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by Melissa Trocko

Hiring | 0 Comments

Recruitment Process Outsourcing: The Ultimate

Guide

The recent downturn led many organizations to scale back their workforce, but as things turn around,
now they are looking to hire. As a result, Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is on the rise.

The current economic climate calls for a new talent acquisition model; one that is scalable, exible
and more cost-effective than the internal recruiting departments of yore. RPO is a compelling
departure from traditional methods, making it a logical choice for growth-oriented businesses large
and small.

What Is RPO?

The Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA) de nes RPO as “a form of business
process outsourcing where an employer transfers all or part of its recruitment processes to an
external provider.”

RPO rms essentially serve as an extension of a company’s human resources department and can
manage all or speci c parts of the recruiting process. Their solutions are customizable depending on
need and available resources, and they typically offer services ranging from job pro ling to the on-
boarding of new hires.

RPO services differ from those offered by sta ng companies and contingent or retained search
providers in that RPOs assume ownership of the design and management of recruiting processes and
responsibility for the results. In addition, RPO rms promote the client company’s brand rather than
their own.
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Is RPO Right For You?
 In the hands of a skilled provider, RPO can offer a lot of bene ts, including improved hiring time,
increased quality of candidates and the provision of veri able metrics for the recruiting process. In
today’s competitive marketplace, these factors can give businesses a signi cant competitive edge.

Whether you need a little bit of help with hiring or would prefer to outsource the entire process, there
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are a few things you should consider when evaluating an RPO solution for your company:

Why your company needs help with recruiting.

It is important to understand your company’s need for hiring assistance before seeking outside help.
Doing so will set the stage for the selection and management of a suitable RPO, as well as
expectations for your internal human resource, management and executive teams. Begin by exploring
speci c reasons and rank them in order of priority.

Examples include:

– Internal resources are over-taxed.

– You foresee an increase in hiring activity.
– Your management team wants a more accountable and/or consistent option than traditional
internal recruiters, contract recruiters and agencies.

– Metrics related to recruiting quality, speed and cost are unknown.

The type of assistance you require.

RPOs typically provide three levels of service: project outsourcing, program outsourcing and total
outsourcing.

If you need help hiring a few salespeople, that’s project outsourcing. If you just inked a government
contract and need 200 people immediately, that’s project outsourcing. If your entire HR department
needs support, that’s total outsourcing. Identifying the type of assistance you require will help
determine if RPO is right for you, and will go a long way in helping you select a provider who can ful ll
your speci c needs.

The speci c problems an RPO can and cannot solve.

Although cost savings is an eventual advantage of outsourcing your recruiting function, it should
not be your primary reason for considering this type of arrangement. RPO is a highly consultative
function with vast differences in structure, focus, technology and cost.

Where RPO rms excel is in their ability to improve candidate quality, increase recruitment
responsiveness and implement a best-in-class recruitment process to carry your company forward.
They cannot, however, be expected to solve your existing problems with fewer resources than you
are currently allocating.If your company has ine cient processes and infrastructure in place, focus
on the end results you desire, rather than your immediate need to cut costs. In the end, hiring
employees who perform at a high level and retaining them will dramatically improve your
company’s bottom line.

How Do You Select An RPO Provider?

After deciding whether or not RPO is the best solution for your company, you will need to evaluate
your options. Here are a few things to consider when choosing an RPO provider:

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Size of the RPO rm:

 Depending on your needs, you can choose between a small, mid-sized or large RPO provider. Small providers
are regionally based and may recruit nationally, but tend to be focused on a few specialties. Mid-sized providers
are regionally or nationally based, recruit globally, and cover a broader spectrum of industries. Large providers
are similar to mid-sized rms, except they are often owned by a professional employer organization (PEO) and
can provide other HR outsourcing services beyond RPO.
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Service structure:

The recruiting industry is advancing at a rapid pace, and RPO providers differ greatly in the technologies,
processes and staff they employ. Some RPOs will re ne your current processes and work with your existing
infrastructure and staff, whereas others prefer to implement a more complete end-to-end solution. Ask
questions, explain your desired outcomes and evaluate service agreements closely to determine which provider
will best meet your needs.
 

