Can Performance Reviews Actually Help You Improve Employee Engagement?
The simple answer is yes—if you leverage reviews to develop targeted learning plans for your employees. More on this in a moment …
Gallup’s most recent State of the Global Workplace reports an ongoing study of employee engagement in the workplace, and it contains more than a few striking statistics. Here are two that hit us like a sledgehammer:
· Only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work.
· In the United States, 30% of employees are engaged at work.
The good news (if you can call it good) is that our domestic engagement rate tops the global average. But it still leaves a lot to be desired. A stunning 70% of our workforce is either only moderately engaged or outright disengaged from their work.
The Gallup Business Journal website recently published an article titled, “5 Ways To Improve Employee Engagement Now,” which is worth reading. It offers sound insights on how to gather truly accurate engagement data from your own workforce, where to focus your engagement improvement efforts, and why frontline managers are so critical in building and maintaining employee engagement.
Another powerful way to enhance your organization’s engagement levels is to leverage information from performance reviews to help you develop targeted learning plans for each of your employees.
This is an often-overlooked strategy for building engagement because many managers treat performance reviews as a mere formality or a necessary evil. The fact is every performance review is an opportunity—an opportunity for managers to develop and mentor their people, and an opportunity to gather crucial information about the areas in which employees excel and struggle. This information is developmental gold. It should be used as the basis for selecting learning curriculum that will build up strength and close skill gaps.
By developing targeted learning plans for your employees, you openly demonstrate your commitments to them. You actively support their personal and professional growth. And you significantly boost their chances of advancing within the organization.
This won’t go unnoticed by your employees. Indeed, they’ll reward you with their loyalty and a deeper level of engagement.