What do you hate the most about work?

What do you hate the most about work in general, or your job in particular?

The low pay?

The crappy hour long commute to the office just to sit in a cube and spend all day communicating electronically with your colleagues, thinking all the while, 'I could have done all this sitting home in my PJs and saved two hours in the car'.

The shaky bathroom habits of your co-workers?

How about this one - the annual performance review?

Yep, the annual performance review typically rates pretty high on the list of unpleasant activities that employees and managers have to endure.  We (mostly) hate them, we (generally) feel that they are a valuable and necessary activity to try and ensure employee efforts are aligned with overall organizational objectives, and that employees are provided the platform and opportunity to learn, develop, and simply become more engaged in the jobs and careeers.

And (theoretically) we tie the outcomes of the annual performance review to some if not all compensation outcomes.  The whole 'pay for performance' idea, (I bet you have heard about it).

But generally, despite the decades of managerial attention, scholarship, and execution, many if not most of us have come to the conclusion that 'performance reviews suck'.

Tonight on the HR Happy Hour Show we are going to take on this topic head on, with two of the founders of an interesting and innovative technology company called Sonar6.  Sonar6 makes performance review and succession planning software that promises to help your organizations execute a performance management process that doesn't suck.

How can technology impact the performance process in such a dramatic manner? How can a new and different approach turn 'suck' into 'fun'?

How can a couple of guys from New Zealand make a big impact in the world of HR Technology?

Tune in to the HR Happy Hour Show tonight, 8pm EDT, to talk with Sonar6 CEO John Holt and Co-founder Mike Carden and find out.  Better still, jump into the conversation by calling in at 646-378-1086.

Note : If you are not familiar with Sonar6, take a look at this 'Brief History of Sonar6' video:

Thanks guys at Sonar6 for staying up late calling in from the future to join us on the show.

Infinite Choice

The other day I was driving in a light to moderate then back to light rain storm.  One minute the rain was quite strong and the car's windshield wipers had to be engaged at almost full speed to assureFlickr - Christine Krizsa somewhat decent visibility, and then a minute later the rain would subside to an extent that the wipers were hardly needed at all.

Fortunately for me, my car and most cars made in the last forty years or so possesses a feature called 'intermittent wipers', a mechanism that enables the windshield wipers to operate at numerous speed settings, with variable delays between 'swipes' across the windshield.  In an extremely light rain, or mist, or in rapidly changing conditions like the ones I was driving in, the ability to adjust the speed of the wipers to most closely match the outsude conditions is a fantastic improvement of the wipers' original design - simply either 'On' or 'Off'. 

In the case of windshield wipers, I think most drivers would agree that having a range of settings, perhaps even an infinite amount of settings is an improvement from 'On' or 'Off'.  But having so many choices in wiper settings can actually make finding just the right setting quite difficult.  On my twenty or so minute drive the other day I must have adjusted the wiper speed fifteen different times. As conditions changed outside, I almost unconsciously reacted by tweaking, ever so slightly, the wiper speed. I have unlimited contol and choice remember, so it is assumed no matter what the rain and wind are doing, I have the ability to set the wipers at the perfect setting. I don't remember anything else about that drive except fussing with the wipers the entire time, and thinking I still have to keep messing with them even though I have far superior technical capability at my disposal.

I was in discussion with some colleagues about performance management, specifically a discussion of the use of rating systems in the performance appraisal process.  One person favored the use of the classic descriptors for formal ratings ('Exceeds, Meets, etc.), while another favored a numerical scale (1-5).  A third said what they really need was a way to rate employees on a sliding scale, that all '3's' or '4's' are not the same, and what they really wanted in their performance management technology was a sliding scale that they could use to dynamically 'drag' and adjust the ratings between the defined beginning and end points. That way they could rate Sally as a 3.73 and Joe as a 3.21 and so on. Sort of like an 'intermittent wiper' for the performance rating.