Company background:

You should ensure that any RPO you’re considering is established and has a track record of quality customer
service. It is wise to ask for references from other clients, preferably those in your industry or geographic area.
Cultural t:

It is important to choose an RPO provider whose staff you like and work well with. The RPO will serve as an
extension of your HR team, so trust and likability are key to a successful long-term relationship.
Cost:

Depending on your recruiting needs, the initial cost of partnering with an RPO may be more costly than doing
the hiring yourself. However, the long-term bene ts that come with strategic recruitment processes—including
improved quality of candidates, increased retention, and consistency in employment branding and hiring
practices—can equate to signi cant savings in the long run. In addition, your company will be spared the high
overhead costs of implementing new methodologies or technologies in-house and will further bene t from the
scalability an RPO can provide. Both you and your staff will be free to focus on core business tasks while your
recruiting needs are handled by a dedicated team of professionals.
Commitment:

RPO is not a “set-it-and-forget-it” solution. Your relationship with the provider you select will require an
investment of time, especially in the early days of implementation. You should also be prepared to give your
RPO six months to a year to achieve results.

Conclusion

As the business landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it is important for your company to
stay abreast of new talent acquisition models and recruitment processes to maintain a competitive
edge. An RPO can provide consistency, scalability and quality in hiring practices that your internal
team may be unable to achieve. Most importantly, an RPO can help you nd people who are a better
t in a fraction of the time.

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by Charles Ginn

Leadership and management | 2 Comments

How to say no to your boss or client: 7 tips

How to say no to your boss, an employee or a client can be a task fraught with anxiety for some
people. But there are times when saying no is unavoidable.

Perhaps you are asked to do something illegal, unethical or against company policy. Or, most
common, you may have to say no when the request is not possible to do for practical concerns such
as lack of time, resources or personnel.

When this situation arises it is important to address it correctly, especially if ignoring the issue could
hurt productivity and make the situation worse.

There are right and wrong ways to say no.

Here are seven things to keep in mind when the prospect of saying no is necessary.

1. Set priorities and expectations

Competing priorities within an organization can undermine employee productivity and time
management. When this happens there are keys to properly addressing these situations.

The rst thing a manager should do is make sure those orders are prioritized correctly and that
employees are working on the things that are most important to the department or organization.

Determine what is important and what is urgent. There is a difference.

Urgent tasks can often take priority, but they might not the most important in terms of the
organization’s goals.

Set realistic expectations for what a team can deliver. People sometimes say, “under promise and
over deliver,” but setting realistic expectations for what your team can deliver is the best way to avoid
misunderstandings later.

2. De ne success on new projects

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Eliminate ambiguity when introducing new tasks.
There is a difference between saying I need you to do X, Y and Z by this date and de ning what a good
X, Y and Z should look like. There should be no misunderstanding.

For example, you might need an employee to produce a report detailing an aspect of the company’s
rst quarter production by the end of the day for inclusion in the quarterly report. The what, when and
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why is succinct and makes it clear exactly what is expected.

If the employee or client clearly understands what your plan is and why, then both sides are in a better
position to give speci c feedback. Maybe one side won’t have to say no, or the other side will
understand why the initial request might not be feasible and readjust expectations accordingly.

3. Make your point without making an enemy

Many of us have heard the old maxim about the customer is always right, even when they may be
wrong. But sometimes saying no is not no, but a not now, or not necessarily.

Explain what you can do for them, not what you can’t. There may be limitations to what can be
accomplished in a set time. For example, rigorous laws or regulations may pose an unforeseen barrier
to completion. Or perhaps it’s simply a matter of available bandwidth.

If there are valid reasons why the answer is not a yes at this time, people understand.

Maybe the project can be adjusted or postponed until a later date. Explain what you think is
achievable and offer a compromise that might work well with clients, supervisors or employees.

There’s a right way to tactfully say no and still be responsive to the individual. Be clear, but polite, in
your explanation why something may not work. It is okay to disagree, but it’s not okay to be
disagreeable.

4. Lack of communication is a no-no

Just saying no without providing any rationale for doing so isn’t going to help things. You don’t have
to explain everything, but it is important for people to understand why something doesn’t have to
happen.

Explaining the rationale behind a decision allows the person to accept it more readily.

Another thing that is important is the tone of voice. How you say something is just as important as
what you say. When you are communicating no, your tone of voice may determine how it is received
by the employee, client or supervisor.

