Training & Development

From Micromanagement to Empowerment: A Leader’s Guide to Accountability

2025-04-21T14:09:32-04:00

Great leaders nurture accountability by motivating and inspiring employees to work hard for them. Employees don’t get the job done because they’re told to — they do it because they want to succeed.

Business leaders have a lot on their plates. The last thing they need to be doing is micromanaging their employees.

Not only is micromanaging a waste of leaders’ time, but it also reduces employees’ engagement and quality of work. In turn, a leader might feel they need to micromanage even more to get employees back in line, creating a vicious cycle where no one is performing at their best.

The way to move from micromanagement to empowerment and a more purpose-driven culture is to build trust with your people. Make sure they understand how their job is tied to the company’s purpose. Set clear expectations and ensure employees are recognized for their efforts.

Micromanagement vs. accountability

Keeping employees accountable doesn’t mean constantly looking over their shoulders.

When leaders micromanage, they overly control how employees complete their tasks. Whereas when leaders let employees take accountability for their work, they’re still setting expectations and measuring results, but without dictating how the work gets done.

It all comes down to ownership:

Accountability is about taking ownership of results, both good and bad. To feel like they own a result, an employee needs a degree of independence and control over how they achieve that result.
Micromanagement is when a leader takes ownership. And in doing so, they take away that employee’s accountability. They’re interfering in work that should fall within the employee’s control. This is proven to be a major cause of employee burnout.

Ultimately, accountability is rooted in trust, whereas micromanagement is rooted in a lack of trust. The message accountability conveys from leader to employee is, “I believe you are responsible and capable.” Micromanagement says the opposite.

How to hold employees accountable without micromanaging

We typically think of “holding people accountable” as something that happens when people aren't meeting expectations. But true accountability is about ownership of both good and bad results.

Having a clear plan for accountability when everything goes well — such as rewards, recognition, and career growth — is just as important, if not more, than your plan for what happens if expectations aren't met.

Set clear expectations and goals

One of the most important pieces of the accountability puzzle is ensuring company goals are well-defined.

Not only does this give employees clarity on what’s expected of them, but it also provides a sense of purpose — and when employees feel like their work has purpose, they’re more likely to stay with an organization longer and work harder.

“Accountability is rooted in trust, whereas micromanagement is rooted in a lack of trust.”

It’s also important to ensure employees have their own goals. What do they want to learn? How do they want to grow? Where do they see themselves in the future?

Help employees develop their own SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

For example, maybe an employee wants to develop their leadership skills. Together, you might decide for them to lead two team projects (specific) over the next quarter (time-bound), with success measured by on-time completion and peer feedback (measurable). This builds valuable skills (relevant) through a manageable number of projects (achievable).

Then, when assessing that employee’s performance, don’t only consider how they’re supporting the business’s goals, but how the business is also supporting theirs.

Delegate effectively and trust employees

Another important part of accountability is collaboration. This includes inviting employees into conversations about company goals and delegating the ownership of tasks rather than managing every step.

When leadership intentionally involves people in decisions that affect their jobs or work environment, this gives them ownership. And the more sense of control employees have, the more likely they are to hold themselves accountable.

Autonomy also unlocks our natural problem-solving abilities. When people have the freedom to tackle challenges in their own way, they become invested in finding solutions rather than just following orders. This sense of ownership translates into higher engagement, enabling employees to see themselves as valuable contributors.

Establish regular feedback loops

Consistency is key when it comes to employee performance. Ongoing constructive feedback will encourage accountability since employees will have clear direction and support. Otherwise, employees may not know what’s expected of them — and if they don’t meet expectations, management may be tempted to step in and micromanage.

While the traditional approach to performance management has been annual reviews, many great workplaces have found continuous feedback to be a better approach.

For example, financial services firm Penn Mutual found that changing its performance calendar to align with its business cycle allowed leaders to address issues in real time. The firm also adjusted its rewards cycle to create a clear connection between a job well done and receiving a bonus or other incentive.

Foster open communication

When leaders actively listen to employee concerns, it creates a culture of transparency. And transparency fuels trust, which in turn leads to better innovation, reduced employee turnover, and even better business performance.

Being transparent doesn’t mean laying it all out. It means ensuring every employee is receiving information that’s relevant to them, with the opportunity to ask questions. Broad, sweeping messages won’t resonate with employees the way that tailored communications will.

Some of our customers demonstrate how strong communication builds trust in leadership. CarMax recognized that effective leadership is ensuring every employee has a personal connection to management. To achieve this, it set up a guide to ensure regular meetings between every employee and their manager at each of its stores.

IT company WP Engine is transparent about pay ranges for internal opportunities that an employee might be qualified for, thereby encouraging them to grow within the company.

Focus on outcomes, not processes

No two people are exactly the same, and this also goes for how they work. Micromanagers focus on the process, when the reality is that there may be several ways for an employee to take a project from start to finish.

Instead, put your focus on results when evaluating performance. This shows employees that you trust their judgment and are willing to give them the space to complete tasks in a way that makes the most sense to them.

For example, you might:

Measure the number of email subscribers rather than how many emails were sent on a marketing campaign
Evaluate customer satisfaction scores instead of monitoring how many minutes each support call takes
Track positive reviews and return visits instead of monitoring if front desk staff follow a rigid check-in script word-for-word

How to address accountability issues without micromanaging

Address performance issues promptly and fairly

The best way to manage poor performance is to get ahead of it.

Avoiding difficult conversations about performance issues doesn’t make them disappear — it magnifies them. When you let problems linger, your top performers may wonder why others aren't held to the same standards. Meanwhile, the struggling employee misses out on the opportunity to improve.

The longer you wait, the more uncomfortable the eventual conversation becomes for everyone involved.

But when an employee has had experiences where their manager helped their performance go from good to great, they’re more likely to turn to that manager and be an equal partner when their performance slips and needs correction.

If a manager waits until performance slips to get involved, the employee instead will feel that performance conversations with their manager are a liability rather than an asset, and will be defensive and disengaged.

Get in the habit of proactively managing exceptional or good performance as well — positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator.

Some ways to provide constructive criticism that motivates improvement include:

Using concrete examples instead of generalizations
Explaining the impact of the behavior on team goals or outcomes
Asking questions to understand their perspective
Collaborating on solutions rather than dictating them
Balancing criticism with recognition of their strengths
Providing resources or support to help them succeed

Use performance management systems

It's nearly always true that employees who are underperforming need at least one of three things:

1. More time and attention from their manager

2. Firmer boundaries on certain aspects of their work

3. Tougher criteria to demonstrate improvement

Many of these actions can feel like micromanagement, so the way to avoid this is to ensure the employee feels engaged in their own performance management and success. If the employee isn’t, corrective measures from their manager will feel like an imposition instead of a mutual agreement.

It’s a good idea to set up regular performance check-ins with every employee from day one. That way, you can track changes in performance before they become an issue and also empower employees to take ownership of their own performance plan from day one.

Ask employees to come prepared with their own personal assessments and ask for feedback on how you’re supporting their success. Make sure to connect their individual goals to the goals of their team and the company overall.

Also, remember that a good performance management system doesn’t just look at employees’ day-to-day. It also considers their personal goals and growth opportunities.

For example, many great workplaces offer leadership training programs that motivate employees to perform at their best. Such a program could work in tandem with more traditional performance reviews and check-ins.