While I think that the capability for more granular assignment of numeric performance ratings is, at least on the surface, an improvement from assigning '3' or '4', it doesn't really change the fundamental exercise all that much, or improve the conditions or environment that effects the eventual outcomes in the review process. Sure, the manager has more choices, even an almost infinite amount of choices, but as sometimes happens when we are presented with so much choice that we spend all our time focused on the alternatives and much less (or not at all) on the outcomes.  Obsessing over the 'choice' and not the results of the choice if that makes sense.

And no matter how advanced our windshield wiper systems get, it still rains outside.

Give Yourself a High Five

Most work and the majority of contributions made by people in the organization are not what anyone would term major breakthoughs or fantastic and profound 'eureka' moments.  Rather they are the 'little things' or more likely a collection of little things, small gestures, and normal getting the job done activities that add up to an effective or winning performance.

These little things tend to go unnoticed, unless of course something is missed or goes wrong, (this is the one employee with an error on his paycheck when the other 3,999 employees were correct syndrome).

And I think as an employee it can get frustrating if you feel that all the good, yet small contributions you make continue to go unrecognized and only the errors or exceptions get noticed.

Little things, like making a free throw mid-way through a basketball game, go a long way to overall team and organizational success. So perhaps the next time you feel like your solid, important but not spectacular contributions get overlooked, instead of whining or bemoaning your lack of recognition,  take a page from Andrew Bogut of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and give yourself a pat on the back, or in his case - a high five.

Pretty cool.

Anyone know the emoticon for a high five?

Employee Scouting Reports

The National Basketball Association season has just gotten underway (ok, so it has been about 2 weeks, I've been busy plotting a HRevolution), and to prepare I was reading the NBA season preview in Sports Illustrated.  The best part of the season preview is the small section on each team's page where the magazine prints anonymous comments from opposing team scouts on some of the players on the team.

Here's where you see some interesting and frank comments like 'Mehmet Okur will make you pay in the low block if you don't respect him' and 'Kevin Love is more of a beefy loper.'

Flickr - theorris

But maybe I need to step back. Many readers may not know the role of a scout in professional sports, so I better explain a bit.  Scout's observe and analyze players on opposing teams, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, pointing out their tendencies, and assessing their potential for further development, or sometimes predicting their downward trajectory.

Let's see, observing performance, documenting behaviors, predicting future success or potential failure.

Sounds a bit like employee performance management and coaching.

So instead of a typically boring performance management template, what if you tried to help assess and coach employees using the scouting report format?  Here are a few key elements of a typical basketball scouting report you could consider (hat tip to HoopsVibe.com).

1. Have a plan

The scout needs a process and template to follow, to be sure players are assessed on the same standard, making comparisons easier. So do you need a plan or framework for consistent and fair assessments, you can use software to help with this, but it is not always necessary.

2. Pros and cons 

Every scouting report has sections titled 'strengths' and 'weaknesses'.  Even LeBron has weaknesses.  And even the last player on the bench has strengths.  The same with employees.  The best ones usually have something they can improve on, and the worst must have some redeeming qualities.  I mean you hired them, right? Make sure you focus on both.

3. Having the ball is important

What players do when they have the ball is critical in basketball.  When a player has the ball, he has control over the game, and the tremendous influence on the team success. But some players only want the ball early in the game and avoid it late in the 4th quarter, when the game is usually decided.

At work, what employees do when they have the spotlight and responsibility is a great measuring stick. Some employees want to step it up when the pressure is on, make the big client presentation or take on the toughest technical problems.

4. Find the sweet spot 

Almost all players have a spot on the court they prefer to shoot from, or a 'go-to move' they rely on. Scouts use this information to prepare defensive strategies. Coaches often work with players to help them develop additional moves, that can enhance their overall game and make them more versatile, and tougher to defend.

Many employees have a sweet-spot as well, a particular kind of assignment or project they gravitate towards, or a tendency to work best in team settings with certain other individuals. If you as a manager understand the employee's sweet spot, you can better position them for continued success, and also have a better feel for what stretch assignment might help the employee develop some additional 'low post moves'.

5. Shooting skills

Arguably the most important single skill in basketball is shooting ability. Players that can shoot well, can overcome many other deficiencies, and survive in the league for a long time. In your organization there is likely one type of skill that is critically important to overall success, or a core principle or value you live by and assessing every employee against that crucial skill or value may be warranted. You may have some employees that do that one critical thing so well that it may make sense to alter job descriptions to allow them and you to exploit this skill. 

