Don't trade candidate experience for recruitment efficiency

Holding your interviews by video may appear to improve the efficiency of the recruitment process, but in fact most candidates prefer more face to face contact.

The majority of candidates would rather have an in person or telephone interview to a video interview, according to research from ManpowerGroup Solutions.

Video interviews may be more efficient and time savvy but employers must be careful to not make the candidate feel uncomfortable. Research has revealed that job applicants interviewed through video conferencing come across as less likable, while those doing the hiring are viewed as less competent.

In the last 12 – 18 months video interviewing has become more common but realistically it should only be used when absolutely necessary and other options are not available, it should not be the means to an end.

Video recruiting can be useful at the beginning of the recruitment process when screening candidates but as the recruitment process progresses you should not underestimate the value of sitting with a person face to face and having a conversation with them.

In some respects, by trying to speed up the hiring process you may actually be reducing the quality of the candidates.

The research carried out by the ManpowerGroup also reveals how much the recruiter’s personality in an in-person interview influences the outcome of the hiring process.

Candidates that cannot relate to an interviewer may look elsewhere or accept an offer from a competing organisation.

A recruiter’s personality should portray the company brand, culture and values. They are the first impression a candidate gets of a company or organisation and this initial contact is absolutely crucial for a candidate to form their own opinion about whether or not they would like to work there.

Employers should utilise recruitment technology that suits their intended talent pool, tailoring their hiring approach to candidate profiles.

It is important not to view the interviewing process as a transaction. At the end of the day you are hiring a person whom you wish to embody your brand, so you must try and engage them and make them feel connected – not part of a transaction.

If your hiring someone to fill a position that may involve interacting remotely with clients or team members a video interview may give you some insight into how well a candidate may perform when they are needed to conduct a video conference.

Tips for Implementing a Performance Management System

The basic theory behind a performance management strategy is that if employees know what is expected of them, they are more likely to excel at their jobs. This is also a vital aspect of employee engagement.

By implementing a system like this you will see improved individual performance, greater employee engagement and overall better organisational performance.

Here are some keys steps to implementing a successful performance management system.

1. Clarify Objectives

An important first step is identifying some major objectives for the program and refining the need for a performance management system. What should be included within the system? You can choose to get input from your employees when trying to define the parameters of your performance management system or you can delegate it to your HR department. A good place to start is to use the definition of improving performance and satisfaction.

Some helpful things to include in a performance management system are:

• A clear company vision
• Documented and communicated core competencies
• Formal and Informal rewards which are seen as consistent and fair

2. Support of Your Managers

Once your objectives have been identified along with your expected business outcomes, you have to ensure that your managers are on board. The agreement of the senior management team is needed before any implementation steps are taken. Many systems fail because they are not seen to be included in a managers basic day to day responsibilities. Senior Managers must be seen to be actively supporting the process.

When training your managers in the implementation of a performance management system it is important that they understand:

• How much time is required to implement the system and maintain it on an ongoing basis?
• How the system works and what it will deliver if its implemented successfully
• And developing the skills necessary to carry our effective performance management often take time – more time than expected.

3. Prepare system and supporting materials and documentation
                            
Develop a process and documentation to support the system. Ensure core competencies are defined with associated behaviours and are communicated to all staff.

Included in the documentation should be:

• Review performance against the key parts of the job
• Review performance against any specific goals or objectives which have been set
• Review performance against the organisation’s core competencies if they have been defined
• Identify any learning and development needs for both short and longer term
• Allow for feedback on progress on an ongoing basis
• Ensure job descriptions are current and in a form that provides clear and measurable results required

What Motivates Employees?

Other than the obvious, money, what motivates your employees to do their best work?

Here are a few non-monetary ideas to motivate your workforce.