Recognize and reward accountability

A sign of a great employee–manager relationship is when the employee is the one who takes the lead on correcting their performance.

The employee is the person who has the most vested interest in their own success, so if they’re underperforming and not reaching out to their manager for help, it’s often because they don’t know they’re underperforming or don’t feel they’ll get the support they need to do better.

Of course, employees need a high degree of trust with their managers to feel safe doing this. One way to create this sense of safety is to foster a culture of recognition.

Celebrating employees’ efforts is an important leadership behavior for creating a high-trust workplace, where employees feel empowered to speak up and take more accountability in their work.

According to a 2025 Great Place To Work® survey of 1.3 million employees, when employees feel that everyone in the company can get recognition for their work, they’re 60% more likely to give extra effort and 40% more likely to participate in company innovation.

Here are some ways you could reward employees for taking initiative:

Offering special assignments that align with their career goals
Encouraging professional development opportunities, such as conferences or training sessions
Providing opportunities to lead new initiatives or mentor other team members
Giving rewards such as financial compensation or time off after completing a challenging project

Creating a leadership culture that drives accountability

The most important factor when it comes to employee accountability is trust. When leaders trust their employees, they’re more likely to see higher engagement, improved performance, and better business performance.

Want to know if your company promotes a culture of accountability — or stifles through micromanaging? Great Place To Work’s employee engagement software uses a data-driven approach to the employee experience and can help you build a high-trust culture where employees take ownership and pride in their work.

To our customers: If you're looking to hold employees accountable without falling into the trap of micromanagement, the Trust Index™ Survey's Manager Access feature is your ideal tool. This feature provides managers with detailed insights into their team's survey results, allowing them to see whether their reports trust them — a key indicator of great leadership and not micromanaging. By using these insights, managers can build a culture of trust and accountability, ensuring employees feel valued and motivated to take ownership of their work. The Manager Access feature helps managers compare their team’s performance against industry benchmarks and develop actionable plans based on your Trust Index data. If you’re already using the platform but haven’t activated the Manager Access feature, talk to your Customer Success Manager about upgrading today to transform your leadership approach and drive your team towards success.

The Link Between Employee Development and Performance Management: Creating a Culture of Growth

2025-03-14T18:11:25-04:00

Boost retention, productivity, and profitability by integrating employee development with performance management. Learn how structured growth strategies enhance engagement, leadership accountability, and business success.

In modern business, the connection between employee development and performance management is not just a matter of policy but of survival. Firms that invest in their employees’ growth enjoy higher retention rates and greater profitability. Research suggests that organizations with structured training programs generate 218% more income per employee than those without. Those that neglect development risk losing talent and competitiveness.

Why employee development and performance management matter

Impact on talent attraction and retention

Job-hopping is expensive. Replacing an employee can cost anywhere from 50% to 200% of their annual salary. Yet, when workers see a clear path for growth and receive meaningful feedback, they are more likely to stay put. A well-integrated system of development and performance management builds a cohesive, experienced workforce and saves companies a fortune in recruitment costs.

Boosting productivity and engagement

Lack of investment in skills is a quiet killer of corporate efficiency. According to McKinsey, skill gaps and inefficiencies could cost a median Fortune 500 company $163 million per year. The alternative is clear: Employees who feel valued and see opportunities for advancement are more engaged, more productive, and less likely to burn out.

Gaining a competitive advantage

In a market where skilled professionals have no shortage of options, a culture of growth is a magnet for top talent. 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 that invest in employee development do not just attract better people, they drive innovation and long-term success. The most sought-after professionals are not looking for static jobs; they are looking for careers that evolve.

Key components of effective employee development and performance management

Establishing clear performance metrics

Firms that articulate clear performance metrics are far more likely to hit revenue targets. This is not about rigid scorekeeping but about aligning employees’ efforts with business goals. SMART objectives and KPIs provide a structured framework that helps employees understand how their contributions matter.

Real-world example: Wellstar Health System

Wellstar Health System, one of Georgia’s largest healthcare networks, offers a compelling case study on leadership accountability. By using the Trust Index™ Survey, leaders received direct feedback on their impact, leading to higher retention rates, improved patient satisfaction scores, and stronger financial performance.

The 2023 survey results illustrate a stark contrast: Employees involved in action planning reported significantly higher credibility, respect, fairness, and pride (scoring in the 80s). Those excluded from the process fared less, with credibility (49%) and respect (50%) dipping. The message is clear — engagement in workplace improvements translates directly to better business outcomes.

Shifting from annual reviews to continuous feedback

Waiting for an annual review to discuss performance is like waiting for a post-mortem to diagnose a disease. Regular feedback is essential. According to Gallup, employees who receive weekly meaningful feedback are five times more likely to be engaged than those who do not.

Developing managers as coaches

Leaders must evolve from mere evaluators to active coaches. Constructive feedback should focus on specific behaviors and measurable outcomes, not vague personality critiques. Equipping managers with coaching skills ensures employees receive the right guidance at the right time.

Personalized development plans

Career growth should not be left to chance. Customized development plans align individual aspirations with corporate goals, offering employees a clear roadmap for advancement.

Expanding growth opportunities for all employees

Not all growth happens in boardrooms. Walmart’s “Associate to Driver” program offers frontline workers a pathway to higher-paying careers. American Express’ “Navigator” platform ensures structured career planning for all employees, not just corporate climbers. When development is made widely accessible, businesses reap the benefits of a more engaged and skilled workforce.

Real-world example: Plante Moran’s partner system

At Plante Moran, partners are held personally accountable for developing their team members. This early investment in career progression builds a culture where employees are nurtured from entry-level roles to leadership. The results speak for themselves: an engaged workforce less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Why psychological safety matters

People do their best work when they feel safe to take risks — that’s the magic of psychological safety. A culture where employees fear failure is a culture where they avoid challenges. Leaders who model vulnerability, encourage experimentation, and reward effort foster an environment where employees thrive.

The role of leaders to support growth

Middle managers are often stuck in no-man’s land — accountable to executives while simultaneously expected to support their teams. Gartner reports that 75% of HR leaders say middle managers are overwhelmed. 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 that neglect them risk weakened communication, disengagement, and leadership bottlenecks. On the contrary, companies that develop middle managers can transform them into crucial linchpins of organizational success.

Real-world examples: Target and Allianz

Target’s leadership program ensures that every employee has a strong manager. The company’s store director development program provides peer learning for over 2,000 store directors. Similarly, Allianz prioritizes leadership behaviors such as inclusive communication and effective feedback delivery, recognizing that managers shape employee retention and performance.

Real-world example: Trek Bicycle

Trek Bicycle integrates leadership accountability into management objectives. CEO John Burke mandates that every key manager has a Great Place To Work®–related goal in their OKRs. The result? A 24% increase in positive manager communication scores, improved transparency, and a culture where leaders take ownership of engagement and retention.

Common pitfalls in development strategies

Measuring time spent instead of outcomes: Managers should evaluate results, not just hours logged
Unclear career ladders: Employees must see a tangible pathway for advancement
Lack of development time: If training is squeezed into the margins of a busy schedule, it will never be a priority

Implementing an integrated approach

A successful employee development strategy demands more than sporadic training sessions. Organizations that excel at it follow these principles:

Align individual and company goals: Employees should see how their growth contributes to corporate success.
Standardize performance reviews: A consistent process eliminates ambiguity and bias.
Allocate resources for skill development: Investment in training yields measurable returns.
Encourage open communication: A culture of feedback improves engagement and performance.