6. Team focus

Does the player make his teammates better? Does he put team goals and objectives first? Is he checking his stat line at halftime?  At the office if the work keys on team performance, what do his co-workers say about him? Are there other employees that always want to work with him? If the work is more individually based, does he at least seek opportunities to informally share information and knowledge with others?

7. Defense

Defensive skills are of course important, but also the willingness to play good defense usually suggests the type of player that will do the unsung things, the little things that might not result in making the Sportscenter highlights, but are really critical to team success.

Atg work not all assignments are glamorous, or get the employee visible recognition with the higher-ups. How does he react when asked to do some grunt work? Will he pitch in and sustain a good attitude?  Or does he mope and whine and bring down the energy of everyone else around?

8. Hustle and Heart

Does the player give his all? Does he dive on the floor for loose balls? Players that exhibit these traits consistently for one of two reasons, they either are not as skilled or athletically gifted as their opponents, or they care more about winning the game than their own stats or bodies.

At work, this most closely translates to engagement, giving that extra effort above and beyond 'normal' job requirements to deliver superior results.  Not everyone is willing to give like this, at least not regularly. But the ones that are can really drive results.  From a management perspective, a manager that can seem to instill this kind of engagement may need to be questioned, just like the coach of a team who's players don't show much hustle on the court.

9. The tape

In basketball, height, weight, speed, jumping ability are all important, but they are not the game itself.  You have to measure them, but not rely on them completely.  In the workplace, you may need to track things like formal education and certifications, but they are not the game either. There are lots of MBAs not worth a darn out there. Obviously in the NBA there are some minimum physical requirements, but beyond those actual performance on the court is the final barometer.  At work, you posted that new job and said 'MBA required' but is it really required?  Or is that just a cop-out to try and mask some deficiencies in your interviewing and assessment process?

10. Attitude toward authority

Does the player spend the entire game barking at the refs, and rolling his eyes in the time-out huddle?  Or is he respectful and willing to receive coaching? Some players are shocked, shocked that they have ever committed a foul.

In the workplace this translates directly, does the employee take direction, can they be coached when they are in need of correction, or performance improvement, or do they push back at all times, even where they clearly are in the wrong?

So what do you think, is the scouting report, and it's focus on observed recent performance and with its brutal honestly in predicting future potential something you could use in your organization?

Wouldn't you love to spice up some performance reviews with comments like, 'Jane has strong technical skills; if the IT staff does not respect that, she will make them pay in the data center', or 'Brian has not been completing his maintenance jobs on time, he is skilled with the tools, but he is more of a beefy loper'.

I'll bet more employees would actually read those comments.

HR Technology for the Small Business - Performance Management

This latest installment of the 'Small Business' series focuses on tools to support Employee Performance Management.  Many small organizations that I talk to, say up to about 100 employees have no formal processes in place for employee performance management. Or if they do, they use simple Microsoft Word-based forms, that the manager fills out once per year and are then tucked away in an file in the HR department for posterity, and to gather dust.Flickr - James Callan

Just like for Core HRIS, there are scores of competitors and solutions in this space, and sifting through the options can seem like an impossible task for the HR professional, who in a small business, is likely responsible for many, many other things besides Performance Management and HR Technology.

With that in mind, I will only review a few of the options, this list is by no means exhaustive, or even authoritative, just a starting point for the small business who wants to get started with performance management automation.

I will highlight only solutions that are vendor hosted, and delivered on a SaaS subscription basis.  Most small organizations that I know do not want to get involved with installing and maintaining this kind of software on their own.  The solutions that might be a fit fall into two main categories, 'big' vendors that also offer a scaled-down version of their performance management application for small business, and 'small' vendors that cater almost exclusively to the small business market.

