When organizations first began the process of performance evaluations or appraisals, the feedback typically flows from the top-down and ends there. Supervisors provide feedback to their direct reports, often times individual contributors. This leaves a lot to be desired, not only is the expectation that the supervisor has a thorough grasp on the work that the subordinate does (and remembers it), but the supervisor is also left unchecked for how the working relationship is going from the viewpoint of the subordinate. The aforementioned type of feedback is typically referred to as “downward feedback” because the conversation stems from the top and flows downward.

Talent Management, as defined by Wikipedia, is “the anticipation of required human capital for an organization and the planning to meet those needs.” That sounds a lot like what Human Resources does in an organization. But understanding the nuances between these two functions is imperative to better understanding your employees and meeting their needs on the job.

Businesses create processes and standards by which their employees are measured against to ensure that employees understand their role and job function, are competent in that role, and ultimately are an asset to the organization. This process is typically referred to as performance management. The idea of performance management and a review process is theoretically a good one. The best way to measure an employee’s performance is by asking their managers, peers, and subordinates how exactly the employee is performing in their job, what they can improve upon, and what they have mastered. Performance reviews can sometimes go as far as to determine when someone is up for a promotion or a raise - although tying reviews with compensation can be tricky (more on that in another blog).

Performance Evaluations can be tough to create, especially for the first time. If building off of a process that’s already in place, it’s easy to identify holes and areas of improvement to continue working towards a performance evaluation process that works for your organization’s culture and goals. However, building one from scratch can be significantly harder. Other than the obvious suggestion to remember that this process is iterative and can continue to be improved upon, the closer that you can get to an end result the first time around will help to ensure consistency over the years when evaluating an employee that has been around for that whole time.

In today’s Twitter-world, we don’t have time to read lengthy articles about processes that we should already know about. Unfamiliar with Performance Management? Here are three bite-sized definitions to help you get a little insight into performance management.

Across most businesses, there is some sort of training that takes place. Whether this training is to keep employees abreast of the latest trends across the industry, or simply onboarding an employee with relevant HR information or organizational practices, it doesn’t matter. Each and every training that is completed to advance careers or to remain informed of changes should be documented by the relevant personnel to ensure there is no oversight.

With new regulations on the horizon for companies in California that sell, produce, distribute, and install solar panels, there has never been a better time to adopt software solutions that help your company become and stay organized. In early May, 2018, California became the first state to introduce new regulations on houses being built, by 2020 each new house must use solar power. While California has long been the leader with its clean energy goals, many states will likely follow this initiative. 

Small business professionals are no strangers to hard work and its value for an organization. Oftentimes jumping into multiple tasks that are not tied to a job description but helpful for the health of the organization, small business employees and managers work tirelessly to propel a small business to success. It is not uncommon to find small businesses that go without the technology and advances of the larger corporations because of limited resources and time, but if there is one piece of software a small business should not go without - it is workforce management software.

Old habits die hard. We’ve all heard it said, and within a company it couldn’t be more true. From employee number one to employee “X” habits become culture - what is set into motion in the beginning tends to become the foundation, and changing a foundation is difficult. While sometimes it doesn’t make sense when strategizing for a business to take into consideration what you envision future success will look like, but failure to do so can lead to employee habits that eventually get your business into trouble.

Small businesses, whether a start-up or a purposefully small business by design, can face many challenges when it comes to just about every facet of the organization - from hiring the right talent, to retaining that talent in the face of more glamorous big brands, from choosing the right software that is not only affordable but is scalable, to finding the time to even explore solutions to problems before it is too late. Oftentimes, executives and managers within a small business are wearing multiple hats with various roles and responsibilities - no task is too small for a small business manager to dive into, nor is a task too large in scope to exclude all employees. Oftentimes most, if not all, employees are included in making big picture decisions, and even the smallest of voices with the seemingly littlest amount of influence are heard and considered. While each of these scenarios can present a unique challenge that are not seen as a company gets larger, this is often how small businesses rise to success - they are not bogged down by bureaucracy and red-tape especially when onboarding new solutions: software, in particular.