5. Manage expectations up the chain of command

When working with a key client or a superior, it’s important to manage expectations by being
purposeful as to what you communicate.

For instance, you might be the HR director submitting a budget request to management.

If you present the best information possible, it’s easier for management to make good decisions. It is
not just a matter of feeling strongly about something, but you must communicate your opinion in a
way that explains and justi es how it should be done or why it is necessary.

Remember: you’re a partner and not a problem in this situation.

Help your audience understand your position from a business perspective. It might just be the
differentiator between getting your budget approved or not.
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6. When saying no is not an option

There will be times when tasks are ordered from the top where practicality or time constraints are not
fully understood by management. Sometimes marching orders are just that – marching orders – and
must be complied with.

When a task must be completed under time duress, success can be challenging.

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Start by reviewing the project with your team. Break it down to manageable chunks and ensure
everyone understands the various deliverables and speci cations.

Emergency situations happen. There are times when things just have to get done. If people
understand the why and the how, it helps them overcome their objections and doubts.

7. Paint the big picture

One way to keep employees from getting inundated or overwhelmed is to make certain everyone
understands the big picture — the organization’s mission and goals. If they understand that, they are
better equipped to understand when the answer is no.

Being told no without knowing why can anger or frustrate people. So be as speci c as you can be:
Here’s the changes, here’s the tools you need to adapt to those changes, and here’s what is expected
of you going forward. Seek clarity over confusion, and you will lessen potential productivity road
blocks.

About that big picture: It is best that someone high up in the organization, and the higher up the
better, does the explaining. That allows an employee to be more fully engaged in the organization and
that is critical, because it makes it easier for those times when having to say no is the best option.
Your ability to manage di cult situations – like saying no to a client, boss or team member – will play
an integral role in the success of the business

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by Megan Moran

Training and performance | 0 Comments

9 simple but effective ways to improve employee

productivity Chat with Sales
Employee engagement may be the business buzzword of the day, especially when we start looking for
ways to improve employee performance. But what about employee productivity?

These concepts aren’t necessarily the same thing.

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It’s entirely possible to have a bunch of happy, engaged employees who love their jobs but aren’t
terribly productive or hard-working. It’s also possible to be surrounded by productive employees who
aren’t engaged at all. So, how can you ensure your engaged workforce is also as productive as
possible?

Despite what you may think, improvements in employee productivity don’t always require raises,
lavish gifts or a promise to work remotely. Many times, going back to the basics of good people
management is all it takes to generate greater productivity from your workforce.

Here are some of those basics, which should help you lay the foundation for improving employee
productivity.

1. Establish values
Core values help you decide who you’ll hire, de ne how and why you are in business, and identify who
your clients are. Values explain to the world and your employees what is to be expected from your
company.

Your company’s values should be clear and easy for people to translate into actions. Values will
determine what constitutes good performance. After all, values without a clear measure of what
productivity looks like won’t be very effective.

For example, a hospital may decide that caring customer service is a core value. So, what does that
look like for different hospital employees?

A display of good customer service for an orderly may translate into walking a patient to the location
of their next procedure, versus just giving them directions. For an accounts payable manager,
displaying caring customer service may mean helping a patient sort out a billing error that would have
cost them a lot more out of pocket.

Different roles often require different applications of core values. But at the end of the day, it should
all contribute to those values being re ected and upheld throughout the organization.

2. Communicate clear goals and instructions

Some basic blocking and tackling can help your employees better understand their jobs, and thus be
more productive. First, a well-written job description clari es the responsibilities of a position and
helps managers and employees establish clear, relevant performance goals.

Next, regular interaction with their direct manager is a proven driver of employee productivity. That’s
because their manager ideally is helping them resolve roadblocks, brainstorm solutions and better
understand how their individual activities support the overall organization.

If a manager’s expectations aren’t clear, it’s likely that employees will become confused, bored or
resentful and more focused on their own survival than how they can help your business succeed.

3. Keep deadlines realistic

Before you give your employees a deadline to meet goals or complete projects, you need to
realistically determine:

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What milestones will be used to measure progress?
What steps are required to meet the goal?
How much time should it take to complete the goal?
 Is our timeline challenging but achievable?
What other projects is this person or team handling, and is their overall workload realistic?

Again, clear direction about goals and objectives will be vital to the success of the project.

