People are not normally distributed

Jennifer Luce is Sr. Director, HR, at Jeunesse Global – www.jeunesseglobal.com, a global business that helps people reach their full potential in youthful looks, in healthy living, in embracing life.

Whose responsibility is Performance Management?

Everyone from the owners down the employees themselves should be involved and responsible for performance management. The employees should hold themselves accountable for their actions and performance. Direct supervisors work closest with employees so they too should be involved in performance management. Human Resources staff usually have been trained and well educated on performance management so they should also be included when managing performance.

Should Development discussions be de-linked from Performance Reviews?

It is imperative to stress that performance reviews are done to help determine where an employee stands, what they can improve on as well as highlight their strengths and weaknesses. A performance review can also outline goals for the future. Having an open door policy allows employees to feel more comfortable when asking questions to help them grow and develop in the company. Also, asking for their feedback challenges them to self-assess and determine what input they have that could contribute to bettering their performance within the workplace.

Is the Bell Curve any longer relevant?

In my opinion, no. People are not normally distributed. A handful in each organization are extremely high achievers, while some are average and then there are also some low performers. Therefore, the concept of average is truly meaningless. We all want our employees to be superstars. So instead of comparing them to the average or what is typical, it is more advantageous to help everyone reach their maximum potential. Why restrict those hyper-performers to just the top of the curve? The sky is the limit, encourage them to keep performing at the best of their ability. For the lower performance, set goals to challenge them to maximize their efforts. Rewarding performance is always necessary too. Noticing someone’s extra efforts goes a very long way.

What works best in Employee Performance Management?

Most people like to set goals and reach them, therefore, recognizing people’s efforts and dedication is very important. Communication is also key when managing an employee’s performance. Keeping them informed about areas they need to improve in or making suggestions in ways to improve helps manage performance. Allowing employees to self-reflect and come up with their own ways to perform better is definitely another best practice as it allows them to have input on the changes they can make to do better and be better!