Dear HR,
You are among the unsung heroes in any company. You juggle vital things like benefits, hiring, and highly confidential files. you are there to make sure the company is protected and the employees have what they need.
You know what you aren’t there for? Controlling careers, judging, or stuffing files full of pointless paperwork.
An employee should be at the helm of their career, taking responsibility for their accomplishments and where their decisions take them. If they need a navigator, then that role shouldn’t be heaped on HR. Their manager would know best what functions they need to fulfill for the company, what that employee’s aspirations and potential are, and what skills must be developed to get them there. A manager that has been trained as a Coach will know how to develop Focus Areas for that employee to set both their team member and the company up for success.
It’s impossible to set anyone up for success when they feel judged. Too often workers associate HR with those dreaded performance reviews. Managers really don’t want to do them, so they put it off or blindly check boxes. Employees get anxiety over those checkboxes. Will they meet expectations? What if they’re a 1 out of 5?! Did the boss remember that great thing they did a few months ago or will they only remember that screw up from last week?
You’ve been told you have to have these judgemental checkboxes to protect the company. What if I told you that they actually have the opposite effect? Half hearted box checking and fuzzy memories over the last year lead to managers blandly choosing “meets expectations.” Maybe for years. What happens when you need to pull Kevin into the office for “the talk.” You know the one. The one about how he is being let go because of poor performance. Now Kevin has a stack of “meets expectations” and a pink slip when he walks into the lawyer’s office.
The manager didn’t mean to do any harm. They were doing what they were told. You didn’t mean any harm. You were collecting the paperwork like you were told. Yet there you are, with a filing cabinet full of legal ammunition.
Speaking of stuffed cabinets, what is all that paperwork doing? Besides collecting dust and taking up space? It rarely leads to any great improvements for any employee. They are forgotten until they’re added to the next year. Another year of you harping on the company to get them done.
It doesn’t have to be like that. How do you put the HUMAN back in Human Resources?
Ditch those reviews. They aren’t providing a return on the time and hassle that are sunk into them. Dr. Deming hit the nail on the head when we said they are demoralizing and it’s best to just stop them entirely.
Make it about the employees. Rather than have no process, install one that is employee focused and driven. Give them a voice and ownership over their career. Instead of telling them how awful they’ve been, empower managers to highlight employee strengths and suggest ways to improve upon them. It changes the entire tone of the conversation and cultivates dedication to the company’s success.
Get a system that works for you. You don’t have to start from scratch. There are systems and processes already developed that do everything you need them to. Catalytic Coaching has a 20 year history of helping organizations energize, empower, and engage their employees while speeding the pace of significant change within the company. There’s even online software that securely houses the forms, helps juggle the process, provides reporting, and has training videos built in. No more clunky filing cabinets. No more stacks of wasteful printables. No more cobbling together a spreadsheet for the boss.
Where do you start? Will this system work for your company? Let’s have a quick call to find out! Gary and his team member, Scott Mullner, are ready to answer any questions you have. Click the links below to grab time on their calendars.
Scott is the Account Executive responsible for connecting with clients at the beginning of their Catalytic Coaching journey. As a former teacher with a Masters in Leadership Development, his passion is to help people understand how to get the most out of their employees and develop them into winning teams.
Scott is always available to discuss organizational culture and employee engagement, and ensure that our clients are getting the most out of their experience with Catalytic Coaching.
Garold (Gary) Markle is the creator of Catalytic Coaching and author of Catalytic Coaching: The End of the Performance Review. He brings real world experience from 17 years in HR leadership in major corporations coupled with 20 years of teaching small and mid-sized organizations how to cultivate their leadership and ditch their detrimental performance reviews for a proven Coaching process.
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