Be speci c about the milestones that will be used to gauge success. Don’t make your employees Subscribe
struggle to identify what those milestones are. Confusion or lack of rm direction causes frustration,
which wastes time and generates unnecessary stress.

Some managers like to keep pressure on their teams, believing this spurs productivity. However, when
you don’t allow adequate time for employees to meet deadlines, team members are likely to feel
overworked and frustrated. Tempers may are, and employees are more apt to disengage than to
work together toward a common goal.

4. Balance accountability and authority

It’s important that each manager strikes a balance between accountability and authority.

Accountability means setting expectations and putting clear, meaningful consequences in place.
Positive consequences include constructive feedback, increased responsibility, and simply knowing
that milestones and progress are measured. Negative consequences might include having to work
late to x a problem, being denied a promotion, or failure to earn a productivity bonus.

But, to be clear, more responsibility must be accompanied by the authority to get the job done. That
means providing adequate resources to them and their team, as well as the latitude to make
decisions and execute their own ideas. They’ll also need direct access to management, stakeholders
and other decision-makers to get timely buy-in and approval.

You and your employees need to nd the right balance between performance goals and the autonomy
in deciding how to achieve them.

5. Remember to listen
Effective managerial communication is about more than talking and sending explanatory emails.
Listening is the other vital component to improving employee productivity.

Yes, managers shape productivity and engagement using the vision and mission established at higher
levels of leadership. But good managers realize that information needs to ow both ways.

That’s because, oftentimes, employees are on the front line dealing with customers and handling day-
to-day issues. You’re missing out on good sources if you’re not tapping into your employees’
knowledge base and experiences.

That forklift driver may be able to suggest a new maintenance procedure that reduces your repair bill
and makes the machinery last longer. But you have to listen to their suggestion rst.

It may shake up your idea of how communication is supposed to ow, but it encourages employee
engagement.

6. Don’t micro-manage
Your job as a business leader is to be the coach on the sidelines, available for questions and
suggestions. A micro-manager gets on the eld, duplicating or undermining their team’s efforts to
play at peak performance.

It can be one of the hardest lessons for a manager to learn, but setting clear expectations, providing
training and direction, and then letting employees do their job is a manager’s job. Chat with Sales
A healthy management style means you check to make sure milestones are being met, but you don’t
expect every detail of the project to run through you.

It takes nesse to know when to not over-communicate and over-manage, but when you do, you’ll be
rewarded with employees who ourish.
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Having some latitude is fundamental to whether people are happy and productive. They will thrive
with a degree of autonomy and exibility to help your clients or see something through to nal
resolution.

7. Celebrate success
Employees want and deserve recognition when they contribute to the success of your company, so
look for ways to celebrate both individual and company milestones. Make time to acknowledge the
good work they’re doing and the milestones they’re achieving.

Monetary rewards are always appreciated but aren’t usually what motivates employees to work
harder. A simple, genuine “thank you” goes a long way toward boosting employee morale because it
acknowledges work well done and encourages repeat performance.

Feeling like they’re a valued part of a team and are making meaningful contributions to the company
are more powerful motivators than money alone.

For example, you could sponsor a contest for employees who suggest innovative approaches to
revenue generation, cost containment, safety improvements or customer satisfaction measures, and
then reward them for it. It doesn’t have to be anything big – it’s more about the idea of being
recognized and appreciated.

Should you wish to add a few gifts to the mix, there are many low- or no-cost ways to reward your
employees, such as gift cards, pop-up coffee bars, team T-shirts and myriad other inexpensive
gestures of appreciation.

Never forget: Lack of recognition may drive your best talent to look for jobs where they’ll get the
appreciation they deserve.

8. Train, retrain and promote

To keep employees productive, don’t focus so heavily on the here-and-now of your company’s needs
that you overlook training and development. If you invest in employee skills, you’ll foster loyalty to
your company and build your bench of future leaders.

Also remember, what employees want in their career development changes throughout the stages of
their lives.

Just-out-of-college employees may want the experience necessary to gain a promotion, while a mid-
career employee may seek new challenges by making a lateral move into a different department. A
subject-matter expert may want to take classes on an emerging technology rather than be trained to
manage people.

Not everyone must be hard-charging and ghting for promotion to be productive and a real asset to
the company.

