Employee Feedback Systems

Performance issues will continue as long as managers do not diagnosis the problem. It is too costly to production and to the Human Resource function to continually fire and re-hire as a result of employment malfunctions. The typical cost of rehire and retraining is three to four times the employee salary, let alone the time and money lost in productivity.

Value
There is a grave misunderstanding regarding performance reviews. These vital documents are meant to review performance. However, many organizations use this tool to console, condemn, and criticize talent. I migrated to my current business solely because a former sales manager placed new goals and expectations after delivery of a performance review. These goals were so unreasonable; they were not met and used as a termination tool. A source of frustration for many employees is using the Performance Review as a punishment rather than a corrective tool.

Policies and Procedures
Employees must know who they will report to, at what time, why they are doing their job, and who it affects. The most imperative principle - have the employee sign the document. Too many firms are using internal intranets to deliver policies. Worse yet, many have the employee click a button as affirmation for reviewing the document. There is little accountability and knowledge to denote the information was read. Contemplate the human side. Get your employee to sign this document with the manager present. There is little room for error and question with a witness present.

Job Description
The job description is another document that provides accountability. The information suggests hours of operation and areas of responsibility. While time consuming to develop, the document eliminates questions with responsibilities and tasks. Management surveys suggest obtaining an employee's signature.

Goals and Objectives
Supervisors that create goals can use them for performance measurements. To help make life easier for the supervisor, the goals can roll up into the annual performance review. Since there is a running daily or monthly record of accountability, goals help to make the annual process easier and more efficient.

Reward

• Catch them doing something right.
• Offer training to enhance performance.
• Provide flex time for a job well done and for extended hours.