Workflow is the repeatable pattern of the activities sequence or steps that take place to complete a specific task on a regular basis. The flow being described includes tasks, documents or information that are passed to a proper workflow participant for action in a sequence determined by actions or pre-defined business rules, frequently called workflow rules. The Project Management Body of Knowledge, an internationally recognized collection of processes and knowledge areas accepted as best practice for the project management profession, defines the work breakdown structure as a 'hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.'
A large part of working in Human Resources (HR) is regulating performance management. Creating a space where you and your employees can produce excellent work and perform to the best of your abilities is no easy task, but with the right strategies, you can make it work.
Of course, effective performance management is more than just creating a work environment that works: Effective performance management is about leadership, interpersonal relationships, constructive feedback, and teamwork. Even when it comes to the difficult HR tasks of managing a process your employees don't care for or find value in, managing a paper process, aggregating data, and keeping other managers motivated to provide employees with useful feedback, there are strategies available that make these tasks more doable.
Whatever obstacles you may be facing, we have some tips to make things run more smoothly and efficiently in the workplace. Consider the following six strategies for effective performance management.
A Wide Scope of Resources
Before we jump into the six strategies for effective performance management, it is important to note all that falls under the umbrella of performance management:
- Setting expectations for work performance and planning ways to meet these expectations
- Monitoring employee performance with check-ins and meetings
- Offering rewards and praise for good performance and addressing poor performance
- Regularly rating performance through summaries and reviews
- Continually developing a capacity for optimal performance
Also known as 'performance appraisal,' these criteria ensure that an organization is working at its best and providing optimal services and output. In time, effective performance management should lead to organization growth and success.
Try These 6 Performance Management Strategies
1. Define and Communicate Company Goals and Performance Objectives
Your employees cannot meet your performance expectations or company goals if they are not clearly outlined, making this our first step toward effective performance management. Sometimes employers are not as clear as they could be when outlining their goals or company objectives, and often, employees do not come forward to ask follow-up questions when they are confused or unclear about something. Preempt this pitfall by being as clear and communicative as you can possibly be.
You can define and outline goals by using a goal-tracking software, creating a chart within the office, by sending out an e-mail, distributing a flyer throughout the office, holding meetings, or doing each of these things in turn. When you are outlining goals and objectives, repeat the message so that it sinks in, offer visuals (such as an office chart and e-mail) so that employees have a reference, and most importantly, hold meetings to check in on progress. Cookie 5 7 5 – protect your online privacy screen.
2. Utilize Performance Management Software
If you are not already using a performance management software, it may be time to consider trying it out. If you do already use one and it's not saving you any time, your team complains about it, or it has low employee engagement, it may be obsolete and in need of an upgrade. Performance management software can really streamline your performance management strategies, making it imperative that you either begin using one or at least begin looking to upgrade.
A good performance management software system is one that both offers traditional reviews and 360s, is employee-friendly, has an easy-to-use dashboard interface, allows for quick and actionable reporting and, of course, fosters employee development. The software will help both you and your employees stay on top of things so that your company is running smoothly and efficiently at all times. Some useful examples of more modern performance management software can be found here.
3. Offer Frequent Performance Feedback
While clearly communicating company and individual goals is an essential step for any business, communication alone is not going to get you all that far. Your managers will also need to check in with teams and employees periodically not only to gauge progress but also to provide feedback.
Good performance feedback reinforces strong skill sets and positive behaviors while showing opportunity areas with a clear path for improvement. This type of feedback cannot wait until HR kicks off an annual review cycle. Assassins creed brotherhood 1 0. Instead, it should be given in real time and integrated into company culture (it should also start during the interview process, but that is another post for another time).
Timely performance feedback is the best way to affirm your employees and their work while also shaping their work effectively. If you have a performance software now, it should be able to help you collect frequent feedback. If not, free tools like Google forms, survey monkey, or even just a basic e-mail request will get you pretty far.
4. Use Peer Reviews
Another great way to foster effective performance management is to utilize peer reviews, also known as 360-degree reviews. Again, this is a feature that can be found on most performance management software programs. Peer reviews are useful because they allow coworkers to praise other coworkers and highlight positive aspects of their performance, as well as point out where improvements can be made.
This exercise helps employees to work together, build better communication, and assess where they can improve themselves while watching their colleagues. There does need to be some manager or HR oversight into this process, and all peer reviews should be read to ensure that no claims, concerns, praises, or other comments go unnoticed or unaddressed.
5. Preemptive Management and Recognition
One way to guarantee results in the workplace is to implement rewards and practice preemptive management. This simply means that your employees always know what is expected of them so there is never any guesswork or need for consequences in the workplace.