Create employee development plans that lay out how your employees will acquire needed skills,
whether that’s through training (formal or on-the-job), coaching or mentoring. To keep them motivated
and productive, you’ll need to follow that training with situations that allow them to use what they’ve
learned.
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9. Manage growth
Measures of productivity change as a company grows. When small businesses grow from ve
employees to 30 to 200, the ballgame changes.

Communication is organic when there are four, ve or even 10 people in a company. As you grow,
people tend to be hired for a specialized area of expertise and departments can become silos, making
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easy communication more challenging.

Left unattended, you end up with a bunch of hard-working people who rarely speak to each other or
work in multidisciplinary teams. In such cases, you may have departments or individuals who meet or
exceed all measures of productivity, but the company overall may be struggling to meet its goals.

If you’re in this situation, it’s time to take action.

When the business was small, it may have been a foregone conclusion that “this is what we believe,
and this is how we do business.” But, as you grow, make sure your core values and expectations are
solidly de ned in your policies and employee handbook – and that they’re communicated during
hiring and onboarding.

You’ll probably need to revisit and update old procedures and processes to make sure operations are
as smooth and supportive of employee productivity as possible. But it will be time well spent as your
company continues to grow.

Ready to learn more about how to increase your employees’ productivity, performance and focus?
Download our free e-book: How to develop a top-notch workforce that will accelerate your business.

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by Michelle Kankousky

Training and performance | 0 Comments

Spur Productivity and Retention With a More

Strategic New Employee Onboarding Process

Half of all hourly workers leave new jobs in the rst four months, and half of senior outside hires fail
within 18 months, according to the SHRM Foundation’s report, Onboarding New Employees: Chat with Sales
Maximizing Success.
When you consider the costs of recruiting and hiring, those gures translate into a lot of money
wasted for employers – not to mention the lost time.

You may wonder – where did it go wrong? When did these new employees’ feelings turn from
excitement upon accepting the job offer to inklings of regret?
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Proponents of new employee onboarding would suggest as early as the gap of time between offer
acceptance and the rst day of work. During this time, most new hires begin to experience anxiety
about beginning the new job. Was this the right decision? What if I don’t t in? Will my supervisor like
me? Can I learn all those new procedures?

When the rst work day and beyond don’t dispel those natural concerns, employees often develop a
case of what Scott Erker and others call “employment buyer’s remorse” (or “hire’s remorse”).

One way companies can combat this regret-driven turnover is by developing a more strategic
onboarding process.

Organizations with a standardized onboarding process (compared to those without a consistent

process) experience higher rates of new hire performance, engagement and retention.

Even if your company is small, you can gain similar boosts in new hire productivity, engagement and
retention just by investing some time in creating your own strategic onboarding plan.

Onboarding basics

In the SHRM report, Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success, author Talya N. Bauer de nes
onboarding as “the process of helping new hires adjust to social and performance aspects of their
jobs quickly and smoothly.”

It’s crucial to realize that “onboarding” refers to the entire strategic process of helping new employees
adapt to your organization, not just to a basic orientation (although orientation is often an important
aspect of onboarding).

Bauer goes on to divide onboarding into four distinct parts, the Four C’s:

1. Compliance – Teaching employees basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations
2. Clari cation – Ensuring new employees understand their new jobs and all related expectations
3. Culture – Providing employees with a sense of organizational norms – both formal and informal
4. Connection – Helping the new employee establish vital interpersonal relationships and information networks
The Four C’s build on one another. Just about every company covers Compliance issues at least informally with their
new hires. However, as you can see in the chart below, Bauer’s report found that only 20 percent of organizations
onboard their new employees at the most strategic level, adequately addressing the rest of the Four C’s in a
standardized manner.

Pages 2-4, SHRM Foundation’s Effective Practice Guidelines Series: Onboarding New Chat
Employees
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Onboarding: what’s in it for your company?