Want to build a high-growth culture? Start today

카지노 커뮤니티 추천 that fail to prioritize employee development will find themselves hemorrhaging talent and losing their competitive edge. A strategic, well-integrated approach ensures that both employees and businesses prosper together.

To learn how Great Place To Work can help you build a culture of growth, get in touch today.

The Ultimate Guide to Performance Management: What It Is and How To Do It Right

2025-02-23T09:11:12-05:00

Think of performance management as a garden. Without regular care—watering, pruning, and guidance—growth stalls. But with the right attention, employees can flourish, contributing to a vibrant, thriving workplace.

Imagine taking a road trip without a GPS, maps, or even road signs. Sure, you might eventually reach your destination, but the journey would be inefficient, frustrating, and full of wrong turns.

This is exactly what happens when a workplace doesn’t have a clear performance management process.

Just as a GPS gives real-time updates, clear directions, and course corrections, performance management helps organizations and their people stay on track toward shared goals. Employees can grow and be more productive and, as a result, are more engaged.

When everyone is moving together with clear directions, it cultivates a more trusting and purpose-driven culture.

What is performance management, and why does it matter?

Performance management is a structured, continuous approach to helping employees understand where they’re going and how to get there. It includes three key components:

A clear destination (goals and expectations)
Regular checkpoints (feedback and coaching)
Tools to measure progress (evaluations and engagement surveys)

When these elements work together, they create a roadmap that keeps everyone moving in the right direction. For example, regular one-on-one meetings can serve as “recalculating” moments where managers can help employees adjust their course.

A well-organized performance management system can improve productivity and employee retention because employees know what’s expected of them. They understand their purpose and have the support they need to succeed.

The key dimensions of performance

Performance management is about more than employees getting everything on their to-do lists done.

While that’s certainly part of it, a performance management plan that only looks at the day-to-day and doesn’t consider the bigger picture — such as learning and development, personal goals, and growth opportunities — is unlikely to drive success.

Instead, performance management should take a holistic approach. Where do employees want to take their careers? What do they enjoy, and what do they struggle with? How do they view their role and purpose within the wider organization?

Consider these types of performance as you’re drafting your system:

Task performance: How well do employees fulfill their core responsibilities? (This is the daily to-do list.)
Development performance: How actively do employees pursue growth and learning? Are they acquiring new skills, seeking feedback, and making progress on career goals?
Collaborative performance: What contributions do employees make beyond their role? Do they exemplify teamwork? Do they step forward for new initiatives?
Adaptive performance: How well do employees respond to change and drive innovation?
Cultural performance: How well do employees embody and promote organizational values and behaviors?
Leadership performance: How effectively do employees influence and guide others? This could be by mentoring colleagues, leading projects, or serving as role models.

Most importantly, performance is more than just results (although those matter). A strong performance management system considers how behaviors impact results, not just a black-and-white bottom line.

How effective performance management drives workplace success

When workplaces get performance management right, the benefits ripple through every aspect of the business.

Improved employee engagement and trust

Employees are more engaged when they understand how their work matters. Regular conversations about goals and progress build trust between managers and workers, creating an environment where people feel valued and supported.

Increased efficiency and productivity

When expectations are well-defined, and employees receive regular guidance, they spend less time wondering if they’re on the right track — and more time doing their best work.

This clarity also helps teams work more efficiently since everyone understands their role in the bigger picture.

Enhanced retention and lower turnover rates

When employees see a clear path for growth and feel their contributions are recognized, they’re less likely to look for work elsewhere.

This reduced turnover not only saves on hiring costs but also helps preserve valuable institutional knowledge.

Better decision-making through actionable feedback

The feedback loop created by effective performance management leads to smarter decision-making at all levels.

Managers gain insights that help them allocate resources more effectively and spot potential issues before they become problems. Employees receive the information they need to adjust their approach and develop new skills.

Core principles of performance management

For your performance management process to be great, ensure it hits the following marks:

Clarity: Goals should be specific and measurable, connecting each person’s work to the company’s bigger picture.
Consistency: Have regular, structured ways to discuss progress and provide feedback.
Relevance: Ensure what you’re measuring is what actually matters. Every metric should have a clear “why” behind it.
Fairness: Performance standards should apply equally to everyone. Evaluations should be based on clear evidence, not personal bias.
Growth: Performance conversations should discuss development and improvement, not just evaluation.
Action: End with clear next steps. Every discussion should include “What’s next” and “How can we help you get there?”

Get more tips on how to master performance management.

How to implement a performance management strategy

Performance management is often seen only as a look-back system: How well did an employee perform, did they meet their targets, etc.

If results are successful, the employee is perhaps awarded a bonus or promotion. But if not, the employee is reprimanded, with little more than an order to do better next time.

But a better way to approach performance management is as a forward-thinking tool. What goals are you trying to achieve? Where do employees see their roles in six months? How can management and employees collaborate to make it happen?

This is where performance management serves as your GPS. You can’t get to where you want to be without knowing how to get there.

Here’s how to ensure your organization’s performance management is hitting all the stops along the way:

1. Set clear, measurable goals that align with business objectives

Clearly outline the expectations for each role in your organization. Identify the metrics that matter, whether that’s sales targets, customer satisfaction scores, or project completion rates.

Most importantly, show employees how their individual work connects to larger company goals — this creates meaning and purpose.

2. Develop a feedback culture

Encourage open communication between leaders and employees. Set up a clear pattern of communication that works for your team. Maybe that’s weekly check-ins to keep everyone aligned, or monthly discussions to work through challenges and celebrate wins.

3. Train your leaders

Teach managers how to have productive coaching conversations. Leadership effectiveness hinges on showing managers how to deliver feedback that actually drives improvement and how to set meaningful goals that stretch but don’t break their teams.

4. Integrate technology and tools

Create straightforward templates for feedback that guide discussion while leaving room for meaningful conversation. Use employee engagement surveys to track progress and gather data-based insights.

5. Focus on employee growth

There should be a clear connection between performance and opportunity. Show employees how improving their performance opens doors. Invest in training and development and career mapping.

6. Evaluate and iterate

Gather regular feedback from both managers and employees about their experience. Be ready to adjust and evolve your approach based on what you learn — no performance management system is perfect from day one.

Examples of performance management in action

There are some common themes among great workplaces when it comes to performance management.

For example, they offer transparency, clear expectations, and ongoing support. They share company goals and strategies openly with all employees, so everyone understands what needs to be achieved and how to achieve it.

Penn Mutual: Giving feedback in real-time

When financial services firm Penn Mutual realized its performance management cycle didn’t align with the company’s fast-paced business cycle, and that employees were unsure how their roles related to different areas of the business, the company knew a change was needed.

Teams shifted from annual reviews to continuous, real-time feedback that clearly connects business goals to the individual level. This made it easier for employees and leaders to assess what was working and identify any misalignments.

“The focus really needs to shift to empowerment, enablement, and people really bringing their best,” says Liz Heitner, chief human resources officer at Penn Mutual, in a conversation about performance management. “It’s not something that you can just say, ‘Oh, yay, we’ve arrived. Check the box. We’re done.’”

Wellstar: Creating clear career paths

All employees at Wellstar Health Systems have an active individual development plan, with tailored goals created in collaboration with their manager.

