Performance Monitoring: What Managers Should Focus On

Monitoring employee performance is a crucial aspect of management, and it involves more than just annual performance reviews. Effective monitoring helps organisations improve productivity, uncover areas for improvement, and drive business success. When monitoring employee performance, managers should pay attention to several key areas. Firstly, regular check-ins and one-on-one meetings are essential to discuss progress, address concerns, and provide guidance in a casual and transparent manner. Secondly, utilising performance management software can streamline the process, making it more efficient and centralised. Thirdly, employee monitoring software can provide hard data to guide conversations about performance and identify roadblocks. Fourthly, incorporating peer reviews and 360-degree feedback offers valuable insights from multiple perspectives. Additionally, self-reported surveys can provide employees with a platform to share their thoughts on their performance and alignment with company goals. Furthermore, managers should encourage participation in performance monitoring programs by emphasising the link between performance and rewards. It is also important for managers to actively listen to their employees and observe their performance in both formal and informal settings. By following these strategies, managers can effectively monitor employee performance and create a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Regular check-ins and one-on-one meetings

Scheduling and Frequency

It is important to schedule regular one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss progress, address concerns, and provide guidance. These meetings should be frequent enough to maintain open communication and a positive working relationship between managers and employees. While the specific frequency may vary depending on the needs of the team and individuals, a consistent schedule is crucial.

Casual Format and Comfortable Environment

These check-ins should be conducted in a casual format to encourage open and honest dialogue. Creating a comfortable and non-intimidating environment can help employees feel at ease when discussing their performance, challenges, and goals.

Progress Updates and Addressing Concerns

During these meetings, employees should provide updates on their progress toward their goals and any milestones achieved. Managers can use this opportunity to address any concerns, provide feedback, and offer guidance to ensure employees stay on track.

Two-Way Communication and Feedback

One-on-one meetings should be a platform for two-way communication. Managers should not only provide feedback but also encourage employees to share their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. This creates a sense of involvement and empowers employees to take ownership of their performance and development.

Performance Evaluation and Goal Setting

Regular check-ins are an opportunity to evaluate employee performance and ensure it aligns with the organisation's goals and expectations. Managers can discuss key performance indicators, such as quality of work, efficiency, and consistency. These meetings are also a great time to set or adjust goals, ensuring they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART goals).

Guidance, Support, and Resource Allocation

Managers can provide guidance and support to help employees overcome challenges and improve their performance. This may include allocating additional resources, adjusting workflows, or recommending new courses of action. By actively helping employees, managers can foster a culture of continuous improvement and growth.

Performance Documentation

Managers should maintain documentation of the discussions, feedback, and agreements made during these meetings. This helps in tracking employee progress over time and can be referenced during performance appraisals or reviews.

Promoting Transparency and Trust

In summary, regular check-ins and one-on-one meetings are vital for effective performance monitoring. They provide a platform for open communication, feedback, goal setting, and performance evaluation. By conducting these meetings in a structured and supportive manner, managers can help employees stay focused, motivated, and aligned with the organisation's goals.

Performance management software

When monitoring employee performance, managers should pay attention to a variety of factors to ensure that clear objectives and expectations are set and communicated. This includes tracking employee efficiency, establishing training and development needs, measuring the effectiveness of enrichment programs, providing constructive feedback, and implementing rewards and recognition. Performance management software is a valuable tool for managers to streamline this process and improve overall productivity.

One example of performance management software is PerformYard, which offers a flexible and user-friendly platform for employee reviews, goals, and feedback. It combines performance reviews, check-ins, goal management, continuous feedback, and engagement surveys in one place. Another option is 15Five, which transforms people data into actionable insights, helping HR teams make strategic decisions and inspire growth.

When selecting performance management software, it is important to consider the specific needs and strategic goals of the organisation. The software should be customisable to fit the unique requirements of the business and offer a positive user experience. Other factors to consider include integration capabilities, internationalisation, user access management, performance tracking, reporting, and dashboards.

Employee monitoring software

Features of Employee Monitoring Software

• Time tracking: This includes clock-in and clock-out times, as well as active and idle time.
• Productivity tracking: Managers can gain insights into employee productivity through detailed reports and analytics.
• Application and website usage: Managers can track which apps and websites employees are using and label them as productive or unproductive.
• Screenshots: Managers can receive random screenshots or those triggered by suspicious activity.
• Real-time monitoring: Managers can see what employees are doing at any time.
• Attendance tracking: Employee attendance can be automatically calculated based on computer activity.

Benefits of Employee Monitoring Software

• Improved productivity: By understanding how employees work, managers can identify bottlenecks and improve workflows.
• Enhanced security and compliance: Monitoring software can help identify potential security threats and ensure compliance with data security best practices.
• Better employee support: In the hybrid workplace, monitoring software can help managers understand how employees spend their time and what they need to perform at their best.
• Reduced costs: Monitoring software can help optimize costs by identifying unused subscriptions and office space.

