Where performance appraisals are done well, both supervisors and subordinates have reported the experience as beneficial and positive.

Appraisals offer a chance to focus on work activities and goals, to identify and correct existing problems, and to encourage better future performance. Thus the performance of the whole organization is enhanced.

For many employees, an “official” appraisal interview may be the only time they get to have such exclusive, uninterrupted access to their supervisor!

The value of this intense and purposeful interaction between a supervisors and subordinate should not be underestimated.

The post Performance Appraisals: Why its Important to Take the Time appeared first on SpriggHR.

Goal-setting is particularly important as a mechanism for providing ongoing and year-round feedback.

By establishing and monitoring targets, you can give your employees real-time input on their performance while motivating them to achieve more.

So, how involved should you be in helping employees establish and achieve their goals?

Ownership: The key to Engagement and Accountability

Linda Hill, Business Administration Professor at the Harvard Business School and co-author of Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader, suggests “A manager’s job is to provide ‘supportive autonomy’ that’s appropriate to the person’s level of capability.”

The key is to be hands-on while giving your people the room they need to succeed on their own. Here are some principles to follow as you navigate how to best support your people in reaching their objectives.

Connecting Employee Goals to Company Goals

Small and medium sized businesses have different needs when it comes to communicating objectives from the top down. That’s why we offer options to switch cascading goals on and off. If you need to keep it simple and focused on individuals, no problem! If you can, however, connect employee goals with team goals and then those with larger company goals the benefits can be big! That’s because it helps employees understand the roles they play in company success and in turn means they’re more likely engaged and motivated. Hill explains that employees “need to understand the bigger picture to make those tradeoffs when things go wrong,” says Hill.

No matter what level the employee is at, he or she should be able to articulate exactly how his efforts feed into the broader company strategy and have the information to identify and tackle challenges and roadblocks.

Make Goals Challenging but Realistic

Employees are ultimately responsible for reaching their individual goals. They should, therefore, have a strong voice in setting them. This is a practice promoted by the performance management software – where, in addition to any team and corporate goals set by management, the employee works with their line manager to create challenging yet obtainable goals linked to activities and plans. We call these ‘stretch targets’.

Once you have explained objectives, ask your employee to draft goals that directly contribute to the organization’s mission.

After they have submitted initial goals, discuss whether their targets are both realistic and challenging enough. “Stretch targets emerge as a process of negotiation between the employee and the manager,” explains Srikant M. Datar, Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Accounting at Harvard University.

Be careful to achieve the right balance though. Your team members could resent you if you insist on goals that are too challenging to accomplish. At the same time, you don’t want to aim too low; If you are overly cautious, you will miss opportunities and settle for mediocrity.

“When done well, stretch goals create a lot of energy and momentum in an organization,” explains Datar. But, when done incorrectly they “do not achieve the goal of motivating employees and helping them achieve better performance as they were designed to do,” he adds.

Create a plan for success

Once a goal is set, ask your employee to explain how they plan to meet it. Have him break goals down into tasks and set interim objectives, especially if it’s a large or long-term project.

Questions to consider include: What are the right milestones? What are the potential pitfalls and roadblocks and how do you plan to manage them?

Hill suggests that you “help your people understand who they are dependent on to achieve those goals.” Then problem solve with them on how to best influence those people to get the job done. Sprigg offers and promotes ways to reach out internal and external experts to help your employees reach their goals.

Monitor Progress

Staying on top of employee progress will help head off any troubles early on. “We often get problems because we don’t signal that we are partners in achieving goals,” says Hill.

Don’t wait for review time or the end of a project to check in. Review both long-term and short-term goals on a regular basis.

The practice of ongoing conversation, recognition and ‘just-in-time feedback’ is a core feature of Sprigg’s software and one our customers tell us makes a huge impact in helping to breed a performance-orientated culture.

