People - Employee Engagement & Retention (Performance Management) Flashcards
A manager of a new restaurant is having difficulty with her chef’s interaction with servers as well as the quality of food he is preparing. After consulting with her HR partner, they plan to develop a performance management system. What is most critical to the effectiveness of the performance management system?
Aligned individual contributions that drive organizational results
Clear communication of performance standards that are aligned to organizational goals and objectives is the basis of an effective performance management process. Behavior that is expected and evaluated must be communicated clearly.
Some managers in an organization rate their employees’ performance as uniformly high. An HR audit reveals that business outcomes do not support these higher employee assessments. Recommendations include changing the appraisal method to the behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS). Which method’s shortfalls are mitigated by using BARS?
Category rating
Category rating methods, the least complex means of appraising performance, require managers to simply mark an employee’s level of performance on a designated scale or checklist. The BARS method was designed to overcome the problems of category rating by describing examples of desirable and undesirable behavior. Examples are then measured against a scale of performance levels.
How should an HR director advise a supervisor to engage a typically high-performing employee whose performance has declined the past two quarters?
Discuss with the employee his overall goals and objectives as they relate to the particular role the employee occupies.
When an employee’s performance has declined, the manager should work to identify what may be driving that decline. Feedback about current performance can be used to help identify developmental needs and long-term career goals.
Which is a primary reason that organizations may not excel at performance management?
The organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies are not aligned.
While all of these options can explain the failure of a performance management system, a primary reason for failure is the lack of alignment of organizational systems, strategies, and philosophies. This is the foundation of effective performance management, and this process affects all others.
How can HR best engage employees in developing the performance standards for a new performance management system?
By communicating performance expectations
The organization must communicate what it wants employees to do, and these behaviors have to be translated into performance standards. When performance standards are communicated, they must be defined so all employees understand the expected behavior. For example, if innovation counts, it must be identified and measured, and employees must be given clear examples of what represents innovation.
A new employee is experiencing performance problems. What should HR do as a first step in determining the root cause of the employee’s performance challenges?
Guide the supervisor to discuss the performance issues with the employee.
The first thing the supervisor should do is have an honest discussion with the employee. Performance discussions should be held when needed, not just as part of a yearly performance appraisal. The employee must understand what is expected and why present performance is not adequate.
Which best describes the impact when an organization’s values are effectively paired with goal setting?
Shows employees how their individual efforts contribute to the success of the organization’s strategy
Performance goals should reflect the values that the organization has defined and communicated to employees. Individual performance goals provide an opportunity to show employees how their individual efforts contribute to the success of the organization’s strategy.
Which appraisal method describes examples of desirable and undesirable behavior?
Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS)
BARS describes examples of desirable and undesirable behavior to overcome the problems associated with category rating.
Leaders of a manufacturing company are updating the strategic business plan. HR is consulting with the branch managers on how to accomplish the plan’s goals. What is the most essential driver of the performance management process that HR should have managers focus on during individual performance planning?
Organizational strategy and business objectives
Everything flows from the organization’s strategy and business objectives. Employee performance plans must be tied to these strategies and goals, or the employees and the organization will be moving in different directions.
What is needed to have a fully effective performance management system?
In order for a performance management system to be fully effective, employees must know how to use the system and how to get the most value from it. Managers who implement it must accept the system’s value, not simply be marching on orders from senior leadership. The system can use different methods to gather and analyze data; there is not a single right way to complete that task.
Which appraisal method would be most effective to reinforce trust in an organization?
Management by objectives (MBO)
With the MBO method, employees help set objectives with their supervisors based on concrete outcomes. This method minimizes perceptions of a lack of fairness since success or failure is transparent.
An HR manager receives complaints from other functions that an HR subordinate often ignores or delays replying to e-mails or phone messages. The individual performs other duties very well. How should the HR manager handle this situation most effectively?
Immediately share the complaints and expectations, and then monitor performance.
The HR manager should immediately explain to the individual the disconnect between poor communication and the organization’s core values. The importance of the issue merits a prompt response rather than avoidance and a more formal discussion rather than a casual mention over lunch. One of the benefits of addressing the issue now is that it can be revisited during the regular performance review to assess the employee’s improvement in this area.
