Effectively Managing Work Performance

Unfortunately, in most businesses, management does not actually manage workforce performance in a highly effective way. The general attitude is normally to think that if something worked well in the past, it will be the same in the future. This is a really bad way to look at things since it can easily lead to improper work efficiency.

German Trujillo Manrique highlights the fact that performance management is never to be equated with the yearly performance appraisal. According to him, an appraisal is just a snapshot you get of operations while performance management is actually a complete process. Formal appraisals are included in performance management, the process, but cannot drastically increase performance without a system that is ongoing.

In order to have a highly effective performance management system in place, you need 5 vital components:

Performance standards – They need to be clearly defined, written, current and measurable.

Feedback – This should come from the manager and the worker needs to know how his/her performance is.

On-Going communication – This should happen between workers and managers about performance standards.

Managing Consequences – Managers have to manage poor and good performance.

Coaching – Managers need to coach workers in order to improve poor performance and sustain really good performance.

In many organizations, especially those that have been around for a long time, different tools are available to help managers assist work management. This includes:

Job descriptions – These should be available for every single job and filled when they lack.

Formal appraisal systems

Discipline policies – They need to be connected to work expectations and workplace behavior.

Procedures and policies – They have to guide the entire organization.

Standards – Like quality, time, cost and quantity.

Supervisors and managers always use some sort of performance management tools. In many cases, we see that if operations proceed in a satisfactory way, there is nothing that needs to be changed. Only in the event that output does not meet management expectations wee see supervisors and managers taking action. This is an incorrect approach.

Managers and supervisors need to focus on the work that is done right now, how efficient it is and whether or not it can be improved. Never think that simply because something is handled at a satisfying level it cannot be better.

With poor performance, it is obvious that it has to be instantly confronted. At the same time, good performance has to be praised. Never make the mistake of thinking that good performance should not be praised and reinforced. This can make the worker think that he/she is not appreciated and can lead to poor performance in the future.

To sum up, performance management is a crucial part of modern business. All supervisors and managers have to work together in order to guarantee the organization’s long-term success. The earlier mentioned performance components will help supervisors and managers to effectively manage business performance. This is not something that has to be taken lightly. You have to be patient and you need to fully assess everything that happens in a company in order to make the correct long-term choices.