Your managers will go from avoiding  performance issues to handling existing and new problems with confidence.  Avoidance no longer becomes an option, because your managers understand the importance of initiating a performance conversation and more importantly they have the skills to do it.  Employees will receive honest and high quality feedback that will enable them to improve their performance.  As a result, overall employee effectiveness in your organization will increase.

Increase the Return on Your Human Resource Investment

In today's economy, there is more of an emphasis on maximizing employee contributions.  Contrast this with the 1990's during the hiring craze/labor shortage when it was more acceptable to retain employees who were not fully competent. Even if an employee was working at 60% capacity it was better than having a vacant position.  EPS has a solution that helps managers to quickly identify and communicate employee development opportunities.

Promote Employee Development

Providing good quality feedback is the most underutilized "tool" in any manager's toolkit when it comes to ways to develop employees.  An unresolved performance problem that keeps the employee from being more effective can limit an employee's development potential.  Without feedback it is likely that performance issues will continue or worsen because the employee never receives the guidance needed to redirect their performance.  Under-performing employees are commonly "written off" by their manager, their peers and upper management in the organization. They are bypassed for things like working on new projects, team assignments, and promotional opportunities.  The employee usually senses that they are being overlooked and as a result they become increasingly disengaged and unmotivated.  Often times, the performance issues that prevent the employee from being effective follow them from job to job.  Providing good quality feedback is the most effective way to develop your employees.

Establish High Performance Expectations as the Norm

We help you to reinforce that managers are expected to proactively provide performance assistance and that employees must be open to feedback and do what is necessary to increase their effectiveness.  Managers and employees gain a greater awareness that they are both equal partners in maximizing performance.

Avoid Potential Legal Issues

Effective performance management practices can help to head off legal issues.  Most Human Resource professionals have experience working with managers who fail to take the right actions to redirect an employee's performance through feedback and other available measures. Instead, the manager informs their HR contact that they are ready to fire the employee.  The usual response from HR is to "put on the brakes" when they learn that the employee has not received feedback and there is no documentation (or performance plan).

The manager then has to go through these steps anyway which wastes even more time and resources. It is at this point that the employee usually senses that the real purpose for the feedback is intended to get the process of firing them started.  Naturally, an employee who is upset with the way he/she is being treated is more apt to be uncooperative and to potentially pursue legal action.

There are other instances where the manager can’t bring himself to discuss the real problem and will focus in on something else instead (for example, eliminating the position) which will lead to the employee’s termination from the organization. As a result the reason for termination does not "ring true" to the employee and they feel they have been treated unfairly which can result in the employee seeking legal action (always a costly and time consuming route for the company).

Most often, employee performance improves when timely and high-quality feedback is provided.  However, there are going to be situations when the employee may not be able to make the required changes.  At least the manager and organization feel confident that they have done their part by providing the appropriate performance related feedback and allowing the employee the opportunity to change.  Likewise, the employee usually feels that they have been given a fair chance at succeeding in the job.

Let EPS help you to maximize your human resource assets.