them. You need to make sure you are connecting with the employee. The only way to do that is to listen. Not hear, listen. When that person is with you, they are your only concern. No phone calls, no texts, no looking at the computer while they talk. You need to be right there with them. When they tell you something, repeat back to them what you think you heard. Continually confirm with them that you are listening to the them. Ask clarifying questions. Write down relevant information or action items so that you can follow up at the next meeting.
Three solutions
Solution One — Hold more informal meetings at least monthly with each person. Before you start the meeting make sure you have something positive to start things off. And if you have a critical item, think beforehand on the best way to present and get buy in from the employee. This can be a time where they share more time sensitive issues that can affect the business.
Solution Two — At the start of each week, put in your pocket a number of tokens or coins. When you give an employee a compliment, move the coin from the right pocket to the left. By the end of the week your right pocket needs to be empty. If not, you are not engaging enough with your employees.
Solution Three — Create a development program for each employee and have them report to you on their progress. Get yourself and others on a continuous learning path to position your company for greater success.
As I frequently mention, it is more costly, in time, money and opportunity, to hire a new employee than to train an existing employee. When you listen, really listen, and employ one or all of these solutions, you will have a better understanding of your employee, how they fit in, how they are making progress, how they are helping you.
Remember, stay close to the developments rather than have the developments come to you.
Originally published in Medium - February 21, 2021