About Kerry Wekelo

Performance management has always been an important topic of conversation for HR professionals and company leadership. Its ultimate goal is to develop performance consistently and measurably while aligning individual and strategic goals. It is the pinnacle of visibility for identifying the contributions of your team. Typically, companies will use traditional structures as a "rubric" for their performance assessments. The way they track performance varies, whether that's automating it with technology or tracking it manually with existing tools. The question is, are these designs and tools robust enough to support the new demands of the new—post-Covid—world? With a new era of remote working, successful Performance Management is critical to stabilize productivity and engagement - with hopes of also identifying avenues of growth.

It is validating to see this research reflect a growing desire for companies to revamp Performance Management to focus less on employees as machines, and more as humans. At Actualize Consulting, we have always taken non-traditional approaches to assessing performance. In fact, I like to re-evaluate how we track each year; not only to make sure that the system we use does not get stale, but as personal goals shift and change, so should the company's general strategy for collecting and reviewing information.The shift to the new remote work lifestyle provides the benefit of ensuring the new metrics not only monitor success in terms of efficiency, but also the holistic well-being of the individual contributors.

There is more to the employee experience than productivity and it is encouraging to see a trending desire for coaching and a personal review process. At Actualize Consulting, we have seen tremendous results from employees when leveraging coaching as part of our overall performance management strategy. We regularly check in with employees oneon-one to give and receive personalized feedback. Our practice is backed by the data outlined in this report--89% of employees agreed that they would benefit from more regular development and coaching conversations. Nothing replaces human connection; automation can be helpful to streamline and provide analytics. It is important to balance the two. Now with virtual workforces being the standard, taking time to be with each employee at a personal level does wonders for morale and fosters an environment of mutual respect.

The results of the report are clear: when we have regular discussions around creating a supportive, wellness-focused environment, we better encourage and recognize accomplishments. I hope to see even more companies discover this key to success in 2021.