Performance management is essential for a company’s success and includes assessments and understanding of ways to improve. The article Performance management Evolution written by Brian O’Connell (2020), presents a view of how performance management is changing. The author describes the main trends, the reasons for their strengthening, and the opportunities that they provide. Although it is crucial to give feedback to staff on work, traditional forms of assessments have a more negative effect, and therefore changes are necessary.
The traditional approach to performance reviews, which includes annual evaluation, has a negative effect. It causes stress among employees, and at the same time, the inclusion of negative feedback does not increase engagement. Moreover, such reviews can be subjective, provide outdated data on completed projects and be unilateral – only for employees (O’Connell, 2020). As a result, there are trends to offer more frequent and up-to-date feedback, as well as two-way communication, when an employee can also evaluate the work of the company.
The increasing frequency of feedback contributes to its informality and orientation towards employees. As a result, many companies are developing their evaluation models and tools to provide real-time feedback. In this way, they stimulate continuous development and quickly eliminate problems, increasing efficiency (O’Connell, 2020). The relevance of the new tools has grown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of remote work. In such cases, it is especially significant and challenging to maintain communication with the team. Real-time feedback will only gain popularity in the future and will help empower staff.
Article Understanding
At the moment, in the field of human resources (HR) management, extensive and diverse experience in measuring labor productivity has been accumulated. Performance management and its measurement aim to make companies more successful and competitive. However, the tool that was previously the most popular – the annual provision of feedback on employees’ work – is not effective enough. Moreover, such an evaluation tool can adversely affect employees and, accordingly, the company’s success. Thus, the article is directly related to the topic of Measurement tools for performance management.
The article’s primary goal is to convey to readers that performance management tendencies are changing, particularly the provision of feedback. It must be frequent, relevant, and double-sided to produce the maximum positive effect. Such communication contributes to the better personal development of employees, the efficiency of business processes, and trust in the company. This question extends the theme of Measurement tools for performance management and makes readers critically evaluate existing tools and their effect.
The article’s author also addresses many other critical issues that are influenced by performance assessment and feedback. In particular, motivation and employee engagement are crucial to business processes. However, the wrong feedback or lack of discussion capacity reduces it. COVID-19, a significant, influential event that permanently changes people’s perceptions of work processes, is also necessary for performance and its evaluation. Thus, new performance management models and tools are essential to any organization’s success.
I appreciate this article since the author provides convincing arguments and evidence. Particularly important aspects are the possibility of feedback from employees and its form close to the discussion. I agree that they will produce a significant positive effect. Dialogue, as opposed to overly formal evaluation, significantly reduces employee stress. Feedback provided more softly shows that the employer wishes to give the employee more opportunities. Assessment from employees is also crucial for the company, as it demonstrates trust, and respect for the employees’ opinions and increases engagement.
However, in my opinion, several aspects have not been sufficiently discussed. For example, the author mentions that real-time feedback is not suitable for all employees. Although the article insists on the increasing importance of this tool, I had suspicions that it may significantly distract employees from work processes. It is necessary to study more carefully in which jobs this method will be helpful, and in which only a factor of distraction.
In practice, HR specialists can apply the knowledge gained from the article by improving the provision of feedback at their place of work. Given the peculiarities of the company, professionals may choose or develop the model and tools that will be most convenient for their employees. The information received also recalls the importance of motivation and involvement of staff. Moreover, the author provides examples of software that can be used for feedback. They may be the first step in researching and selecting a tool convenient for a specialist.
Thus, by using modern tools in performance management, HR specialists can significantly improve the company’s competitiveness and employee satisfaction. Tracking such trends is necessary since it helps to understand the current aspects of the sphere and apply them while keeping pace with competitors. Moreover, to be HR professionals, managers must constantly expand their knowledge by studying such sources. The article is helpful for HR professionals and can influence management practices in various companies. However, some questions, like whether the real-time feedback can be incredibly distracting for some jobs, still require further study so that changes in work are not to the detriment.
Reference
O’Connell, B. (2020). Performance management evolves. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Web.