This starts everyone on the same footing, making a fair playing field where expectations are set and goals are known. Rewards, or incentives, are also an effective way to show employees that you care, that you see their efforts and are pleased with their performance, and that you want them to keep up the good work.
In the same way, having a strong 'HR Toolbox' in play that helps managers catch slipping employees early on and provide appropriate feedback helps to catch a problem before it even starts. In this way, 'Preemptive Management' is all about communicating with your employees and letting them know what is expected, what is not, and how to meet the goals that have been set.
6. Set Regular Meetings to Discuss Outcomes and Results
Also known as progress reports or progress meetings, setting aside time to meet with your team and seeing how things are going with your set goals and objectives are important for meeting those goals and objectives.
These meetings can be held weekly, monthly, or as often as you see fit. Ensure that your team knows that attendance is mandatory. This makes the progress feedback more accurate and allows you to make plans for moving forward.
When holding these meetings, be sure to have a clear idea of what you want to cover. Some objectives should include:
- Following Up on Peer Reviews
- Discussing Praises and Areas that Need Work with the Team
- Recognizing Those Team Members Actively Meeting their Goals and Objectives with Rewards or Incentives
- Discussing Plans for The Next Phase of Projects
- Discussing Company Data: Revenue, Customer Involvement, Marketing and Campaign Success, Etc.
You should never meet just for meeting's sake. You want to have something relevant to address and something worthwhile to talk about. If you feel things are going smoothly, employees are receiving performance feedback and acting accordingly, and the company overall is on a positive road, meetings may be held less frequently and treated as checkpoints throughout the year.
If there are issues, concerns, questions, or ideas you want to discuss, have meetings sooner rather than later. Keeping your team involved, up to date, and in the loop are important for ensuring the machine that is your organization runs smoothly.
These six strategies for effective performance management may seem simple, but they can work wonders when implemented into your company's day-to-day life. Companies should be about the people involved. Making the most of their abilities, recognizing where they shine, encouraging them where they need work, and seeing them as full employees, not just cogs, are really how you can create the right work environment for success.
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Access the CIRCADIAN white paper. 'The Advantages & Disadvantages of 12-Hour Shifts: A Balanced Percpective'.
Twelve-hour shifts are still one of the most frequently debated topics in shift work management. Managers, shiftworkers, union representatives, federal regulators, corporate policy-makers, and academic experts continue to question and debate how 12-hour shifts compare to 8-hour shifts.
MYTH #1 - Converting to a 12-hour schedule will decrease the number of workers needed to staff the company.
FACT: The operation will still operate for the same number of hours per week and workers will still be working those hours – even though the number of hours may fluctuate week to week. This is why staffing levels typically remain unchanged when converting from 8- to 12-hour shifts.
If anything, more people may be required to run a 12-hour shift system than 8-hour shifts. Why? Because of absenteeism and overtime coverage.
When utilizing 8-hour shifts, management can provide labor coverage by asking workers to come in early or using holdovers. However, these strategies aren't feasible with 12-hour shifts due to safety concerns, compliance and labor laws.
MYTH #2 - Any 12-hour schedule is better than the best 8-hour schedule.
FACT: Shiftworkers who are enthusiastic about the increased days off that come with 12-hour schedules may assert that changing to a 12-hour schedule will comprehensively solve all of the problems facing management and the workforce. While 12-hour shifts are becoming increasingly popular among 24/7 operations, a number of disadvantages are associated with 12-hour shifts.
Occasionally, we find that a management team has implemented a 12-hour schedule with the goal of providing workers with a schedule that provides more days and weekends off. Unfortunately, forcing any type of schedule onto workers without creating the necessary buy-in can backfire on management – ultimately resulting in a host of unexpected workforce challenges.
Many 12-hour schedules that have some excellent benefits over 8-hour schedules, however, some 12-hour schedules are physiologically demanding and socially disruptive. The only way to determine if a 12-hour schedule will be accepted is by communicating and interacting with workers at each plant site.
MYTH #3 - There are more practical 8-hour schedules than 12-hour schedules.
FACT: Even though 8-hour schedules are the most common and most widely used, there are actually many more practical 12-hour schedules available than 8-hour schedules. The simple mathematical combinations of 12-hour schedules allow for about 120 types of core 12-hour schedules, while there are approximately 40 types of core 8-hour schedules.
This does not mean that 12-hour schedules are necessarily always better than 8-hour schedules, but simply that there are more ways to design 12-hour schedules due to their flexible nature.
MYTH #4 - Shiftworkers will lose money by going to a 12-hour schedule.
FACT: Economic analysis will usually show that going from an 8-hour to a 12-hour shift schedule will increase wages by about 2%. This extra 2% arises from the fact that workers will typically work half of their weeks with 52 pay hours (i.e., 40 hours straight time and 8 hours at time and a half) and the other half of their weeks with 36 hours of straight time.
