The old method of holding an employee performance review once a year is disappearing, thanks to a better understanding of how to assess and encourage the workforce. Linking company goals and employee activities result in measurable results that can then be linked to improvement programs or promotions and bonuses. Here are five ways a modern training program can help enhance and update your operational performance management system.
It’s not enough to train your employees on the basics and then let them go figure out what to do from there. Set your staff up for success by explaining the company goals followed by mapping their activities to the goals. Give each employee a document that they can refer back to at any time that they feel they are starting to stray from either what they’re doing or how it directly supports the company.
2. Direct communication – Provide employees with a communication system that enables open communication with managers. This allows for immediate feedback on performance issues as well as presents a channel for discussing changes to staff work plans if needed. Electronic messaging also creates a functional “paper” trail for both managers and staff to refer back to.
The era of the “deskless” employee is upon us, with workers traveling, working from home, or using mobile devices on the sales floor. Make sure your eLearning system is set up to work well on mobile devices so employees can access messages and training material when necessary and convenient. Keep in mind also that video as a communication tool is growing more popular every year, so your LMS should support upstream video communication as well.
A crucial detail of performance management is supporting your employees when and where they need help. With performance support delivered via your LMS on mobile devices, your workers will have the information to answer their own questions and work through training sessions independently.
With shared digital checklists and forms, you can customize a performance document for each staff member, tailored to their job role and the company goals. Quantifying employee performance this way is only one metric for measuring effectiveness, but if there’s nothing to measure, there’s no accountability. You can also track employees as they make their way through lesson plans, seeing where their interests take them. This information can lead to more targeted career education and, as a result, greater employee engagement - which then leads to increased productivity and lower turnover.
Make good use of your eLearning system and use it to update your operational performance management. Your employees will appreciate the guidance and support, and your company will benefit from the measurable data and enhanced communication.