Remember, even your high-performing employees need ongoing feedback and coaching. Ask your employee what type of monitoring and feedback would be most helpful to them, especially if the task is particularly challenging or something they is doing for the first time.

When things go wrong

Very few of us reach our goals without some road bumps along the way. Build relationships with employees so that they feel comfortable coming to you if and when problems arise. If your employee encounters an unforeseen obstacle, the goal may need to be reworked and reassessed. First, however, ask them to bring a potential solution to you so you can offer coaching and advice. If your employee’s attempts to solve the problem fail, you should be prepared to get further involved.

When goals aren’t met

There will be times, even with the best support, when employees fail to meet their targets.

Hill states “Hold people accountable. You can’t say ‘Gee, that’s too bad.’ You need to figure out what went wrong and why”.

Discuss with your employee what happened and what each of you think went wrong. If the problem was within their control, ask them to apply the possible solutions you’ve discussed, take another stab at reaching the goal, and check in with you more frequently. If it was something that was outside of their power or the goal was too ambitious, acknowledge the disappointment but don’t dwell on it. As Hill puts it: “Do the diagnosis, get the learning, and move on”.

It’s possible that you may have contributed to the problem. Be willing to reflect on your role in the failure. Were you too hands off and failed to check in frequently enough? Did you not review his work in a timely way? Have an open discussion about what you can do next time. “If you don’t hold yourself accountable, they’re going to have trouble with you,” says Hill.

Want to learn more? Contact Jilaine at jparkes@sprigghr.com call her on 888-797-5583

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The post Company Culture: Giving Your Employees The Tools To Succeed appeared first on SpriggHR.

This is an opportunity to ensure that everyone involved at the team (and senior management) level knows why the project needs to be carried out, understands what the objectives and measures of success are, and has a clear idea of who is doing what and with what resources.

The format of team charters varies from situation to situation and from team to team. Much of the value of the charter comes from thinking through and agreeing on the various elements.

Let’s take a look at just one process that can be used for creating a team charter.

Adapt the following elements to your team’s situation.

1. Context
2. Mission and Objectives
3. Composition and Roles
4. Authority and Boundaries
5. Resources and Support
6. Operations
7. Negotiation and Agreement

Read the full article at The HR Daily Advisor here

About Jilaine Parkes

Jilaine Parkes is a knowledgeable and passionate HR/Organization Development Professional with nearly 25 years’ combined experience in large, dynamic organizations and independent HR/OD consulting.

Want to learn more? Contact Jilaine at jparkes@sprigghr.com, call her at 888-797-5583

The post Team Planning Tips: Creating a Team Charter appeared first on SpriggHR.

Small and medium-sized businesses often place too much emphasis on how employees must impress them, not the other way around.

Whether it is recruitment, promotions or even day-to-day practice; employees are always pressured to perform for the good of the company. But what about how the company performs for the individual? This differentiation is key to understanding the Millennial workforce and their approach.

Each generation in the workforce has their own personality traits and, as such, preferences for how they like to be treated, trained and assessed. Unless a business can get to know their employees like any one of us would a good friend, they are likely to not manage their team effectively.

Working hard is usually a given amongst those born since 1982 and they also have an expectation of their employer to engage, enable and empower them and reflect values they believe in.

The following five factors shed light on the characteristics of the Millennial generation and the corresponding workplace initiatives that appeal to them.

Feedback is fundamental

Millennials now form a large percentage of the average workforce. Therefore, managing performance through regular feedback is critical to overall success. The timing, frequency and method for delivering feedback impacts their attitude, performance and progress. This stems from the fact that Millennials are open to constructive criticism as a means for self-reflection and improvement.

In the corporate scenario, Millennials thrive in a team where they can build relationships, bounce ideas and learn from each other. They, therefore, value the feedback of their peers as highly as their managers. As such, a 360-degree evaluation that flows horizontally and vertically is conducive to a successful team dynamic.