However, if cost neutrality is predetermined during the schedule design process, the actual increase in pay can be eliminated.
It's important to determine how overtime will be handled when transitioning to 12-hour shifts. In some agreements between a company and the local union(s), overtime is paid for any work over 8 hours in a given day. This is not a federal law, but an agreement between the union and management.
We have found that this can be waived if the shiftworkers' desire for 12-hour shifts is strong enough that they are willing to agree to cost neutrality. Federal law requires that overtime must only be paid on hours greater than 40 hours in the specified work week.
Note: Some states have different requirements related to overtime and 12-hour shifts. Make sure you understand the laws that effect overtime in your state.
MYTH #5 - Performance decreases on 12-hour shifts.
FACT: Validated and widely accepted research has shown just the opposite of this with a biocompatible schedule design. Performance may actually increase on 12-hour shifts when compared to 8-hour shifts.
Performance typically parallels alertness, which is strongly affected by one's individual circadian peaks and troughs. Alertness fluctuates based on: (1) time of day, (2) amount of quality sleep that the individual has obtained, and (3) hours of sustained wakefulness. With proper training on managing a shiftwork lifestyle, workers can recognize and mitigate performance decrements across a shift. Management can also strategically plan shift start and end times to reduce risks and performance deficits related to circadian rhythmicity.
Also, the extra days off that are an integral part of most 12-hour schedules allow for more recuperative time between shifts. This extra rest time allows workers the time needed to fully recover from any sleep deprivation and come back for the next work days feeling better rested and able to perform to the best of his or her abilities.
Another feature of 12-hour shifts that can increase performance levels is the reduced number of shift turnovers. Performance often tends to decrease and errors tend to occur around shift change times. Twelve-hour schedules, with only two shift changes per day, cut this turnover risk by one-third.
In addition, 12-hour shifts allow more time to complete lengthy tasks, especially if a significant amount of preparation time is required before the work can begin.
MYTH #6 - Any worker can get used to a 12-hour shift schedule if he or she truly makes an effort.
FACT: Most workers can easily adapt to 12-hour shift schedules. However, for some workers, the 12-hour shift can be extremely difficult. Older workers occasionally find the length noticeably fatiguing and can have a difficult time recuperating from them, especially when working several consecutive days.
Single parents working 12-hour shifts can also struggle to find quality child care – especially when working night shifts.
Another factor that can make 12-hour shifts difficult is the type of work being done. In jobs with heavy lifting or physically challenging work, 12-hour shifts can be excessively fatiguing even with the extra recuperation days. Break schedules can make the difference in how easily the adjustment to 12-hour shifts is made. Consequently, it's sometimes necessary to provide extra time for breaks when working 12-hour shifts.
MYTH #7 - Managers prefer 12-hour schedules.
FACT: Although 12-hour shifts are growing in popularity among 24/7 operations, not all managers prefer them. There are several implementation issues that require extra effort on the part of management when transitioning from an 8- to a 12-hour schedule.
For example, pay scales and compensation must be reviewed to insure cost neutrality. In essence, it's much easier for managers to keep the facility on an 8-hour schedule rather than delve into the multitude of issues that must be resolved when changing from an 8-hour schedule to a 12-hour schedule.
Another factor that deters managers from preferring 12-hour schedules are the barriers to communication that these schedule present.
Communication between managers and workers can become more difficult on 12-hour schedules when compared to 8-hour schedules. A greater amount of flexibility is necessary on the part of managers to insure proper communication. This can mean having to schedule meetings and other functions at hours inconvenient for managers in order to accommodate 12-hour shiftworkers.
Want to learn more about managing 24/7 operations?
Tomates 8 0 – Effective Work And Rest Management System
The Advantages & Disadvantages of 12-Hour Shifts. A Balanced Perspective.
Twelve-hour shifts are still one of the most frequently debated topics in shift work management. Managers, shiftworkers, union representatives, federal regulators, corporate policy-makers, and academic experts continue to question and debate how 12-hour shifts compare to 8-hour shifts.
• What is the impact on performance productivity and quality?
• What effects do they have on shift worker alertness, health and family life?
• Do they cause problems for management or shift workers?
Access the CIRCADIAN white paper,
'The Advantages & Disadvantages of 12-Hour Shifts'.
Tomates 8 0 – Effective Work And Rest Management System Examples
About CIRCADIAN®
Smooze 1 7 0. CIRCADIAN® is the global leader in providing 24/7 workforce performance and safety solutions for businesses that operate around the clock. Through a unique combination of consulting expertise, research and technology, software tools and informative publications, CIRCADIAN helps organizations in the 24-hour economy optimize employee performance and reduce the inherent risks and costs of their extended hours operations.