• Praise. If someone does a job well, let them know, give praise where it is due. This costs you nothing but it means a lot to your employees. Giving regular praise where it is warranted helps to validate your staff’s hard work and encourage them to do their best all the time.
• Communicate with employees. It may sound very basic but employee communication can often be overlooked in many organisations. If an employee has a concern or some other issue that may prevent them from working productively, they need to know that communication channels are open. Taking the time to converse with employees can make them feel more comfortable in their jobs, more settled and better-motivated to work hard for the organisation
• Ask your staff for their input. Ask for their opinion, it makes staff feel as though their opinion matters. Instead of making a demand, ask them “what do you think about doing it this way?”
• Never point fingers. Being called out for making mistakes destroys your staff’s self-esteem. Instead of blaming or criticizing your employees, have a conversation with them. Discuss the problem with them and work out how it could have been handled differently. This will help them to learn from their mistakes.
• Establish a good work environment. A clean, aesthetically pleasing workplace can go a long way to motivating staff. Make the effort to make your workplace look nice. 
• Award Leadership roles. By rewarding good performance with leadership opportunities you inspire your employees to work hard and aim high.
• Take your team out for a meal every once in a while.  This brings everyone together outside of the office and encourages them to get to know each other and bond. Having a tight knit workforce makes work a more enjoyable place to be.
• Plan some fun activities. Planning something fun for your employees to do together helps them to blow off some steam and see their workplace in a more positive light.
• Organise a friendly competition. It’s astounding what a little competition can do for your employees. Hold a weekly or monthly competition with a small prize for the winner, it can be as simple as some movie tickets. Keep track of the results and display them somewhere in the office where everyone can see them. This is a great way to motivate people to work harder.

Dos and Don’ts of your Work Christmas Party

The work Christmas party is a time to celebrate and let your hair down with your colleagues after a busy year, however it is important to remember that you are at a professional function and you must behave that way.

Your work Christmas party is a great opportunity to build relationships so use this time wisely and don’t do anything that may cause these relationships to be damaged or deteriorate.
Read our tips for enjoying yourself without jeopardising any professional relationships here.
Dos and Don’ts of your Work Christmas Party.

The work Christmas party is a time to celebrate and let your hair down with your colleagues after a busy year, however it is important to remember that you are at a professional function and you must behave that way.

Here are a few tips for enjoying yourself without jeopardising any professional relationships.

• Drink responsibly. Don’t forget that you are at a work function so treat the party as an extension of your work day. The more you drink the bigger the chance that you may do something you regret.
• Eat before you start drinking. Drinking on an empty stomach is asking for trouble. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water and more food.
• Find out the dress code and dress accordingly.
• Arrive on time. This will give you the opportunity to mingle with everyone and still leave early without appearing rude.
• Mingle. Do the rounds and make sure to acknowledge all of your colleagues. The Christmas party is a good opportunity to talk to everyone in a relaxed and happy atmosphere and find out a little bit more about them, their hobbies, family, etc.
• Even if it’s someone you don’t particularly like or get along with, make an effort to have a brief chat with them.
• Although it’s important to relax and chat with people at a Christmas party, try not to let your guard down too much and reveal things about yourself that you may not necessarily want your co-workers to know.
• Be mindful of your body language and how you speak to people. Do not touch people in a way that could be misinterpreted or say things that are provocative or demeaning. Dirty or off-colour jokes may be offensive to others so avoid telling them.
• If you see a co-worker that has obviously drunk too much or is behaving inappropriately, step in and bail them out. Explain to them how their behaviour appears to other people and if this doesn’t work, discreetly call them a taxi and send them home.
• Make arrangements to get home after the event in advance, pre order a taxi or organise a spouse or friend to come and get you at a designated time.

Your work Christmas party is a great opportunity to build relationships so use this time wisely and don’t do anything that may cause these relationships to be damaged or deteriorate

One on One with the Boss

Most management conversations happen during group meetings, emails. Over the phone or when a problem arises.

However, it is good practice to meet with your boss one on one more frequently to get a little advice, support and motivation.

The main goal of a one on one meeting with your boss is communicating with them about the work you are carrying out for them.

• Before you go into a meeting with your boss ask yourself the following: 
• Are there problems that haven’t been spotted yet? 
• Problems that need to be solved? 
• Resources that need to be obtained? 
• Are any instructions or goals not clear? 
• Has anything happened since we last talked that the boss should know about? 
• Are there questions the boss needs to answer? 

Here are a few tips for making the most of a one on one session with your boss.