Greater options

Monotony and repetition is a recipe for disaster in the workplace. In order to keep Millennials engaged in their job they must be stimulated and inspired. Variety, to a great extent, is the key to success. A day at work no longer fits the 9 to 5 bill. Now, employees want greater options in their work hours, location and subject. They want the option to fit their work hours in around their personal lives and are keen to work outside of the office and stay connected via technology. The combination of social media and workplace productivity tools like video conferencing makes remote working less of an inconvenience and more of the new norm.

Work/life balance: A right, not a privilege

Previous generations were willing to work well beyond their 40-hour week as they strived to reach their potential and aspirations. In contrast, Millennials are not convinced that early-career sacrifices are worth the potential rewards. A Millennial Branding study reported that 45% of Millennials would choose workplace flexibility over pay. For example, in today’s workforce, millennials are starting to favour the flexibility of open offices and coworking spaces, where they may not be confined to a desk. As a result, employers must come to terms with their role in accommodating space in their priorities and deadlines for their employees to take a break!

Making an impression

One of the biggest fears felt by Millennials is to be overlooked or be viewed as ‘just another cog in the machine’. Employees want to build a career with a company that allows them to make an impact on their surroundings. They do not shy away from opportunities to use their initiative, make decisions and guide strategy. This goes beyond the four walls of the office. Millennials feel a responsibility to their community and want to work for an organisation with a conscience. By liberating employees to make an impact, both the business and the community will feel the benefits.

Community spirit

Where someone chooses to work says a lot about them. As a result, employees want to be proud of the business they contribute to and feel the company’s values reflect their own. As such, Millennials are attracted to businesses with a proactive attitude to corporate social responsibility. Employees don’t work just for a paycheque anymore, they want to make a difference in the world and collaborate with their colleagues to push for bigger and better ideas. A successful business will harness this enthusiasm and channel Millennials to do good work inside and outside the office.

It is clear that the Millennial generation is changing the mindset of the workforce. Therefore, businesses must recognize the importance of creating an environment they want to work in. It must be a two-way street of effort between employee and employer in order to nurture Millennials and help them thrive.

The combination of ambition, enthusiasm, conscience and confidence, if harnessed correctly, could add substantial value to any workplace.

Written by Prithvi Shergill, on behalf of CHRO at HCL Technologies

The post Five Factors Determining a Millennial-Friendly Workplace appeared first on SpriggHR.

When teams participate in the Team Fitness process they gain an understanding of what a high performance team looks like and know without a doubt what they need to do to get there. The result is improved team communication, reduced conflict, greater cohesion, and the ability to achieve better results more easily (to name a few!).

The beauty of this process is that the team identifies exactly what they need to improve and how they are going to do it – and the Team Fitness check ensures they stay on track and are focused on the right things that will lead them to higher levels of performance.

What does a Team Maintenance Check Up Do?

It allows teams to come together to identify their strengths and to clarify areas they believe require improvement, it gives team members the opportunity to recognize one another and the team’s successes and, importantly, it communicates that focusing on how people work together is key to the team’s success. From an organizational and leadership perspective, team check-ups ensure leaders keep their finger on the pulse of their teams, allowing them to catch potential weak spots before they fully manifest.

Team check-ups are most effective when the team has a clear understanding of what high performance looks like and so can compare their performance against the ideal.  One way to accomplish this is to share the 7 Elements of a High Performance Team with your teams and invite them to identify those they believe they demonstrate well (their strengths) and any they need to strengthen. To ensure the “talk” turns into “action” ask them, finally, to identify and commit to at least two actions they will take in order to improve the team’s effectiveness.

Reviewing the 7 elements will also help you as leader identify the most important areas in which you need to coach the team. Contact Nicole to learn more.

The post Nicole Bendaly: Conduct a Team Maintenance Check-Up appeared first on SpriggHR.

Five basic factors in developing performance-oriented, goal-driven work culture to put your corporate ship sailing in the right direction, at maximum speed and with all hands are on deck.

