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Performance Management

Customizable Performance Management Software

The performance management software works in the interest of your complete workforce; allowing managers to get the best performance out of their team. We provide a collaborative platform where managers can engage in discussions, provide on-going constructive feedback on various goals. Being highly configurable, our performance management software allows you multiple customizable features to create your own appraisals. We can suit your organizational structure and preferences in regard to the evaluation functionality, frequency, and reporting that fits you the best.

How Performance Management Improves a Business

Performance management is a total approach to goal setting and employee incentivizing, starting with new hire recruitment and ending when that employee leaves the company. Between those endpoints, effective performance management sets clear benchmarks for the employee to hit, as well as supporting resources to help the employee reach their performance goals.

Where traditional annual performance reviews can sometimes cause division between employees and leadership, performance management facilitates two-way communication. Employees are encouraged to take command of their development, improving their standing in the company and their productivity. That benefits the employee and the business, which can leverage employees that are happier and better focused.

Why Traditional Performance Assessments No Longer Work

Many companies are moving away from the traditional performance assessment according to WorldatWork, a nonprofit organization that tracks employee compensation and benefits. In a 2018 survey, 91 percent of employers said that they still use a standard assessment approach, with an annual form and rating combination. It may difficult to see how 91 percent equates to the end of old assessment methods, but that number is down from 94 percent the year before. Even more telling is research put together by CEB, a leading research firm that focuses on best corporate practices. In a 2016 study, 95 percent of managers did not like delivering traditional performance assessments, and 90 percent of managers didn’t believe the assessments were accurate. Here’s why:

Assessments can be confusing

Annual assessments are often difficult for employees to sit through, especially with a year’s worth of performance to consider. It’s often not clear what parts of the previous year will be brought up during a review. Will it focus on the extra time an employee needed in June for personal matters, or will it point out the extra effort the worker put in to meet a November deadline? Employers and employees frequently have differing opinions of how they are performing, and an annual assessment often adds to the confusion. Confusion may lead to resentment, lowered morale and damaged production, as employees may feel like they can’t receive a positive assessment no matter what they do.

Assessments may be based on poor information

Many companies do not have a formal performance tracking system in place, so managers often have nothing quantifiable to go on when assessing an employee. Managers may have to rely on coworker opinions and snapshots that don’t adequately capture what a worker is doing. This is particularly true if the employee in question has personality conflicts with other team members. They may be extremely valuable for the company, but if opinion drives the assessment, their contributions may not be properly recognized.

Assessments are subject to bias

Even if managers are provided with clear, comprehensive information on an employee, it’s still difficult to deliver a tough performance assessment. That’s partly because businesses tie salary and benefit adjustments to the assessment, so a manager knows they have an employee’s financial future in their hands. Few managers are comfortable with that, so they grade people on a curve, or bunch the ratings together so no one stands out. That is the opposite of what a performance assessment system should do, but it’s nearly impossible to remove these biases from the equation, unless a formal performance management system is put in place.

It’s clear that the old way of assessing performance is no longer the best way, or even an effective way of doing business. What these companies need is a true performance management platform.

What a Performance Management System Offers a Company

Outdated assessments are performed annually or quarterly, but a performance management system is always active. That’s because performance management starts before an employee is even hired. It’s best to think of a performance management platform as a support system, and one that both employers and employees can use to their benefit. This is how:

Aligning employee efforts with the company’s needs

Performance management starts with a detailed job description and employee recruitment approach. A team is dedicated to recruitment, and is empowered to select applicants based on their fit with the company’s goals and culture.

Setting attainable goals for employee growth

Professionals are driven to succeed when their employer makes expectations clear. This means setting quantifiable, trackable goals that both sides agree to from the outset. A performance management solution makes it easier to set these goals, monitor their progress, and alter them as things change.

Facilitating immediate feedback

Proper performance management relies on constant communication between employee and manager. It’s this instant feedback that keeps employees on track and unfazed by criticism. Performance management, then, short circuits the resentment that can build with a poor assessment. If employees can gauge their performance in the moment, they are more likely to associate straggling performance with their own actions. That reduces the need for negative incentives.

Incentivizing performance  

A performance management system can add incentives, such as bonuses, to encourage employees in meeting their goals. If goals are clearly defined, then positive incentives will rapidly drive productivity.

Goal setting and communication between employee and employer are the primary elements of a performance management system. As such, your performance management solution should facilitate both.

PEOs are Experts in Performance Management

Professional employer organizations, or PEOs, can provide software-based performance management solutions, delivered online and accessible from any device. There are many advantages to outsourcing performance management to a PEO, including:

Instant implementation

Many companies build out their own performance management systems, but doing so is time and resource consuming. Businesses may not have these resources to spare, or may not have the kind of people needed to create and maintain such a system.

PEO solutions are designed for immediate implementation as they are compatible with most company’s existing processes. That means employers can reap the benefits of a performance management system right away with a PEO solution.

Available anywhere

PEO solutions are designed for maximum accessibility, and that includes their performance management solutions. Ideally, a performance management platform would be utilized constantly to foster communication, and to do that, the platform must be available everywhere and at any time.

A PEO performance management platform offers exactly that. Employers and employees only need an internet connection and a browser.

Helps with goal setting

Defined, attainable goals are at the heart of a performance management solution, and a PEO’s online platform makes it easy to set those goals. Both managers and their employees can define these goals, and both sides can offer feedback on those goals. Visual performance tracking simplifies progress monitoring, so both parties know exactly where the employee stands with their goals.

A PEO performance management platform also allows managers to prioritize and weigh certain goals for their employees, so they know what to tackle first. Finally, managers can set goals at every level of the company, from individual employees to the entire company itself.

Facilitates feedback delivery

Since PEO solutions are delivered through an available-anywhere form, it encourages managers to stay on top of communication and feedback with their teams. PEO performance management tools also help managers develop new goals, assess the strengths and weaknesses of their team, and spot employees that need additional support or direction. This is an ideal way to solve issues before they become problems.

Performance management encourages companies to define their goals and employees to reach for them. PEO performance management adds convenience, accessibility, versatility and an immediate ROI to the mix. Put it all together and it’s clear that PEO performance management powers peak production.

Contact Us

Accent Employer Solutions
9821 Katy Freeway, Suite 290
Houston, TX 77024

Ph: 713-468-1002
Fax: 713-468-2787