Your HR processes exposed – What do they say about your culture?

Have you considered how the HR processes in your business ‘condition’ your employees? Do you take a close look at the impact that they have on the psychological contract? Do you consider the extent to which management practices support your employer brand? Do your processes such as appraisal reflect how your business is, or was or is trying to be? Is it possible that how employees ‘feel’ about one process impacts their perception of and participation in others?

Let’s consider an example using the appraisal process.

It’s appraisal time again and line managers are not looking forward to having to spend the time completing the paper work and employees generally aren’t looking forward to the dreaded appraisal meeting itself. Unresolved issues that have been under the surface most of the year are going to be dragged out and documented and the usual unbearable ‘schmoosing’ upward to management will start if it hasn’t already behind closed doors. Everyone will get given a ‘rating’ or score that they don’t understand and by some process that is shrouded in secrecy. Some say that the score is used for bonus, some say a bad score will put you ‘into the departure lounge’. It’s not good that John (a colleague) and I haven’t been seeing eye to eye lately and if he’s going to be giving me some sort of a score, he’ll put the knife in. Best I do too then. I’m not sure the forms we use really apply to my role and my Manager doesn’t really understand the realities of the job I do, so we end up with these either circular or inconclusive discussions that inevitably require me to sign off on some vague action we all know won’t happen. After all of this, it gets filed away and only used again if they want to stop me suing them if I get sacked or made redundant. The output of all of this seems pointless at best and everyone would rather not do it, but we have no choice on how, when and whether it’s done.

Clearly, there’s something wrong with this performance appraisal and management process. We all know it as we see these problems, but often the root causes might appear elusive or beyond our ability to address. We hear this sentiment expressed regularly by the HR professionals we work with and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence in literature, blogs and articles. Do you ask about the appraisal process in your Exit interviews?

Just by looking at the example we can see issues of process, purpose, secrecy, relevance and consequently buy-in. Also what does this type of feedback say about how the organisation is run and what type of culture exists here? Similarly, with this process firmly in place and established as an organisational ritual, how are other, possibly better considered, constructed and more impactful HR processes and initiatives received? To a new recruit, candidate or even someone considering their next move in the organisation, does the above suggest an open, trusting, respectful or progressive working environment?

The buck stops here, as usual

As HR professionals, we have a huge opportunity (and some would say responsibility) to ensure that the processes we introduce and advocate all contribute to the positive development of organisational culture.

Read on

Promoting a feedback-friendly culture

We have refined this handy 3-point checklist for developing the culture in your organisation to support the giving and receiving of feedback. Not easy we know, but implemented gradually over time with support from the top and you could make some inroads into this difficult problem. You could of course also ask us to help!

1. Improve and ensure the quality of feedback

• Train supervisors and others about how to provide useful feedback
• Create clear standards concerning valued behaviours that are relevant to organisational goals
• Provide clear performance measurements
• Provide reports tying individual performance to bottom line departmental or organisational metrics
• Provide time to review and clarify feedback results with others such as one's supervisors

2. Emphasise the importance of feedback in the organisation

• Expect top-level managers to serve as role models about how to seek, receive, and use feedback
• Ensure that everyone actually receives feedback (i.e. its not voluntary or the sole preserve of a select few)
• Involve employees in the development of behaviour and performance standards
• Ensure that performance improvements following feedback are recognised and rewarded

3. Provide support for using feedback

• Provide skilled facilitators to help recipients interpret formal (i.e. 360) feedback and set development plans and goals
• Train and reward supervisors for coaching
• Encourage feedback recipients to discuss their feedback with colleagues to help clarify it and to reach shared agreement concerning behaviour expectations and changes
  provide feedback recipients with the freedom to act on the feedback to give them a sense of control
• Provide formal and inofrmal opportunities to learn

Do ask us how we include many of the above items within our 360 feedback programmes as standard to ensure a successful 360 review project.