1: It is no secret! Transparency is important

While respecting the confines of what you are able to reveal, it can be very motivational for employees when they feel ‘in the loop’. By sharing more KPIs and targets with employees, you can increase their sense of ownership. While administrators can choose what types of information and goals are communicated, the Sprigg performance management software was designed with open dialogue in mind.

2: Get engaged and live happily every after

We talk A LOT about engagement at Sprigg. That’s not because we’re obsessed with wedlock but because we believe the other kind of engagement is fundamental to performance. Simply put, employees who are engaged are happier and so tend to put their all into their job. Often they even have the drive to give more than is required because they feel that they work in a company which they related to and, hopeful recognizes their successes.

3: Paint a picture with words

Motivating employees and keeping them connected with values and objectives is an art form. The leaders must be able use stories to motivate their employees to achieve more than they thought possible.

4: Talk to your people and check that they heard correctly

Internal communication is fundamentally important to fostering a culture of performance. Have they heard the message? Do they believe it? Do they know what it means? Have they interpreted it for themselves, and have they internalized it? Don’t be afraid to try different types of communication (while being sensitive to the content). Lots of our happy customers mix up their communication channels to encourage ongoing social dialogue.

5: Is that an achievement ahead? Lets Party!

Celebrate milestones when they are reached. Acknowledging and rewarding an employee’s achievements can boost morale and strengthen momentum. This is an old practice within certain departments (such as Sales) and there are lots of ways to roll out a culture of recognition to all areas of the company.

First Published In:

Missed Part One? Read it here.

Want to learn more? Contact Jilaine at jparkes@sprigghr.com or call her on 888-797-5583.

About The Author: Jilaine Parkes

Jilaine Parkes is a knowledgeable and passionate HR / Organization Development Professional with nearly 25 years combined experience in large, dynamic organizations and independent HR / OD Consulting. While holding senior HR management positions in Bombardier, Kraft Foods, Canadian Tire, Lavalife and Cineplex Entertainment, including a one year stint in Prague, Czech Republic, Jilaine has designed and driven initiatives in Business Planning, Leadership Development, Employee Development, Succession Planning, Performance Management, Learning & Growth Strategy and Team Chartering.

The post 10 Steps to Creating and Developing a Corporate Culture of Excellence: Part Two appeared first on SpriggHR.

There are 10 common steps which most of our customers find helps grow a performance-focused culture.

Let’s consider the first five:

1. Clearly define what you consider to be success:

Define what moderate and best-case success looks like from a variety of perspectives – sales, marketing, customer service, finance, operations and so on.

2. Communicate vision and values

From the top-down, your company should communicate a vision and with the help of HR, the picture of the culture they are striving for. The cascading of visions and values in a small or medium sized business can often be a faster process than within larger, less agile companies. We recommend documenting your visions as part of a charter or mandate.
By going beyond guiding principles or values and drilling down to identify behaviors that support these values your company will be able to create the foundations of a charter to guide your path towards a performance culture.

Things to consider include:

What areas of our current culture do we think actually works? What preferred behaviors do we need to be able to produce the culture we want? What activities currently get rewarded? Which unacceptable behaviors are currently tolerated? How do we measure up against each of our preferred behaviors? How can we continue to monitor and measure performance?

3. Set big targets but be careful not to push too hard!

Our customers often find that their employees tend to rise to the standard set for them. The more you expect, the more they will achieve. There is, however, a fine line between good ‘stretch’ targets, which can energize an organization, and bad ones, which can dampen morale and have an adverse effect on productivity.

4. Help your people appreciate how they contribute to the ‘Big Picture’

Regardless of the level and role of the employee, he or she should be able to understand and express how their efforts feed into the broader company strategy.

Employees who don’t understand the roles they play in company success are more likely to become disengaged.