By helping your new employees adjust to their jobs more quickly in the short-term, you score some huge advantages
for your company in the long-term.Short-term onboarding bene ts:
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Self-con dence in job performance
Role clarity
Social integration
Knowledge of and t within the organizational culture

Long-term onboarding bene ts:

Higher job satisfaction
Organizational commitment
Lower turnover
Higher performance goals
Career effectiveness
Lowered stress

 
Recommendations for developing your onboarding process

Creating a standardized and strategic onboarding experience at your company is an ambitious

undertaking. Follow these recommendations as a place to start.Focus on what matters to your
company

Your onboarding process should focus on teaching new hires about your business model and
corporate culture. Encourage managers to help their employees make connections between
company-wide goals and their day-to-day tasks, which in turn impacts productivity. Teaching new
employees about your corporate culture, which includes introducing them to key people, taking them
to lunch, getting them involved in their department, encouraging them to participate in optional
activities like volunteering, and giving them autonomy when they’re ready, helps your new hires feel
more engaged.

Think about what your new hires really need to understand about your company to be both productive
and engaged, and make those things the cornerstones of your onboarding content.

Consider cross-boarding

Onboarding can be about more than just your new hires. The Aberdeen Group calls cross-boarding
“the process of onboarding someone from an individual contributor to a leadership position.”

For example, you could practice cross-boarding through a special workshop for new supervisors and
managers. Whether the attendees have never been a manager before or are coming into the role with
management experience from another company, they may need a refresher. Try to help your
managers walk away feeling supported and well-versed in the vision for leadership at your company.

What else could you be doing to help new leaders in your organization have a more successful
transition?

Invest in technology

Technology can have a dramatic impact on your onboarding. It can provide on-demand resources for
your new employees between meetings and orientations, giving them quick answers about your
company’s culture, policies and procedures when they need them.

Obviously, nances are a factor when it comes to investing in new technology, but if there are things
that you identify that could help your employees be more productive or engaged, see what you can
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Onboarding Principles to Remember

Bauer recommends the following best practices for onboarding.

Implement the basics (e.g., prepare their workstation, cell phone, and other essentials) prior to the
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rst day on the job.
Make the rst day on the job special.
Use formal orientation programs.
Develop a written onboarding plan.
Make onboarding participatory.
Be sure your program is consistently implemented.
Ensure that the program is monitored over time.
Use technology to facilitate the process.
Use milestones, such as 30, 60, 90 and 120 days on the job – and up to one year post-
organizational entry — to check in on employee progress.
Engage stakeholders in planning.
Include key stakeholder meetings as part of the program.
Be crystal clear with new employees in terms of:
Objectives.
Timelines.
Roles.
Responsibilities.

Remember, the sooner your new hires feel welcome and prepared for their jobs, the sooner they will
be able to successfully contribute to your company’s mission.

If you’re like many businesses, your employees are your biggest investment. With Insperity’s   Human
Capital Management™ solution, you get tools and technology that help you manage all aspects of the
HR experience – saving you time and money while improving employee development – nd out more.

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by Insperity Staff

Training and performance | 2 Comments

Employee Engagement: Does It Really Matter?

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The term “employee engagement” is used about as often as the o ce coffee maker. It gets tossed
around in discussions about things such as performance, productivity and pro tability.

But what exactly is employee engagement? How do you measure it? And why should you care?

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What it is

Employee engagement is the degree to which an employee is committed to and satis ed with their
work. It typically falls under one of three categories:

Engaged – The employee believes in the business, wants to improve their work and the work of those
around them, is willing to do what it takes to help the organization succeed, and is motivated by their
leaders. E ciency and enthusiasm are tell-tale traits of the engaged worker.

Not engaged (or disengaged) – The employee does little more than the bare minimum, exhibits little
passion for their job, and sees work as an exchange of time for a steady paycheck. Disengaged
workers are often engaged workers who’ve lost their zeal for the job for one reason or another.

Actively disengaged – The employee dislikes their job and makes that misery known wherever they
go, broadcasting negativity that can hamper attitudes across the organization and drag operational
e ciency down with them.

A study by Dale Carnegie Training and MSW Research revealed that of the more than 1,500
employees surveyed, 29 percent of the workforce is engaged, 45 percent is not engaged, and 26
percent is actively disengaged. With 71 percent of the workforce displaying some degree of
disengagement, this is an issue burdening most companies.

How to measure it

The most effective way to measure employee engagement is by asking. Simple enough, right?
Consider conducting one-on-one interviews or deploying a survey developed speci cally to measure
employee engagement. A few sample survey questions might include:

My manager effectively communicates my goals as they relate to the larger goals of the company.
I know what my manager(s) expect(s) of me to successfully perform my job.
The company provides me with the tools and equipment necessary to successfully perform my
job.
My manager provides timely feedback.
I have access to training, support, feedback and coaching to improve my performance.

