Employee Performance Measures. Jennifer Woemmel. Southwestern College

Transcription

1 Employee Performance Measures Jennifer Woemmel Southwestern College

2 Abstract This paper is designed to give you information on factors that affect the ability of employees to perform on the job. Giving and understanding of limitations and how to gain the behavior you wish to see in the employees of the company. How those limitations can be measured and improved by employee involvement. In conclusion, giving an understanding of how the performance measures of employees and managers reduce or increase the stress level in the workplace.

3 A main topic of concern for many companies is how to influence loyalty among employees in the company. There are different factors that play a part in producing loyalty to a company; it takes time, commitment, and trust. Our text gives five areas of building organizational commitment: justice and support, shared values, trust, organizational comprehension, employee involvement (McShane). Justice and support involves fairness, courtesy, forgiveness, it is a moral integrity. Employees will be more connected to a company when they know that fairness is an important part of the management roles in running the business (Olypmic). Employees want to know that they are not being taken advantage of. They want to know that they are important to the company, and that the company is looking out for the best interest of every individual when they are making decisions and changes. Employees will have trust in the company because they have an understanding of how the business works. Loyal employees are less likely to quit their job or be absent from work (McShane). The loyalty of employees produces a higher job performance and improves customer satisfaction (McShane). It is vital that management find ways to encourage loyalty growth among employees for organizational growth. As you gain employee loyalty, you want to begin to look at the work effort and behavior among employees. Using expectancy theory to predict the work effort and behavior will give a and understanding as to the direction the company is headed, and the motivation employees have on the job (McShane). Individuals are motivated to achieve goals at the highest expected payoff (McShane). The effort of employees will depend upon the rewards in which they are given. Employers must look at the outcome valences and increase the expected value of outcomes to gain the desired performance (McShane). When employees know what to expect from their job, it will determine how much effort they place on completing the tasks set before

4 them. If the expectancy is not worth it to them, they will not give the time and attention needed to complete the job satisfactorily. Then the problem is that either the employee does not place value on the reward given, or the company is not giving the appropriate reward for the task. Either way something has to be done to keep morality at a high within the company, an unhappy worker will produce a chain of unhappy employees. Performance measures should be reviewed often. They provide a way to see if the strategy is working (McShane). To keep performance measures at a high, management needs to make sure and keep the focus on the mission of the business (Balanced). Another key feature that Balanced Scorecard teaches us is to allow the measurement of accomplishment and not just the work performed. Two quotes that the Balanced Scorecard brings up for our understanding are: What gets measured gets done. and If you can t measure it, you can t manage it. Performance measures can be made on different areas of the job; financial, customer, internal process and employee. Financial performance measures can be incentives given to the employee for the work that they complete accurately and on time. Customer performance measures and be bonuses for gaining and keeping stakeholders. Internal process performance measures can be reviewed through the alignment and performance analysis. Employee performance measures are the strengths that will cause employee retention or turnover. Barr gives a list of five goals, which include improving manger perception of value, lifting the skill level, increasing involvement of employees, using performances measures, provide meaningful measurement that works. Employee involvement can increase productivity in the workplace. Our text states the job of the CEO is to push, which means that their job is not carry the burden completely, but to help the employees to carry out the assignment for the company (McShane). When leaders involve everyone in moving the organization forward, it builds synergy and commitment at all levels

5 (Accountancy). Producing involvement by employees allow companies to have the potential of higher productivity and more quality service. Potential problems of employee involvement, is a mistake made could cost the company finically, or even cost the company customers, which is the long run is costing financially. Long hours allow individuals to get paid more, but they also become more fatigued, with statements like, I m tired to death and I don t earn much, or It makes everything meaningless. (McShane). Stress in the workplace is common for many individuals, and many different areas of work. On my job, stress is a part of the job. On my job we work with children, no matter how much you may love children, they will work on your stress level. Children do not always listen, they make messes, and they cause you to have to repeat yourself. Even our most patient employees have days that they need a break from the persistence and repetition of the job. It is not uncommon to have our best staff crying over the way a child treated them. It is primarily women who work in the center, so there are many emotions that affect the stress the students place on the employees. Stress relievers the company is able to provide are paid time off. Most centers give one week of paid time off after one year, and two weeks after two years, which equals a total of 10 days after two years working in the center. On my job it is 12 days per year after the first six months. Why? Because the company knows that people need time off to handle their personal life, and time to wind down from the daily stress of the job itself. We all know that teachers don t get paid a high salary; no one is going to get rich from teaching in a daycare center. Since financial compensation is not available, paid time off is the next best thing that many of the employees want.

6 Work place stress is very common. Every individual can handle a different amount of stress, and different types of stress. When the stress is obvious, you must speak to the individual whom it is affecting. Everyone does not need to know about the stress in the individual s life, it should be kept private at a need to know basis. Especially if it is management who is the one with the stress. Employees are like children, when they know something effects someone, they have a tendency to keep pushing that button to see what will happen. Sometimes on purpose, and other times unknowingly. Ways that I would work to reduce stress on the job for others would be to take responsibility for the climate and the environment and to cultivate a friendly or social climate (Helpguide). I would also improve communication between all staff. This is an area that causes many problems among staff today. Anger and problems arise, when the ultimate underlining issue is the lack of communication between co-workers. I would also consult employees on a regular basis to see how they are doing, and to help to dissolve any issues that they may have. Lastly, I would help to train staff on how to help me to help them reduce on the job stress. Areas of teaching would include: teaching to take care of self, prioritize and organize workspace, improve emotional intelligence, and learning to break bad habits. Managers can do all they can do to help reduce work place stress, but it also takes understanding of employees on what they can do to help to keep the stress at bay in their life.

7 Conclusion Employees and managers can learn a lot from each other when they communicate and work together. Too many times when you walk into a job, employees are complaining about management not doing anything, and managers are complaining about employees not doing their job. There is an understanding that can be found when each position knows what is expected of each other, and the workload and the stress that each position is under. Management need to understand the stress employees are under and the factors that affect them to be a loyal asset to the company. There has to be a performance measurement that takes place to make the return that each individual receives on the job fair and create employee retention and involvement. Once you bring in these factors working together, the organization is going to have a strong foundation, and be able to thrive.

8 References Accountancy, Journal of Employee Involvement: A New Blueprint for Success. Retrieved on April 12, 2013 from Balanced Scorecard Performance Measurement. Retrieved on April 14, 2013 from lt.aspx Barr, Stacy Five Goals for the Performance Measure Practitioner. Retrieved on April 13, 2013 from entgoals/tabid/369/default.aspx Helpguide.org Stress At Work. Retrieved on April 10, 2013 from