Question

1. What problem will an organization experience if its employees don’t fully understand what is expected of them?
2. For development purpose pf performance management, a company might search through its database of performance feedback to find employees with accomplish that make them good candidates for projects or promotions. How would specific (instead of general) feedback support this problem?

Answer 1

In every organisation, employee and employer relationship is key factor for the desired success. Every company set the expectations they are looking from the candiadate before giving the project assignment to their employees. The employer needs to make sure that employee should get completely aware of the expectation from his side to meet the target of project and provide proper training to employee if required. There should be proper co-ordination between employer or management and employee.

An organisation can face some challenges if this communication is not clear and the expectation of performance not understood by the employer. Some of problems can explained as below -

• Mistakes or errors- If employee does not understand what exactly an organisation expecting from performance, it may lead to an error or mistakes in work. The employee may perform the work which does not meet the expected criteria or it may affect the quality of work
• Loss of time - Every project has the set deadline or finish time decided in advance to meet the client's or customer demand. In such case if employee does not know the clear idea about execution about project or if gets diverted from main line of the project due to insufficient knowledge then it may lead to lot of wastage of time. It may also lead to customer dissatifaction or losses.
• Wastage or resource and capital resource - Every project includes the manpower, capital investment, finances, planning etc. Improper knowledge of the project does not meet the desired result of the project and it leads to losses in terms of the investment in material and non material things.
• Arguments or difference of opinions - there can be difference of opinions happens between the employer and employee when both are not on same page on the project requirement. Both will not understand each other approach as the expecations of project is not clearly understand by the employee and this will lead to unhealthy work environment.

To improve this process, a company can conduct the internal team feedback programme to get peer and senior level feedback. 360 degree feedback is one of the example of this method. Some of methods can be explained as below -

• Performance allocation form and goal sheet - Company can circulate the online or offline performance and goal sheet expectation form within employees for particular term. Company can set the specific goals in that sheet and employee with have acknowledge and accept them. This way employee will understand on what areas they have to work on to make the project succussful and what training they have been offered as a part of their work. They will also understand the percentage of weightage of each activity involved in the goal sheet. An employee can also have discussion with his senior about what goals are explained in the goals sheet for proper understanding.
• Selecting the reviewer - after goal sheet, an employee can select the team of his reviewer which includes his peers, juniors and seniors. These are the people with whom he closely work with on same or different project in that particular term.
• Actual review - After the completion of that particular term, company can circulate form for online or offline review. In this process, every employee can review other employees performance as a peer, junior or senior level. The performance can be reviewed at different criteria like team involvement, initiative, providing guidance to team members, attendence, leaves, trainings, savings, meet the project finishing dates or before that, contributing towards positive changes at work, improvement in work and inventing something benefecial in the process etc.
• Performance point - The reviewers feedback set the performance point for the employee for every catagory. These performanc point may vary as per performance thinking by each reviewer who has reviewed that employee.
• Promotions and incentives - The Human resource team can work with the management on the points gained by every employee. They can divide employees as per point they have earned on their performances and this will help the company to shortilisting the employees who can be nominated for the prmotion or increments which they deserved for the work they have performed.
• Final review of the feedback - This will be the final step of the process. Once the review and promotion cycle is completed, an employee can have review meeting with his senior and disucuss where did he lack in performance or in which area he needs to improve. This will help employee to understand his drawback and learning curve. An employer can provide the training to employee in the area they want to improve their skillset.

The success of every organisation is majorly depends of it's manpower and their performance. An organisation and employee needs to work together to achieve the desired outcome.