Considerations and Potential Drawbacks

When considering employee monitoring software, it is important to keep the following in mind:

• Privacy concerns: Employees may have concerns about their privacy being invaded by monitoring software. It is crucial to be transparent and obtain employee consent.
• Resistance from staff: If employees feel they are being constantly watched or micromanaged, they may resist the use of monitoring software.
• Stress and anxiety: Invasive tactics such as keylogging and video surveillance can induce stress and harm productivity.
• Legal considerations: The legality of employee monitoring software varies by jurisdiction. It is important to inform employees of the nature and extent of monitoring and ensure compliance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Choosing and Implementing Employee Monitoring Software

When choosing employee monitoring software, consider the following:

• Goals: Identify your organization's long-term goals and select a solution that aligns with them.
• Workforce type: Consider whether your workforce is in-office, remote, or hybrid, and choose a solution that supports your specific needs.
• Cost: Evaluate the cost of the software and the potential return on investment.
• Integrations: Ensure the software integrates with the tools you already use to enable seamless data collection and analysis.
• Customer support: Opt for software that offers robust customer support, including access to email, chat, and phone assistance.

When implementing employee monitoring software, it is crucial to introduce it to your team with care:

• Build trust and transparency: Be transparent about the use of monitoring software and allow employees to access their own data to self-manage their work.
• Explain the benefits: Help employees understand how the software will benefit them, such as by offering more flexible work arrangements or better workload balance.
• Create a formal policy: Clearly communicate what will be monitored and what will remain private, and share this policy with current and new employees.

Examples of Employee Monitoring Software

• ActivTrak: Offers insights into team availability and productivity, daily work activity, and compliance and risk management.
• Teramind: Comprehensive tracking functionality, including screen recordings, live views of employee PCs, and keystroke monitoring.
• Veriato Cerebral: Robust employee tracking and engagement features, powered by AI, to track activity and mitigate insider threats.
• Controlio: Cloud-based solution with productivity scoring and employee monitoring capabilities.
• Hubstaff: Includes time tracking and employee monitoring features such as keystroke logging and URL and application monitoring.

Peer reviews and 360-degree feedback

Benefits of Peer Reviews and 360-Degree Feedback:

• Holistic evaluation: This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of an employee's performance by incorporating diverse perspectives. It helps identify areas of improvement and recognise strengths that might otherwise be overlooked.
• Enhanced self-awareness: By receiving feedback from various sources, employees gain a broader perspective on their performance, which can lead to improved self-awareness and personal development.
• Improved teamwork and accountability: 360-degree feedback encourages collaboration and strengthens teamwork as team members are more accountable to each other, knowing that their peers will also provide input on their performance.
• Uncovering procedural issues: Collecting feedback from multiple levels can help identify procedural issues or bottlenecks that may hinder employee growth and overall organisational effectiveness.
• Reduced bias: By involving a diverse range of raters, 360-degree feedback can reduce bias and discrimination tendencies in performance evaluations, creating a more inclusive and fair work environment.
• Identifying training needs: 360-degree feedback is a valuable tool for assessing training needs within an organisation. It helps HR professionals identify skill gaps and design targeted training and development programs to bridge those gaps.

Best Practices for Effective Peer Reviews and 360-Degree Feedback:

• Confidentiality and anonymity: Ensure that the process is confidential and anonymous to encourage honest and unbiased feedback.
• Clear communication: Communicate the purpose and benefits of 360-degree feedback to all participants. Explain how the information will be used to improve individual performance and organisational effectiveness.
• Frequent and consistent implementation: Conduct 360-degree feedback evaluations regularly, such as once or twice a year, to allow for continuous performance improvement and effective leadership development.
• Separate from performance reviews: Use 360-degree feedback as a development tool rather than a performance appraisal tool. Keep it separate from employee evaluations and performance reviews to create a safe space for honest feedback.
• Action plans and progress checks: Work with employees to develop action plans based on the feedback received. Conduct brief progress checks every few months to ensure that improvement efforts are on track and effective.
• Managerial support: Provide contributors with support and guidance after the review process. Help them interpret the feedback and create meaningful development plans to enhance their performance and leadership skills.

By integrating peer reviews and 360-degree feedback into performance monitoring, managers can gain valuable insights, promote teamwork, identify training needs, and create a culture of continuous improvement within their organisations.

Self-reported surveys

However, there are some limitations and potential issues with self-reported surveys. Firstly, employees may not feel comfortable providing honest feedback, especially if the surveys are not anonymous. They may censor themselves to appear more compliant or out of fear of losing their jobs. Additionally, without objective data, employees may not have sufficient context to base their responses on. Therefore, it is crucial to design surveys carefully and professionally, ensuring they are well-scripted and worded to elicit truthful and informative responses.

To improve the effectiveness of self-reported surveys, consider the following:

• Anonymity: Ensure anonymity to encourage honest feedback.
• Clear and specific questions: Avoid vague or ambiguous questions that may be confusing or interpreted differently by respondents.
• Response format: Provide a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions to gather both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Rating scales: Consider using rating scales (e.g., Likert scales) to understand the intensity of respondents' feelings or opinions.
• Pilot testing: Test the survey with a small group of employees to identify any issues before distributing it to the entire team.
• Combining with other methods: Use self-reported surveys as part of a multi-modal or multi-method assessment approach, combining them with other data sources such as behavioural observations or physiological metrics.

By addressing these considerations, managers can enhance the effectiveness of self-reported surveys as a tool for monitoring employee performance and gaining valuable insights to drive business success.

Frequently asked questions