Big Vendors

SuccessFactors - SuccessFactors is one of the best known vendors of Performance Management solutions. They have been one of the leaders in Talent Management software for several years, and have introduced many innovations such as integration with Google Docs and Chat and the ability to perform 'Stack Ranking', a comparative rating of multiple employees against competencies, (although these features are not included in the small business offering). SuccessFactors offers its solution in different 'editions', ranging from 'Mega' for customers with over 20,000 employees, all the way down to a bare-bones 'Individual Manager' edition that allows a manager to enter performance reviews for up to 25 employees.  For a small business up to 100 employees, the 'Professional' edition is offered.  The solution supports all the expected functionality, goal management, performance reviews, and 360 feedback.  SuccessFactors has long been a leader in this space, and would almost certainly need to be included in a serious review of Performance Management solutions.

Taleo - Taleo is more well-known, and justifiably so, as the leading vendor of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) for the enterprise market.  Recently, they have expanded the depth and breadth of their offerings to include more Talent Management applications, including Employee Performance Management. For the small business market, Taleo offers its 'Business Edition' that encompasses both performance management capability and recruiting support.  Specifically for performance management, the solution supports goal management, competency definition and rating, and the appraisal itself. The employee profile functionality is also strong and highly configurable. The primary strength of the solution is the tight integration with the Recruiting module, so Taleo Business Edition for performance would probably be a strong choice if your organization was also considering using Taleo for a recruiting solution.  As a 'stand-alone' solution it is competitive, but not particularly ground-breaking.

Halogen - Halogen Software offers its suite of Talent Management solutions in the same package to all its customers, regardless of their size. This is a strength, as it allows even the very small organization to take advantage of all the advanced features and new development in the application just like the giant 'enterprise' customer.  Halogen's Performance Management application, known as eAppraisal offers advanced functionality including goal setting, cascading goals, an included (but expandable) competency library, multi-rater feedback, and analytics. Halogen does have customers with less that 100 employees, but typically serves larger accounts.  Their solution would be a good choice for a smaller company that wants to take advantage of 'big company' features right out of the box, and with the assurance that new development and new features that are included will be available to them as well as the large customers.

Small Vendors

Appraisal Smart - Appraisal Smart offers online performance management tools that can be installed on the client's servers, or hosted and delivered in the SaaS model.  The tool has a wide range of functions, from scheduled, interval based performance appraisal, ad-hoc appraisal capability, multi-rater feedback, and integrated competency library, and both spelling and legal checking.  Pricing is not published on the site, but consists of two components, a one-time setup fee, and an annual subscription fee that varies based on number of users.  Appraisal Smart claims to be an affordable solution for organizations as small as 20 employees. A free 7 day trial is available that may be just enough time for a small organization to check out Appraisal Smart to see if the solution is right for them.

ReviewSnap - ReviewSnap offers a simple, easy to use tool for online Performance Reviews and 360 Feedback.  It supports goal management, self appraisals, a seeded competency library, and more.  The solution comes with pre-defined performance review templates, or the customer can create totally custom performance forms.  Pricing is published on their site and varies based on the number of employees to be evaluated, for example companies with 51 to 100 employees is $899 annually.  The license does allow unlimited reviews for the same cost, and includes both the Performance Appraisal and 360 Feedback functionality. A free 21 -day trial is offered as well, which provides a great opportunity for the small organization of department to try out the product before committing any resources.

HRN Management Group - Performance Pro.  The Performance Pro application is an online Performance Management tool that similar to the other vendors in this space support all the expected functionalities like goal management, self assessment, multi-rater feedback, and ongoing performance events or journals.  The solution also includes manager's 'Comment Coaching', a tool to assist managers in crafting meaningful and detailed feedback.  This functionality is common in the 'higher end' solutions, but not always included in solutions aimed chiefly at the small organization.  Pricing is published on the site and as is common in this space, includes a one-time set up fee, and a variable cost based on the number of employees to be reviewed.  Example list pricing for 50 employees priced out at $2,075.  HRN also offers training in the use of Performance Pro for a nominal fee.

This was just a quick overview of some of the options for the small business for Performance Management. There are probably 50-100 potential solutions on the market, and the right fit for your business based on requirements, budget, size, and internal capability is something only you can determine.

If any of the included vendors has clarifications or comments, please feel free to add them below.  And if any vendor who was not included cares to leave some information about your solution, you are encouraged.