As a general rule, who would be given the responsibility for implementing programs and practices such as Employee Engagement in small/medium sized companies?
Responsibility for people management initiatives differs from company to company, depending on the size of the company, the structure, available resources etc. In some companies, the owner/manager will take a personal interest in driving these initiatives and this almost always ensures success. It’s not unusual to delegate responsibility to the office manager or to the senior manager’s assistant if that position exists. If your organization is implementing initiatives specific to the 8 key drivers of Employee Engagement, it is important that an administrator be assigned responsibility to ensure that progress in implementation is monitored.
Should I implement the HR Basics module before I use the HR Power Centre for anything else?
Review the titles of documents in the Downloadable Documents section as an implementation guide as you decide which initiatives are priority for your organization. At the same time, you can also get tremendous benefit using the HR Power Centre to deal with the inevitable everyday people issues that come up while you implement the drivers of Employee Engagement that will improve your organization’s profitability.
When should we start to see positive changes in our company as a result of implementing the TGS Employee Engagement model?
This is a good question and is a function of how quickly managers and supervisors start using the HR Power Centre tools to activate Employee Engagement drivers in the business. Progress can be measured on a regular basis using the measurement tools provided by TwoGreySuits.
Would it make sense to assign responsibility for implementing Employee Engagement to a specific individual in the company?
Implementing things which improve Employee Engagement are generally an organization wide managers’ responsibility. All managers, supervisors as well as employees have responsibility for executing Employee Engagement initiatives. The active support of top management in the company is critical. Employee Engagement initiatives can be things like implementing 1:1’s, having very clear up to date job descriptions, equipping managers with the skills to be able to coach and provide feedback, having up to date HR policies and company values identified which are woven in to how you hire, manager and develop people.
How do I sit with an employee and set objectives for the coming year?
Objective setting should start at the top of the organization with annual corporate objectives being set by the senior management team. Once the corporation knows where it is going, objectives that support the corporate objectives are established by the various levels in the company until finally, managers sit with their employees and work out individual objectives for the year. If done properly, all employees should understand how the accomplishment of their objectives contributes to the company achieving its objectives. The “Building People Management Skills” section of the Performance Management module outlines the skills a manager or supervisor must learn and practice to be effective in setting objectives with employees.
How do I set standards and challenging objectives for my employees?
There is a process that should be followed when setting performance objectives with employees. This is covered completely in the Performance Management module. Following our process will result in employees agreeing to objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented and time-bound and, most importantly, relate back to the organization’s objectives.
How do I involve employees in activities that affect them when they are not authorized to log in to the HR Power Centre?
All relevant documents and directions are downloadable from the HR Power Centre. For instance if you were dealing with the Behavioral Competencies aspect of creating a job description, you would download the Competencies Questionnaire and have the employee complete it with direction from you if necessary. Using this downloading/sharing approach, you should have no difficulty getting your employees involved appropriately.
I am reviewing the EPR and objective setting. Should we not be setting objectives for the improvement in behavioral competencies as well as it seems to be a separate rating on the EPR?
You are absolutely correct. Once the top five competencies for a position have been agreed to using the Competencies Questionnaire, they are entered on the job description and the related Competencies Assessment Sheets are attached to the employee’s EPR – Employee Performance Review. You will then want to share with the employee the “Competencies with Observable Behaviors” for the five competencies relevant to his/her job so they know what these behaviors look like in action. By observing the employee throughout the rating period, the manager will be in a position to rate the employee on the competencies when the annual review rolls around. When setting performance objectives with your employee for the first time, there should be one on behavioral improvement. You may want to have the employee commit to a competency improvement objective with which they are comfortable using the Competencies with Observable Behaviors as a guide. At the end of the first rating period, the manager will have enough observable data to set the next year’s competencies improvement objective so that actual observed deficiencies are addressed.
Could you explain how the Personal Action Plan form works with the objective setting document?
The Personal Action Plan (PAP) form is used by Managers and Supervisors to capture/document their commitment around improving their People Management Skills. Once the PAP is complete and approved by their manager, it should be recorded as one of their objectives on their Employee Performance Review along with other performance objectives agreed to and be the subject of regular progress reviews/coaching during the rating period. The PAP form and the Guide for its completion appear in the “Setting Performance Objectives” of the HR Basics module as well as in the “People Management Skills” section of the Performance Management module.