Happy Independence Day for last weekend! We hope you had a fantastic weekend, we certainly did.
The holidays actually got us thinking about independence when it comes to employees. When you think of employee independence, what comes to mind? Independence, autonomy, empowerment – these are all words that organizations should have in mind when it comes to their workforce. But do employees at your organization have these things?
The problem is, not every manager knows how to get there, because it’s not always an exact science. While there are a number of different tools and techniques that organizations can use to really get the most out of their employees, the one we’re going to look at today is the employee performance management system.
The benefits of employee independence
A workforce that takes the initiative, meaning minimal guidance is needed to undertake tasks from the basic to the more complicated.
Think of the potential cost savings in senior salaries. Management spend less time having to instruct and monitor their direct reports, so the people with higher salaries are able to spend time on tasks and projects that are more relevant to their pay grades.
Motivated employees, and as we all know, motivation equals productivity, a positive atmosphere and (ultimately) profitability for the business.
Performance management for independence
So, how can you use performance management to increase independence and autonomy in your employees? The first thing to consider is whether your current employee performance management system encourages communication. Using for example 360 degree feedback means that people of all levels feel included in the process. This will encourage conversations rather than just being told what to do.
If performance appraisals are all one-sided, employees won’t feel comfortable sharing their views or making suggestions. They’ll wait to be instructed, instead of taking the initiative. And that will be apparent in their day-to-day roles, not just at appraisal time.
Learning what it is employees actually want is also important. Without knowing how they feel, you can’t ensure that performance incentives are appropriate. It’s all too easy to assume that everyone is motivated by money alone, but it’s surprising how many other factors are important in motivating staff. One great way of discovering what makes your employees tick is by using employee satisfaction surveys.
If your organization manages performance largely by way of target KPIs, you should make sure the rewards are encouragement enough to foster a culture of independence, whether those rewards are praise, promotion, or monetary. If organizational culture hasn’t traditionally been one of empowerment, it can seem a big step for employees to start working independently. So it’s up to the leadership of the organization to put the tools and processes in place to start changing things.
Get started with a Free Trial of the Primalogik 360 solution platform. Primalogik 360 provides excellent and simple tools for performance appraisals, 360 surveys and employee satisfaction surveys. The Free Trial can be used for a period of 30 days without any commitments on your side.
