Bring back appraisals to retain staff

With the war for talent and many firms struggling to recruit and retain staff, employee performance reviews need to be back on agenda, says Adrian Lewis, Director at Activ People HR to stop people leaving their job because of a lack of career advancement.

Adrian’s comments come after a recent survey by IRIS Software Group (IRIS) showed that nearly half (47%) of UK employees don’t see a clear path to progression, and almost three quarters (68%) are facing delayed career growth due to a lack of support from their line managers and HR teams[i].

Adrian says, “Many people’s career dreams were put on hold as the focus for most employers was just to get through the challenging working circumstances brought about by the pandemic. Now we are coming out the other side it’s time to re-introduce employee appraisals to ensure people are given regular feedback on their work.

“This helps managers track performance, and identify any training and development needs, plus it gives workers a clear pathway for progression in their roles. Without this people could lose morale and motivation, or even decide to leave the company. In the current recruitment climate this could have a negative impact as firms struggle to replace workers.”

Research last year from StaffCircle[ii] found that 61% of employees would consider leaving an organisation if they didn’t have frequent feedback. Lack of progression opportunities was also one of the common reasons for employees leaving an organisation.

One way to ensure appraisals are regularly carried out in the post Covid world where hybrid and remote working is commonplace is to use technology. This can ensure accurate and timely feedback is always given, and can lighten the workload on HR as there is less admin.

Adrian says, “Employee’s value appraisals, but with many employers facing other priorities they can often get left, especially if they still use manual or paper-based systems. Using appraisal software instead enables firms to manage the process more effectively and have them scheduled at regular intervals.

“This in turn helps engage and nurture talent and improve staff retention. With many other HR processes having gone digital over the past two years, appraisals can also benefit from being done digitally. It’s a quick win and could make all the difference in an employee wanting to stay or leave.”

Activ People HR offers Activ Appraisals as part of its suite of cloud-based HR solutions. The tool is designed to make the process of managing employee appraisals and performance reviews simpler and more effective.

It helps managers prepare for an appraisal or review, and to record all feedback from the employee and their peers, so they always have a full picture of their employees’ achievements or challenges. It also enables managers to review previous performance and assess if objectives and core competencies have been met.

[i] https://hrnews.co.uk/nearly-half-of-uk-employees-dont-see-a-clear-path-to-progression/

[ii] https://www.thehrdirector.com/business-news/employee-experience/appraisals-go-awol-and-so-do-employees/