It is time to rethink management, as the author Gavet starts this article explaining that she is a huge fan of formal performance reviews when they are done correctly. In the ideal world employees receive constant feedback on performance and continual development in areas they need to improve. However it hardly ever such an effective and constructive processes.
In most organisations the feedback process is annual, some companies make the process quarterly but everybody is busy and managers often died or even avoid delivering any critical feedback. Performance targets are not always clarified and get out of date. The development conversations are normally more about what the individual can do for the company rather than how the company can build their skills and capabilities.
Across the world companies are telling their staff that they can work from home for the foreseeable future. In a world where employees are working from home, often also trying to home school as well a new range of issues are emerging for managers to consider in performance conversations.
So It is time to rethink management, starting with performance management, Gavet proposes three points:
- What is the role of performance reviews?
Performance reviews (as the name dictates) are primariliy used as a rating to determine an employee’s pay rise, promotion, or exit. Can performance reviews instead serve as detection tools to identify employees who need help or are being poorly deployed? Can they be used to redeploy talent, rather than simply weed it out? - How can we value performance beyond KPIs and results?
Most performance reviews are structured around number-based targets. They rarely take into account behavior and other “soft” contributions. The pandemic has made it challenging to meet traditional targets, not just because of the economy: There are also parenting responsibilities and the sheer mental impact of being locked down at home. Certain skills have become even more critical: communication, the ability to bring clarity to complex moving situations, decision-making under stress, and the remote management of people. Can we create an evaluation system that accounts for the importance of these COVID-19-era skills? - How can managers be more focused on developing people rather than managing tasks and deliverables?
Compassionate leadership that provides a more empathetic performance review process could actually help companies adapt to the pandemic. Potentially providing an opportunity to accelerate the reinvention of businesses, all starting with the review process.
Synopsis of an article from Fast Company by Maelle Gavet Published 17th August 2020 https://www.fastcompany.com/90540439/its-time-to-rethink-work-for-the-covid-era-performance-management-is-the-first-step