It's that time again. The holidays are just around the corner and the HRM department is busy in the week with the appraisal forms. Every year the circus is rigged up again. After all, management has to determine objectively whether or not you get another step next year. But what is the effect of this measure, in which a manager obediently puts the ticks on the form, the employee is told where his areas of concern lie, usually in combination with a pay house that no longer offers room for a step increase?
It leads to less engagement! No more or less than that, and I can hear you thinking, 'what about paying attention to people, which according to all theories leads to better engagement?' Let's start with the manager, who often has to take stock for his employees during the busiest time of the year. Emphasis here is on the word 'should', which often results in a lack of genuine interest in the employee. In many cases, this results in the last 2-3 weeks being assessed and the completed form becoming the goal instead of genuine attention. The felt waste of time, will lead to stress on the part of the manager, putting pressure on the department's results. Giving compliments is difficult in our culture, so managers often lapse into explaining areas for improvement.
Appraisal is a reckoning
The employee experiences appraisal as a reckoning, even when the manager tries to emphasise good results. A blemish in the form of a failing grade on an otherwise cum laude report, continues to attract attention, so too here. It remains a strange phenomenon, to have received a whole year's salary as a professional, only to be told that it was not quite the performance that was expected.
Something inside me tells me, that a stressed manager and an insecure employee, are not the basis for optimal business results. The old HR cycle, conducting performance appraisals and then training on the employee on his shortcomings and then assessing whether he has succeeded and then performance appraisals again has really had its day.
Optimal use of your people
An effective HR strategy to achieve better business results starts with good competence management. That means that as a company, you recognise that people's drives and talents are the foundation of your organisation. Understanding this is the only way to achieve optimal deployment of people.
To carry out business processes adequately, a number of competences are needed. These are sometimes united in one and sometimes in several persons. Execution is done only by those who are better than average at it, or have the potential to make better use of the competence. A finger on the pulse of the manager whether everyone is deployed in his/her strength remains necessary. Based on regular interviews, supported by a competence scan where necessary, the manager signals growth in people. Growth can lead to deployment on other processes within the organisation, if the company and the employee see the added value of it at that moment. Focus on potential is the source of growth.
No imperfections
When people are valued in this way within the company, they receive real attention, no more imperfections and engagement will grow. As far as I know, the basic principles to achieve optimal company results. A failing grade in an appraisal interview is therefore actually a failing grade for management.
A great resolution to start the new year differently.