Most employees want to be a part of a compelling future, want to know what is most important at work and what excellence looks like in the eyes of management. For targets to be meaningful and effective in motivating employees, they should be connected to larger organizational ambitions.

5. Create and nurture a mindset of ownership

Encouraging your employees think and act like an “owner” of their projects helps them feel empowered with the freedom to decide and act. We find that not only does this support efforts to ensure accountability, it is a great approach to identify and develop your companies top performers!

 First published in:

In We have worked with various large hotels and conference centers and help our customers find easy ways to keep constantly changing conference and expo information up to date The team at digitalsignagetoday.com put it well when they explain: the signs also are highly effective as wayfinding tools to offer guidance to large groups of people in the right direction.”>10 Steps to Creating and Developing a Corporate Culture of Excellence: Part Two,  we will check out the second five tips to grow your company through developing a performance-orientated approach.

Want to learn more? Contact Jilaine at jparkes@sprigghr.com call her on 888-797-5583

About The Author: Jilaine Parkes

Jilaine Parkes is a knowledgeable and passionate HR / Organization Development Professional with nearly 25 years combined experience in large, dynamic organizations and independent HR / OD Consulting. While holding senior HR management positions in Bombardier, Kraft Foods, Canadian Tire, Lavalife and Cineplex Entertainment, including a one year stint in Prague, Czech Republic, Jilaine has designed and driven initiatives in Business Planning, Leadership Development, Employee Development, Succession Planning, Performance Management, Learning & Growth Strategy and Team Chartering.

The post 10 Steps to Creating and Developing a Corporate Culture of Excellence: Part One appeared first on SpriggHR.

For small and medium sized businesses to compete in today’s business environment, companies have to be lean, flexible and have ways to ensure the best possible results from their often-stretched employees.

To achieve this, organizations are changing their traditional ways of working; throwing out hierarchical and functionally driven structures in favour of team-based approaches. These newer working styles focus on the empowerment of employees and sharing of leadership responsibilities.

Without the right planning and avenues to collaboration, however, many teams fail to reaching their potential. In the past many smaller, resource-poor organizations did not invest sufficient time, training and thought to lay the groundwork for effective team work.

So how do you ensure a more collaborative approach succeeds? Enter the Team Charter.

The Team Charter is a document that serves as both guidance and a roadmap for a team’s success.

When used most effectively, this tool clarifies the purpose for the team’s existence and documents the agreements amongst the team members. The chartering process has four main elements, sponsoring, developing the game plan, agreeing – signing off and auditing.

By providing a common understanding of how the team runs it’s business and measures its success, you can create a culture of excellence – where each team member has clear goals to aspire to and management gains performance-based metrics by which they can measure success.

Learn more: contact Sprigg – sales@sprigghr.com

The post Getting More From Your Team appeared first on SpriggHR.

Creating opportunities and processes to help companies promote, sustain and develop cultures of high-performance is something Sprigg does every day for our customers.

The key to making it work? Its about understanding how each company is different. In addition to using the right tools, the company must understand their specific context and how it shapes their corporate culture.

When it Comes to Creating a Culture of High Performance, There’s No Such Thing as a ‘One Size Fits All’

High performance cultures are not created by changing one or two things in a company, they are made by understanding and reacting to the whole work environment.

There are lots of contextual factors which work together to mold the culture of the company. Each businesses has its own objectives, corporate values, reporting structures, development initiatives, and ways to measure and reward success.

When assessing how your company can develop and grow a performance culture consider:

1. How things get done
2. How decisions are made
3. What works/does not work as far as behaviors
4. What gets rewarded

Identify the motivations and reasons for doing things the way your company does them and you’ll be getting close to the next step – using processes and tools to grow a happy, transparent performance-orientated environment.

To learn more about how your company can clarify direction and grow collaboration read The ROI of Performance Management, visit of products page or or contact our team at sales@sprigghr.com.

The post Creating a Performance Culture: Understanding the Context appeared first on SpriggHR.