Dive Brief:
- Performance review makeovers are having a moment in the news, but experts say it is possible to transform a "dysfunctional, chaotic" review system with the right strategy and platform, according to an article at Tech Target.
- More specifically, HR manager Lindsey Zan joined the Reagan organization, a manufactuer, in 2012 and recently completed an extreme makeover of the company's recruiting, onboarding and performance review systems. In one of the three entities within her organization, no formal performance management system even existed before her changes.
- To make matters worse, the company was still using paper, so Zan and corporate HR leadership scrapped the paper process and, after a thorough evaluation, implemented talent management software, including the SilkRoad Life Suite and HeartBeat, a core HR system.
Dive Insight:
New technologies allowed Zan's team to uncover trends that might have led to top talent leaving in a way that paper reviews never would have allowed. Her team looked at performance reviews to see if any changes could have blunted that loss of talent.
The company's employee recruiting and onboarding functions, also outdated, were improved using SilkRoad, a 360 degree performance appraisal and regular face-to-face meetings between employee and managers.
Finally, Zan used a customization feature to include Dilbert comic strips with email notifications sent to employees and managers. She says Dilbert comics – and likely, a sense of humor about the whole enterprise – can help reduce anxiety levels.