To help guide the process, Wellstar provides a library of goal examples, a three-step worksheet for setting goals, documentation to help leaders explain the goal-setting process, and goal-setting webinars.

This focus on personal goals helps Wellstar to maximize its internal talent pool, creating clear paths for employees to progress.

Texas Health Resources, Inc.: Prioritizing the why

At Texas Health, the why behind what they do is integrated into the performance management process — KPIs aren’t just arbitrary numbers to chase but a driving force.

Fraser Hay, president of Texas Health Plano, says: “We make sure we’re communicating, not just ‘Here’s the target on the wall. Go get it,’ but also why we have this target, why we’re very focused on it, why it’s important for us as a hospital and as a system, and why it would be important for us as consumers if we were coming to receive care here.”

The company also helps employees to understand their impact with things like a “Good to Great” wall — a status board showing a direct line between employee performance and the hospital’s KPIs. This visual helps employees see how their day-to-day work fits into the company’s performance and growth.

Box, Inc.: Focusing on values

Tech company Box puts its values front and center when it comes to performance management — not just evaluating employees on the “what” (results achieved), but also the “how” (whether employees are exemplifying company values).

As part of this, the company has designed training for managers and employees to hold a “Career Framework” conversation. In this conversation, both parties get to align on role expectations, set work for the year, and identify and discuss development opportunities.

At the end of each quarter, employees and managers discuss wins and learnings from the past quarter and begin preparing for the next quarter, again reinforcing the “what” (goals and targets) and the “how” (values).

Navy Federal Credit Union: Guiding two-way feedback

A good performance management process goes two ways. Not only should employees be assessed on their performance, but management should also be held to high standards.

Navy Federal Credit Union has a clear leadership model that defines expectations and behaviors for what great leadership looks like. The model is divided into three categories:

Do: Lead in the employee’s best interest with integrity by safeguarding trust, anticipating with empathy, and being proactive.
Learn: Elevate service through collaboration, curiosity, confident humility, and leveraging technical expertise.
Grow: Develop service-oriented employees by championing inclusion, coaching, challenging, and showing them care.

When it comes to employee performance reviews, the company has set out a “Do Well, Do Better, Do Next” framework to ensure it’s a two-way conversation between leaders and employees, that addresses where the employee is at, where they want to go, and how leadership can support them in getting there.

Challenges in performance management and how to overcome them

If you’ve ever had an unsupportive performance review, you know how scary the process can seem. It’s one of the main reasons workplaces may be resistant to a feedback loop — managers may feel uncomfortable giving it, and employees may struggle to receive it.

This could stem from past negative experiences or a workplace culture that hasn't valued open dialogue. The solution: Present feedback as a tool for growth rather than criticism. Train managers to have coaching conversations that focus on future improvement rather than past mistakes.

You may also run into challenges if goals aren’t aligned across teams and departments. Instead, create clear frameworks that guide how goals are set and measured throughout the whole organization.

Or sometimes, performance management efforts fall flat because they don’t connect to company values and culture. For instance, if your organization values innovation but your performance metrics only measure short-term results, you’re sending mixed messages.

The key to overcoming all these challenges is trust and transparency. Use employee surveys or focus groups to learn where your current system is falling short. Share these insights openly and involve your team in developing solutions.

Leadership’s role in driving performance management

Leaders set the tone for how performance management is perceived and practiced throughout the organization. Their daily actions determine whether it becomes a valuable tool for growth or just another box to check.

Here are some ways that great leaders help employees and create a strong performance culture:

They demonstrate vulnerability by openly sharing their own development goals and asking for feedback on their leadership style.
They make time for meaningful conversations about performance, going beyond surface-level praise or criticism to explore root causes and solutions.
They create psychological safety by responding to mistakes with curiosity rather than judgment.
They celebrate progress and small wins — not just results.
They remove obstacles by asking, “What do you need to succeed?” and then following through with support and resources.

Measuring the impact of performance management

Here’s how to track whether your performance management efforts are making a difference:

Track the employee experience with an employee engagement survey tool. Look for improved scores around clarity of expectations, quality of feedback, and career development opportunities.
Monitor productivity metrics such as sales figures, customer satisfaction scores, and project completion rates. Effective performance management should drive these numbers up.
Watch for turnover, particularly among high performers. People stay longer when they see opportunities for growth and feel valued.

This information can give you insights that your organization can then use to refine your process. It can also help leaders to become more accountable for their team culture.

For example, Wellstar used the Great Place To Work® Trust Index™ Survey to help leaders make informed, data-driven decisions about how to best support their teams.

Each month, the company studied one of the five focus areas from the Trust Index and considered real-world examples of how to apply this new knowledge within the departments’ and leaders’ day-to-day work.

As a result, 73% of Wellstar’s leaders either increased or maintained high trust scores, with an average increase of 21 points.

Creating a high-performance workplace through effective management

When organizations get performance management right — with clear goals, regular feedback, and genuine support for employee growth — they create workplaces where people want to stay and do their best work.

Want to measure the impact of your performance management efforts? Great Place To Work’s employee survey solution provides data-driven insights about your company culture, measuring factors like trust, pride, and leadership effectiveness — so you can create a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Get your employee engagement software

5 Ways to Make Mentorship Programs Successful in 2025

2025-02-19T07:01:40-05:00

Programs most likely to succeed this year will have open membership and focus on breaking down silos within the organization.

Mentorship programs can be powerful instruments for developing career paths for employees and producing the future leaders your organization needs to succeed.

Research shows that employees with mentors have higher levels of job satisfaction and overall engagement. They also have higher levels of well-being and are more likely to want to stay with their company.

Great workplaces use mentorship programs to ensure fairness and opportunity for all employees.

Here’s a look at some of the practices making a difference at companies that made the Fortune 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For® List in 2024:

1. Ensure anyone, regardless of role, can be a mentor or mentee

Great workplaces don’t put limits on the experience of any employee.

Marriott International shows us that the most important mentors in your organization might not come from traditional leadership roles.

Maggie Klein, content manager for Marriott’s global leadership team, shared how a team member from housekeeping taught her the importance of prioritizing and organizing tasks, a lesson that has followed her through her career.

“카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 inclination sometimes is to put a perfect leader in a box,” she shared at the For All Summit™ in 2024. “They all have the same background. They come from consulting. They come from a college.”

By opening up opportunities for anyone to be a mentor or a mentee, the experience of all employees is enriched.

Learn more about the strategies creating the Fortune 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For at the For All Summit in Las Vegas April 8-10.

2. Set a specific time limit for mentorship activities

One way to make mentorship programs more accessible to a wider range of your workforce is to put a specific time limit on the program. Clear expectations for mentors and for mentees are essential to ensure the program is effective and efficient.

At Nationwide, mentors and mentees connect for three one-on-one conversations to be held within a 90-day period on a topic that is of interest to both participants. Rather than launching cohorts, the program is ongoing with new mentors and mentees able to sign up at any time. Since its launch in July 2022, nearly 5,700 associates have participated.

3. Tap your mentor network during the onboarding process

If you’re investing resources in developing mentorship skills, take advantage of your best mentors during the onboarding process.

At Camden Property Trust, 141 employees have passed an application and selection process to become mentors and receive a two-day training course to improve their mentorship skills.

Top-rated mentors are responsible for teaching newly promoted and newly hired employees about Camden’s values and culture. To help build cross-team networks, Camden pairs people with mentors from other departments, allowing mentees to learn how others in the organization operate.

