The Evolving Responsibilities in Performance Management

Mother knows best. At least that's what we've been told. Mum (or dad) taught you to wash clothes, cook dinner and be a good person. The same applies to performance management. Performance management has evolved into a coaching device more than a means of reprimanding poor work performance. Although performance appraisals and improvement plans still exist, performance management has helped many employees improve their strengths instead of sending them out of business. In short, we've gotten better at this! But with this change also comes new areas of responsibility for managers, employees and even organizational leaders.

Leaders become mentors

In old-fashioned performance management, managers were the big bad wolves in the office, with constant monitoring, conflict avoidance and annual employee reviews that felt like giant exams. The good news is that performance management is no longer the same as before. It is moving away from what 58% of companies believe is a waste of time. Managers are encouraged to guide employees rather than reprimand them to improve and prevent performance problems.

Although the restructuring of performance management is well under way, there is still considerable room for growth. Only 17% of 616 employees in the survey say that their managers are really interested in their employees' career development. It is important that the managers clarify their role as coach, so that the employees understand that the employee interview is not just a meeting where they receive criticism, but an opportunity to develop.

The employees get involved

More and more employers choose to hire candidates based on personality and drive rather than the hard skills necessary to succeed in the new job. In recent years, at least the soft skills have become a preferred starting point for many hiring managers. As a result, many new hires have to go through a lot of onboarding and just as much informal training through coaching.

People are looking for regular, ongoing coaching to help them succeed at work. This includes timely constructive feedback, regular one-on-one conversations and specific, meaningful praise.

This change also requires a development of the employee's role in the performance management system. The employees are more than a cog in the machinery, they play an active role and have control over their careers. They work to live, not live to work.

Leaders become innovators

Organizational leaders are the drivers of performance management in the company. They may not be directly involved in the management of the entire company, but they set the tone for culture and performance. The mentality around performance management has changed from a leadership perspective.

Today, performance management is used to make decisions about personnel measures, identify poor employees and hold them accountable for their work. Perhaps most worryingly, many organizations use the as a way to collect and provide documentation to defend against legal challenges.

Now, however, there is a clear difference in how organizational leaders want the performance management systems to work. They want to improve communication between employees and managers so that employees can develop and grow. By aligning individual work with the organization's goals, teams and individuals can perform at their highest level.

IceHrm is no stranger to performance management. In fact, we have been helping you develop a performance management system for your company for many years. Take a demo to see how we can help your team succeed. As performance management evolves into a coaching tool, leaders become mentors, employees actively engage, and organizational leaders drive innovation. IceHrm remains a reliable ally in shaping effective performance management systems.