• Be prepared – make notes about what you would like to discuss with your boss ahead of time. If you have a problem to discuss bring your recommended solution, likewise if you have a decision to be made, make your recommended decision known.
• Keep your boss informed of all the key things you have been working on. This is a good opportunity to highlight your accomplishments and get some guidance and coaching from your boss.
• Own up to your mistakes. If you are having a meeting due to a mistake you have made, don’t be afraid to own up to it and make yourself accountable. Do not try and pass the blame or point the finger at your colleagues. 
• Always try to have a positive attitude in meetings with management. It is not productive or helpful to go into a meeting with a negative state of mind and you will cover more ground in your meeting if you stay upbeat.
• Include career development as a regular agenda item in your meetings. This will help you determine and achieve your goals as well as demonstrate to your boss that you are ambitious and have a desire to improve.
• Ask for feedback. Many bosses find giving feedback uncomfortable but by asking for it you are opening the lines of communication and making them feel more comfortable. 
• Let your boss know what you need in order to be successful. If you let your boss know in a constructive way how they can support you, most will do what they can to help.

Staff Retention Strategies

If you are not doing all you can to keep your staff happy and engaged, you may be at risk of losing your most productive workers to your competition.

You do not need to spend a lot of money to put a staff retention strategy in place. Here are a few things that can help you keep your staff happy.

• A well-defined career path – Most employees want to progress in their careers and like to know that there are opportunities available within their workplace to do so. Have discussions with your team about their professional goals and aspirations and how they can achieve them within your organisation. Offer mentoring and training programmes.
• Acknowledgement - Make an effort to acknowledge staff achievements and hard work. Most staff are more engaged and have a stronger feeling of satisfaction in their work if they feel that managers appreciate their contribution to the workplace.
• Trust – It can be difficult to be productive when someone is breathing down your neck while you are trying to go about your duties. Most employees like to feel that they can be trusted and relied upon to complete their work efficiently without being micro managed.
• Flexible work environment – Flexible work agreements are one of the most desirable elements of a work environment for staff. Giving your staff the opportunity to attend their children’s school activities or medical emergencies can make a big difference to an employee’s happiness within their job. Helping your staff maintain a healthy work and personal life balance can really increase loyalty to your company.
• Ethics – Most people would prefer to work for a company that they believe is good. It can be beneficial to promote ethics when interacting with customers and employees. Ensure your workplace encourages fairness and diversity.
• Communication – Well defined communication is one of the most important factors of retaining staff. Most staff liked to know what is expected of them and to have clear a clear job description or role within the company. Keep employees up to date when it comes to developments within the organisation. People feel more involved and part of the organisation when they are kept in the loop. Encourage employee feedback and ideas. When staff are involved with projects from the beginning they are more likely to feel connected to the outcome. Make sure to address interpersonal problems among staff members as soon as possible.

By using some of these strategies you can help encourage employee motivation and loyalty and lower the likelihood of losing staff to your competition.

The Benefits of Implementing a Performance Management Strategy

A performance management strategy is important for the improvement of the overall structural performance of a company by managing the performance of both teams and individuals to ensure the achievement of organizational ambitions and goals.

A successful performance management strategy can play a vital role in managing the performance in an organisation by:

• Making sure that the employees understand the importance of their contributions to the company’s goal.
• Ensuring that each employee understands their role within the organisation and what is expected from them.
• Identifies if employees have the specific skills needed to fulfil the expectations of their job.
• Facilitating effective communication throughout the organisation.
• Encouraging a pleasant and harmonious relationship between managers and employees.

Performance management strategies can have a positive influence on employee engagement and job satisfaction by

• Providing honest and open job feedback to employees
• Establishing a connection between performance and compensation.
• Providing learning and developmental opportunities when they are needed.
• Establishing clear performance objectives.
• Providing opportunities for career growth.

Establishing defined goals and regularly assessing individual performances can help you to establish any major skill gaps, therefore helping you understand where extra training may be needed. A performance management strategy can help you evaluate the willingness of an employee to take on higher responsibilities and provide feedback to employees on their current competencies and where they might need to improve.

A common misunderstanding among managers is that behaviour and activities are the same as results. An employee may give the impression of being very busy but may not be actually contributing at all towards company goals. They may not, for example, be fulfilling their job using the latest or most time efficient procedures.

A performance management strategy helps to identify organisational goals and the measures that need to be taken to achieve those goals. It also helps to gage the effectiveness or efficiency and means of attaining these goals.

The results from the information collected from a personal management system have a wide variety of uses. They can help with setting standards for comparison with best practices in other organisations. They can provide you with a consistent basis for comparison during internal changes or restructures. It can also help you to establish results during improvement efforts such as employee training or management development. They help to encourage fair and equal treatment to employees based on their performances.