4. Support mentors with AI-powered tools and resources

Technology is increasingly playing a role in connecting mentors and mentees at scale.

AI-powered tools like MentorcliQ are used by Hilton to pair team members with an appropriate mentor in the organization. At Salesforce, an app called MentorFinder uses AI to match mentors and mentees based on skills and interests. The results of technology-enabled networking are clear: Of the over 2,500 employees to use MentorFinder at Salesforce, 95% of mentors and 100% of mentees felt mentoring was a good use of their time.

5. Partner with employee resource groups to extract the maximum benefit

In great companies, employee resource groups (ERGs) can partner with the HR function to drive talent development. For companies with resource groups around shared interests or business units, there is a natural synergy between ERG programming and a mentorship circle.

At NVIDIA, the learning and development team launched the companywide “Stride Mentoring Program,” which provides participants with five months of personalized mentorship. The program intentionally pairs employees with resource group affiliations where possible and within business units to best meet the specific career needs of mentees.

To encourage peer-to-peer learning, NVIDIA is also piloting mentorship circles, which allow group mentorship with one mentor and between five and seven mentees.

Employee Training and Development: The Benefits of Upskilling or Reskilling Your Team

2025-02-14T18:32:52-05:00

Employee training and development isn’t just about teaching employees to do their jobs. It’s about showing employees they are valued and that upward movement in the organization is possible. When employees don’t see opportunity, they don’t bring their best selves to work.

“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to fish and you feed them for a lifetime.”

It’s a proverb we all know — so common it’s become cliché. But clichés come from truth. Amid the busyness of running a business, it’s easy to forget the importance of training and development in creating a thriving workplace.

How often have you said, “I’ll do it myself” because teaching someone else seemed too time-consuming? But how often are you also frustrated the next time that same task comes around, and you still have to do it yourself?

Of course, employee training isn’t just about delegating or making things easier for management. A solid and unique training and development program can give employees a sense of ownership in their role and a future vision with the organization.

And when companies don’t invest in learning and development and create paths for growth (beyond pay bumps), employees will start looking for jobs elsewhere.

In fact, in a 2021 Pew Research Study, 63% of respondents said having no opportunities for advancement is what pushed them out the door. Lack of growth opportunities was the top reason for leaving — above pay, benefits, and workplace flexibility.

A recent Great Place to Work® LinkedIn poll also shed light on the critical importance of training and developing employees for retention. According to the poll, 43% of people called out a lack of growth opportunities as the top reason they quit their last job.

63% of employees cite no opportunities for advancement as the top reason they quit.

“Employees view it as a way of support,” says Julian Lute, senior manager and strategic advisor at Great Place To Work. “You’re assisting them in doing their jobs. But if you go one level deeper, you’re also supporting this very human need for growth. When people don’t see themselves growing, you don’t get the best out of them.”

What is an employee training and development program?

An employee training and development program is a series of educational activities designed to improve employees’ knowledge and skills.

The most obvious type of employee training is technical training — teaching them their job duties, the company’s processes and systems, and the organization’s overarching mission and mandate. But training can also cover soft skills such as people management or upskilling beyond an employee’s current role to prepare them for a promotion.

Training and development opportunities can take many different forms, such as group workshops, one-on-one sessions, formal education (such as college or university), job shadowing, mentorship, seminars, or job sharing.

The key benefits of employee training and development

Employee training and development programs aren’t just a “nice-to-have” — they are a strategic necessity. And the benefits go two ways: The employee feels more valued and better skilled, and the employer sees increased productivity and innovation.

The benefits of training and development for employees

A good training program not only enables employees to learn and practice skills to support them in their current role — it also gives them a stepping stone into new opportunities.

The best results come when training aligns personal growth with professional goals. Where do your employees want to be in a few years? What skills do they want to learn? What areas of the business interest them the most?

Making that connection is when the magic happens:

Improved job performance — Employees become more effective and efficient at their tasks, leading to better business results
Increased job satisfaction — Employees feel valued and supported, boosting morale
Opportunities for advancement — Employees are prepared for new responsibilities and internal promotions, creating a clear career path

The benefits of training and development for organizations

Employees aren’t the only ones who benefit from training programs. By offering development opportunities, companies can build a workforce that is more efficient, more motivated, and better equipped to bring forward new ideas.

Organizations that prioritize learning see tangible benefits, such as:

Increased innovation and adaptability — Teams stay competitive by learning new technologies and methodologies
Higher retention — Employees are less likely to leave when they see growth opportunities
Reduced hiring costs — Developing internal talent is more cost-effective than external recruitment
Strengthened employer branding — 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 that show they have robust training programs attract top talent

On the other hand, not offering employee training and development can have a serious impact on your bottom line. Research by McKinsey & Company found that lack of skills and inefficiency could cost a median-size S&P 500 company roughly $163 million per year.

The 4 approaches to employee development

While the types of employee training and development programs can be as varied as your employees themselves, all training plans will typically fall into one of four categories:

Formal education — The formal training and practical requirements for a given role, such as a specific degree, licence, or certification
Assessment — The employee performance reviews, one-on-ones, and any other efforts used to measure strengths and weaknesses and find ways for employees to improve
Job experience — The day-to-day, hands-on learning employees do as they master their roles, take on new challenges, and grow within the organization
Interpersonal relationships — The coaching, mentorships, and any soft skills or interpersonal training employees may complete, such as customer service training, resilience training, mental health education, or conflict resolution training

Why it’s important to train and develop your employees

Employee training and development is important for ensuring that staff are prepared for their role; that they feel supported, valued, and capable; and that they have upward movement. Training and development can have a direct impact on employee engagement and retention and should be an integral part of your talent management strategy.

Engaged employees want to grow, and they want to be challenged. They aren’t looking to simply work at a job; they are looking to further their careers.

Learning and development are at the core of Panda Restaurant Group’s employer value proposition (EVP). On Panda’s careers website, learning and development is front and center.

Founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng are deeply committed to being the world leader in people development, providing growth opportunities for associates professionally and personally at every level.

Panda’s commitment to opportunities for advancement is strongly linked to their employees’ intent to stay. When asked what makes the company a great place to work, employees at Panda frequently mentioned the words “growth,” “grow,” and “development.”

“Compared to other companies I have worked with, Panda truly exemplifies what it means to care about people. I feel like my team always has my growth and development in mind and challenges me to be better. They offer so many resources to develop myself personally and professionally. I really feel like part of the Panda family and look forward to staying for many more years. It really is a great place to work.”

— Employee at Panda Restaurant Group

Employee training and development is both present- and future-focused. Employee learning programs support your people in meeting the challenges of the business today and create a pipeline of leaders to meet the societal and technological challenges of tomorrow.

Julian says employee training also ensures people feel valued and that their employer sees them playing a role in the long term. This feeds into the overall company culture. In fact, in our survey of employees at the 2023 Fortune 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For®, 87% said they often or always feel like they are offered training and resources to develop professionally.

“This is the way that people feel valued in the business,” Julian explains. “If you’re training me, you’re telling me that you want me to be prepared for the future of the organization.”

The difference between training and development

While employee training and development are commonly lumped together, and both serve a critical role in the employee experience, there is an important distinction between the two.

Training is job-specific. It is ensuring an employee has the correct tools and learns the correct skills to complete their tasks. It is immediate and measured in short-term results.
Development is about employee growth. It is long-term and more behavioral-focused.