By rating responses from, say, 1-5, you can capture a quantitative measure of employee engagement.
In the same vein, regularly scheduled performance reviews add a degree of accountability, ensuring
that all employees are aware of the expectations regarding their work.

Why you should care

When the economy was at its worst, most of the employed workforce did what they could to keep
their jobs and ride out the storm. This also meant putting off the search for a better job. Experts say
this mindset was fantastic for employee retention, but a drain on employee engagement. And now
that the economy is ticking up, people unhappy with their station are revisiting the job search.

And it’s not always who you think.

Recent research by consulting rm Leadership IQ suggests that low-performing employees may be

among the most highly engaged, and high performers among the least engaged. This is in stark
contrast to years of research linking increased employee engagement to increased productivity,
performance and pro tability.
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Additionally, it makes regularly checking your employee engagement pulse that much more
important. Remember that today’s highly engaged staff member could easily be tomorrow’s actively
disengaged malcontent. Things happen (or not), attitudes change, people burn out, and so on.

Boosting employee engagement means cultivating it. This starts with organizations paying attention
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to and caring about employee engagement or, quite simply, employer engagement.

Are you ready to take employee engagement to a higher level? Learn more about InsperityTM
PerformSmartTM today.

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by Eric Kilponen

Leadership and management | 0 Comments

4 Performance Appraisal Mistakes You Might Be

Making

The big game might be over, but most football teams are already planning for next season. Coaches
(who kept their jobs) will be evaluating performance throughout the recruiting process and training
camp, looking to put their best cleated foot forward come September.

The business world is no different, as organizations are constantly trying to up their game to get a
competitive edge. One of the best ways to do so is by conducting performance reviews. However,
managers and supervisors often incite yellow ags by making the same mistakes.

Dodging these unnecessary penalties can lead to enhanced performance, a well-deserved Gatorade
bath and being carried off the eld atop the shoulders of your grateful staff. Hey, it never hurts to
dream.

1. Failing to communicate with employees

For a performance review process to be effective, job-related goals and standards must be objective,
measurable and clearly stated. Employees must always be aware of these criteria and know where
they stand within the appraisal process. Chat with Sales

A great way to achieve this is to use the SMART goal methodology, writing objectives that are:
 Speci c
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely
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This leaves little to the imagination and provides clear communication between the employee and
supervisor.

Remember: Effective communication goes both ways, so encourage employee feedback throughout
the course of the performance review. This helps you reinforce the stated goals and standards.
Additionally, it shows employees you have a vested interest in conducting a fair and constructive
performance assessment.

2. Being inconsistent

Performance reviews are a chance not only to point out inadequacies, but to praise productivity. By
recording both the positives and negatives regarding an employee’s job performance, you ensure a
balanced and consistent appraisal.

When you apply this standard to all employees, you bolster consistency, prevent bias and decrease
your potential for liability. Get both sides of the coin and you’ll get the whole story. Think of it as
winning the toss AND getting to pick which end zone to defend.

3. Taking it personally

It’s natural for performance reviews to be viewed as highly personal processes. They are. You’re
essentially judging the way your employees conduct themselves while completing their work.
Because of this, you might be tempted to avoid emotionally charged issues so as not to damage
personal relationships or evoke pushback.

If an employee is coming up short, it’s your job to let them know how to x the problem. It’s also your
job to make sure employees are aware of the disciplinary actions that will be taken if they fail to “get
with the program.”

Employees can’t improve their performance if they don’t know it’s unsatisfactory, so avoid just
sending them back to the huddle and hoping for miraculous improvement.

4. Waiting too long between performance reviews

When performance appraisals are spread too far apart, you’re less likely to correct problems or
stimulate improvement. The review process is ongoing and should not be viewed as just an annual
event.

Grossly infrequent performance reviews open the door for sloppy and inconsistent documentation, as
well as mistakes brought on by rushed or late evaluations.

Try to keep a log of events, both positive and negative, throughout the year and have regular
performance discussions with your employees. This will make writing the formal performance
evaluation an easy step in the process.

Ready for a hard-hitting performance management system? Learn more about InsperityTM
PerformSmartTM today.

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