“Development is much more of a conversation than training,” says Julian. “Where do you want to grow? How do we need you to grow? It requires a bit more vulnerability. Training assumes you have a skill gap or knowledge gap, whereas with development, you must be willing to lean into it to fully realize the benefits.”

For example, Mastercard has a company philosophy of “Owning Your Career” with ongoing conversations between employees and their managers about career development opportunities. Objectives are set, goals are agreed upon, and there are dedicated discussions about career growth and progression.

Similarly, American Express has a career and development plan template for employees to map out their career journey, thinking through where they’ve been, how they want to grow, and what sort of support they might need along the way.

Both employers demonstrate how employee development is a two-way conversation, not a one-way, top-down instruction. This kind of approach to employee development can have a huge impact on employee engagement, especially among younger demographics.

Development is a two-way conversation, not a one-way, top-down instruction.

At Panda Restaurant Group, for example, retention among millennial employees is particularly high, thanks in part to its mentorship approach and its “University of Panda” program, which helps employees earn certifications and continue their career growth outside of the workplace.

Job seekers go where they can grow

Given the basic human desire for growth that Julian mentioned, companies that are seeking top talent would be wise to promote their training and development efforts. Featuring opportunities for growth and development as major benefits in its EVP demonstrates an employer’s commitment.

Use your career site to highlight your company’s opportunities for professional growth and development — whether it be challenging work assignments, a strong investment in training and development programs, frequent opportunities to work closely with senior leaders, or a commitment to promoting from within.

“Even if you don’t know where people want to be in their life or what’s important to them, I guarantee you there is something at the end of the rainbow for them,” says Julian. “And training and development is the way that people feel valued.”

Tech company Bitwise Inc., for example, is attracting a wider pool of candidates by removing degree requirements from the recruitment process. Instead, the company offers training to promising new talent who wants to break into the industry but might otherwise be overlooked.

Delta Air Lines is proactive about attracting aspiring pilots through its “Propel Pilot Career Path Program.” Students complete certified flight instructor training and can then work up to becoming a first officer at a Delta Connection carrier. As of 2025, 171 participants now fly for Delta, with 870 aspiring pilots currently enrolled.

Developing by building an internal talent marketplace

Some organizations are helping employees advance with an internal talent marketplace. An internal talent marketplace is a platform or system within an organization that facilitates identifying, developing, and retaining top talent by providing employees with opportunities for growth and career advancement.

This marketplace enables employees to explore different roles, projects, or positions within the company, promoting internal mobility, skill development, and cross-functional collaboration.

For example, energy management company Schneider Electric has developed its own “Open Talent Market,” used by Schneider employees to plan their careers, seek out new opportunities within the organization, and develop their skills.

By creating an internal talent marketplace, organizations can better retain talent, improve employee satisfaction, and enhance their overall agility while reducing the need for external hiring.

Examples of unique employee training and development programs

Employee training and development programs at the Best Workplaces™ go beyond the day-to-day of employees’ jobs — they feature everything from professional development courses for future promotions, to emotional intelligence training, to wellness workshops.

For example, the benefits team at Panda offers a monthly series of educational webinars covering topics such as healthy habits, nutrition, sleep, finance, and self-care. They also work directly with regional and department leaders to curate programs specific to their teams and provide free wellness coaches to teams in need.

At The Cheesecake Factory, managers are trained in de-escalating emotionally charged situations and given tools for understanding how to connect with others and find commonality amid diversity. The organization also provides resources to support employee mental health, addressing the importance of training and development for both personal and professional well-being.

Similarly, industrial services distributor Grainger has a mandatory e-learning course on unconscious bias. The one-hour course outlines what unconscious bias is, explores how it may emerge in day-to-day work, and offers effective behaviors for managing it.

The Best Workplaces also offer training programs that are ongoing, beginning on an employee’s first day and carrying through their entire life cycle with the company. They know that training applies to all levels of staff, from frontline workers to the C-suite, with a focus on forward momentum for all.

At HubSpot, for example, learning and development starts on day one, with a robust orientation and onboarding experience. No matter the role, team, or level, all new hires undergo one week of new employee training together to learn about HubSpot’s culture, missions, values, and operating model. The company also offers a global mentorship program to help employees of every tenure reach their full potential.

Consulting firm Plante Moran has another unique approach to staff development, with partners directly accountable for guiding and mentoring their team members. The aim is personalized coaching that ensures each staff member’s career development is tailored to their individual needs. It also creates a legacy of leaders training the next generation of leaders.

Some workplaces offer special events focused on training and development, such as Intuit Inc.’s “Career Growth Sprint.” This biannual virtual event features keynotes and workshops covering topics such as goal setting, time management, and communication.

Grocer and manufacturer Publix hosts career fairs for its associates to learn what opportunities are available at the company. Employees also have access to tuition reimbursement and funding for GED testing, and pharmacy associates are eligible for financial support to attend pharmacy school. The company also offers specialist training programs for drivers and technicians.

5 steps to building a successful training plan

For an employee training and development plan to be successful, you need to ensure it’s focused on the right things, suitable to the audience, and measurable. And you need to be willing to revise as needed, based on both results and stakeholder feedback.

Here are five steps to ensure you roll out an employee training and development plan efficiently and successfully.

1. Assess what’s needed

Before any plan takes shape, assess what is needed — both by the organization and by the employee. This applies to both company-wide training and personal development plans. Which areas should you focus on? What is the organizational strategy and how does this fit into an employee’s own role and personal goals?

“You really have to incorporate it into the workflow,” says Julian. “Ascertain what people need and directly deliver to that.”

For example, your company could be rolling out a new software program that’s going to change how your sales team tracks leads. It will be a critical change for the business and the initial plan may be to train only those who will use the new program day-to-day. What about the employees whose personal goal is to join the sales team? Learning such a program could help them make that move.

“Get feedback using employee surveys,” says Julian. “People will tell you what they need help with or training on. Sometimes leaders think that because we got this new thing, or because some consultant tells you, ‘You need this, it’ll make you more efficient.’ Start with what you know employees need and what they’re telling you they need.”

2. Set clear objectives

What do the organization and the employee each hope to gain? It could be something job-specific like learning a new program or process, or something more behavioral-based like emotional intelligence training. Determine what you hope to achieve and how you’ll measure success.

It’s also important that employees understand the objectives just as well as management does, and why a particular training or development plan is important. This is especially the case when it’s long-term, behavioral-based programs like leadership training.

“Employee training is most effective when leaders are demonstrative,” says Julian. “When communicating new learning programs, talk about it through the lens of company values. For example, ‘We’re doing this in service of our customers and that’s one of our values.’ … Be very clear about what this is supposed to change. Help people understand the impact and why you’re training people.”

3. Design and develop

Once needs and objectives are set, it’s time to create a program or plan that considers the following:

What content or materials are needed?
How will the training be delivered?
Who will lead the training?
How often will training sessions take place?
Where will the training happen?
For group trainings, what size will the groups be?
What are the participants’ learning styles?

Julian recommends that participants be given the chance to talk through the training, to understand what fits and wrestle with problems, rather than running passive sessions where the trainer talks and participants sit and listen.

He also notes that bite-sized lessons and trickling the training down from large groups to small groups to the individual level, like a waterfall, tends to work best.

Trickling the training down from large groups to small groups to the individual level, like a waterfall, tends to work best.

“I would not expect to put people in a room for 90 minutes at one time and expect they get all the information they need,” he says. “A big group is a way to get people on the same page. Then move people into smaller groups so that they can really engage with the learning content. A group of eight or fewer is ideal for getting more granular. And then find ways for people to individually test their knowledge.”

4. Implement

Once the training plan is developed, it’s time to roll it out — strategically. A pilot program with a small group of employees can help you refine a plan and ensure it’s hitting all the right notes, both for the organization’s objectives and employees’ expectations.

“Don’t try to boil the ocean,” warns Julian. “Figure out who the test people are and pilot this with a small group of people. Take feedback. Make sure it’s really aligned with the business needs.”

Only after you’ve piloted the program and adjusted as needed is it ready to roll out to the wider organization.

5. Evaluate and revise

Finally, don’t file the training plan away once it’s completed. Solicit feedback from both employees and managers using employee surveys to identify both successes and weaknesses. Use the measurements you set early on to check whether the training achieved its objectives.

Providing employee training and development opportunities can enhance job satisfaction, boost productivity, and improve employee retention. Equipping employees with new skills and knowledge increases their potential for advancement within the company. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

How the 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 Are Training Their Workforce for AI

2025-01-31T07:01:29-05:00

Here’s how to ensure all employees have an opportunity to learn the latest technology and help co-create your AI future.

Are your workers ready for the generative AI revolution?

Data from LinkedIn shows that four in five U.S. employees want more training on artificial intelligence tools, but only 38% of U.S. executives are currently helping employees become more AI-literate. And, more CEOs report investing in the technology (57%) than developing their workforce’s skills and capabilities (43%).

That’s a mistake, according to companies on the 2024 Fortune 100 Best 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 to Work For® List.

“As the No. 1 World’s Best Workplace, it’s important to introduce and embrace new technology that offers significant benefits to how we work,” says Michael Leidinger, chief information officer at Hilton.

As the technology promises to remake workflows, companies that remain committed to their people are poised to have the most success.

“I’m focused on the future, and without question, the future of work is fueled by generative AI,” says Michael C. Bush, CEO at Great Place To Work®. “Purpose-driven companies will ensure that AI is used to solve the complex problems that come from assuring all stakeholders thrive in this new machine-architected capitalism.”

All employees should innovate

Great Place To Work research has found that companies where more employees participate in innovation more quickly adapt to changing market conditions. For companies where higher numbers of employees report innovation and inclusion, median year-over-year revenue growth is more than five times higher than companies in the bottom quartile for connecting employees to innovation.

When it comes to AI, that means ensuring that all employees who want to participate have an opportunity to explore and learn.

“If AI is being explored only in your technology organization, the effort will fail,” Sathish Muthukrishnan, chief information, data, and digital officer at Ally Financial, told employees. “Because AI is a game-changing technology, the entire enterprise should understand it and be involved in the journey.”

Here’s how companies on this year’s 100 Best list are enlisting employees to help co-create an AI future:

1. Build cross-functional teams to explore AI opportunities

At Trek Bicycle, the exploration of AI started with its “Advanced Technologies” team, but it launched a company-wide investigation to determine how AI could improve workflows and processes.

The team was convinced that everyone, no matter their position, deserved an equitable opportunity to harness the benefits of AI to make their jobs and lives more enjoyable. The Advanced Technologies team spent several months interviewing every department about how AI might improve their work environment, and employees at all levels of the business were asked to contribute feedback.

From these interviews, the team presented Trek’s senior managers with a list of nearly 40 concrete use-cases for AI. Each project prioritizes current Trek employees’ well-being and is being developed with input from each department.

카지노 커뮤니티 추천 like Crowe have created a space for employees to share their concerns or questions around AI.

“For many people, we realize that the proliferation of AI in the workplace can be scary, raising questions about the pace of learning, tooling applications, and skills expectations,” says Loretta Cambron, Crowe’s technology relations and advocacy leader. “We offer a robust and evolving AI upskilling program, which supports the way adults learn.”

Employees start with a course outlining the basics of generative AI, including learning about ethics and risks. They’re then invited to join Crowe’s “AI Guild,” where they can learn together in real time.

Crowe offers more than 10 guilds — groups that address various strategic business and technology capabilities. “These communities are spaces for casual collaboration, networking, and experiential exposure across business units, for any employee regardless of role or prior experience,” she says.

Rocket 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 ensures that any employee can submit an idea for how AI can improve its products and services. With the company’s forum “ChatRKT” — a bit of wordplay based on its stock symbol — any team member can submit project ideas that could use generative AI. Team members can also see what AI ideas are already being developed or are available currently. 

2. Focus on building trust with employees

Research shows that a global trust crisis threatens to keep companies from taking advantage of technology like AI.

“Trust tells workers their employer will use AI in a way that will make their workplace experience better and more equitable,” says Bush. “Consumers will look to see where people work to decide if they can trust their favorite brands. You can trust how a company uses AI if you know their employees trust them.”

At the 100 Best, 83% of employees say people quickly adapt to change at their organization, compared to just 61% at typical U.S. workplaces. How are 100 Best companies building this high level of trust?

Adobe is committed to developing generative AI responsibly, with creators at the center. Across Adobe’s businesses, generative AI tools seek to enhance, not replace, human imagination and artistry, giving creators every advantage to realize their potential. An AI ethics committee and review board oversees the company’s AI exploration, with members of the board representing a diverse set of life experiences and professional backgrounds.

Adobe says its employees are “customer zero” and therefore play a crucial role in beta testing and providing feedback on new technology, such as Adobe’s new generative AI application Firefly, and it’s Firefly-powered features in products like Photoshop and Illustrator. Since its first Firefly beta in March 2023, Adobe has seen a surge of employee engagement in product beta testing, with thousands of employees participating in 30+ betas over the last year.

Adobe also created “AI@Adobe,” a cross-functional working group to promote, govern, and support employee efforts to implement generative AI into workflows, educate on the complex issues around generative AI, and help teams learn from each other.

By co-creating with employees, Adobe is on the cutting edge of generative AI advances to revolutionize a new era of workplace productivity, ideation, automation, and connectivity.

3. Build dedicated AI learning modules

For companies with learning and development programs, AI has quickly become a focus.

KPMG is investing in AI training for employees with its GenAI 101 program, enhancing workforce capabilities in AI applications. Learners who take the program are introduced to key AI terminology and learn about how AI can be implemented in the workplace, the risks and ethics around AI use, the mechanics of effective AI prompts, and more. Employees are also required to take a “Trusted AI” training program.

At Ally Financial, quarterly “AI Days” offer an opportunity for employees to hear from expert speakers and observe live demos of AI tools and their capabilities. More broadly, an AI Community offers an opportunity for teammates looking to expand their careers, build skills and their confidence using the tools. Learning from peers is encouraged with monthly gatherings for interested employees to participate in office hours with data science experts within the company.

To engage employees to learn, PwC makes AI training for employees engaging through 'PowerUp,' a gamified curriculum that boosts AI literacy across the workforce. With a live trivia game called “PowerUp,” employees can participate in quizzes on firm strategy and other content from PwC’s AI curriculum, earning prizes and creating a reason for employees to come together and connect. Since its launch, PowerUp has more than 9,000 participants in each monthly game across the U.S. and Mexico.

Getting employees ready for AI doesn’t mean you should only focus on the specifics of the technology. 카지노 커뮤니티 추천 like Marriott International see that general digital literacy is a crucial foundation for the future of work, and has made learning and development programs a key part of efforts to engage its frontline associates.

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The Wonderful Company’s Stephen Howe on Creating a Great Place to Live and Work

2025-01-07T04:00:32-05:00

We dive into how The Wonderful Company, one of the Fortune 100 Best Workplaces to Work For®, has transformed the rural community of Lost Hills, California, into a thriving place to work and live on this episode of the Better podcast.

Stephen Howe, EVP of human resources and chief financial officer, discusses how the company is making a positive impact on employees' lives and their communities through innovative programs and a commitment to sustainability. This includes providing free healthcare, healthy meals, and making significant investments in community infrastructure.

On supporting employee wellness:

Through all of our extensive wellness efforts since 2015, we have decreased pre-diabetes amongst our employee population by more than 50%. We've got more work to do, but it’s had a major transformative impact:

카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 chief medical officer, Dr. Larry Wolk, oversees five wellness clinics in each of the areas in the Central Valley where we have major operations, and a mobile health clinic to cover areas where we don't have a high concentration of people.
We staff bilingual doctors and nurses who provide primary healthcare, mental health support, and other wellness services to our employees and their families, and we don’t charge them for those services.
We have healthy onsite cafeterias in each of our major locations and provide healthy subsidized meals for our staff when they're at work. We also offer healthy meal kits that they can take home. We have fruit and vegetable stands for our employees as well because some parts of the Central Valley are food deserts, and that allows them to buy fresh fruits and vegetables that are subsidized so they can take them home and share with their family,
Each of our major locations has onsite gyms so people can work out before work, during a break, or after work.

[Learn to support your entire workforce at the For All Summit™ April 8-10 in Las Vegas. Better listeners save $200!]

On the turnaround story of Lost Hills, California:

This effort was really the brainchild of our co-owner, Lynda Resnick, and she wanted to find a way to meaningfully give back, given all the success that she has had, and she decided to start with Lost Hills because over 50% of households have a Wonderful employee, and she recognized that this was a town that really was lost.

Nobody cared about Lost Hills. It was a working class, largely Spanish-speaking, dusty, small, rural town. It was rundown, but it was filled with amazing people who just needed to be given a chance and an opportunity, and Lynda wanted to help. She started by listening. She didn't go in and say, "Hey, I've got all the answers."

And that's where our research team came in, led by one of our key executives, Amy Snow. They got involved and together with Lynda, they interviewed the residents to understand what they needed, what they wanted, and what the problems were. And over the past decade, through many people's hard work, and Lynda's leadership, we have transformed that town. If you went and saw it today versus 10 years ago, it looks very different. We've invested over $90 million into Lost Hills.

On making work meaningful for hourly workers:

We have a program called WOW, our Wonderful Way of Work, and the idea is to give all employees, especially frontline employees, training and tools to solve the problems that they see and encounter at work. Senior executives like me, we only see some of the problems a company faces. They tend to be big ones. They may be cross-cutting ones across multiple groups, but we don't really see any problems within a team where candidly, most of the value is being added.

What this does is it allows everyone to solve the problems that they find at work, and it allows us a standard way to do that and to communicate that across the company.

So we have a WOW Global Competition where all the WOW teams throughout the globe get together, and we pick the best couple of projects. Last time, we gave them a trip to Hawaii. A team from the Central Valley won, and a team from Mexico won, and they then went to Hawaii and had a great time.

A second area that gives a sense of meaning for employees is our Wonderful Giving program. As part of our place-based giving approach, Lynda and Stuart Resnick grant every full-time Wonderful employee up to $1,000 to give to a nonprofit of their choice, and they'll match an additional $1,000 if someone wants to give their own money.

On the importance of listening:

One of the things I think I've been working on in my career is focusing on listening. I'll listen to WOW presentations once a month and I'll spend an hour or so with my teams listening to their finished WOW presentations.

But if it's even better if you can just have the other person do it, and you can watch and cheer them on. If you do that successfully, you'll find that people over time will take more initiative and they'll do more on their own, and that's the way you want it as a leader.

Penn Mutual's Liz Heitner on Effective Performance Management

2024-12-02T04:00:46-05:00

According to Gallup, only 2% of CHROs strongly agree that their performance management system inspires employees.

In this episode of Better from Great Place To Work, we delve into the intricacies of performance reviews and goal setting with Liz Heitner, chief human resources officer at Penn Mutual.

She shared how Penn Mutual has transformed its approach, resulting in a dynamic performance success program. They've shifting from annual reviews to continuous, real-time feedback that's connected to business goals. Leaders are aligned and employees are actively involved in the process.

She also encourages the use of AI tools like ChatGPT to boost productivity and innovation, while upholding ethical guidelines and transparency.

On why performance management often doesn’t work well:

One thing some programs get wrong is this focus on a bell curve that's predicated on the fact that you have low performance, that you’re hiring people that do not fit and will not be successful. That's actually a very small percentage of most populations of most organizations. The focus really needs to shift to empowerment, enablement, and people really bringing their best. It's not something that you can just say, "Oh, yay, we've arrived. Check the box. We're done."

This is how contemporary leaders, operating in these remote, high-performing organizations need to focus their time and energy. This is the J-O-B so to speak.

A lot of these performance management programs are a check-the-box compliance exercise, a tool for delivering merit and bonus — and not thought of as the fiber of how we work and accomplish results as a company.

On how Penn Mutual made changes:

We took a test and learn approach.

Step one was goal setting, and we did a lot of training and development to support this effort. People said, "I'm not really sure how my role relates to these areas of the business. I'm really only focused on this area." And so having those integrated conversations with leadership to ensure the goals made sense down to the individual level and cascaded down was huge. And you’ll learn what people shouldn't work on. “What are the things that we no longer are going to work on that don't align with the priorities?”

We also moved our performance calendar to align with our business cycle. And rather than it being an annual event — performance management, success, or feedback — it happens in real time and we’re normalizing that for employees.

And we looked at the alignment of rewards. If you get your performance review and your rating in June, you might ask, "How does that connect with my bonus that I get in the following February?" So again, making sure that we lined up performance elements and the reward cycle in the right place was something we got a lot of credibility around.

[Learn to support your entire workforce at the For All Summit™ April 8-10 in Las Vegas. Better listeners save $200!]

On the importance of aligning leaders:

You need to get everybody focused, committed, and on the same page around what you’re trying to accomplish with your performance management system. That has been a continued focus of our leadership development and training.

At our leadership summit for the top 150-200 leaders, we made sure that we're aligned and committed to the results and priorities as a company. That was a very impactful cultural catalyst, if you will.

On professional development programs:

Organizations need to spend some time reflecting on, "What are the skills, what are the capabilities, what are the competencies that we really need to be successful?" Not today, because today's baked, but five years from now, and, "How do we really chart that course?" That’s all aligned to your business goals. I would get aligned around those goals before you develop and deliver any learning and development activities. That’s so critical.

The other piece of this is thinking about how those programs will be received by employees. If the content is not engaging or relevant, and people don't understand the “why,” it leads to low participation and retention.

Make sure you engage your employees in the design process and explain to them why you're focused on the things you're focused on.

On expanding tuition reimbursement programs:

I think everyone is aware that degreed programs are less and less relevant to equipping current talent in the workforce with the skills they need for the future. We've heard the sound bites around the shrinking half-life of a skill, and it's interesting. There's so much to be gained by degreed programs, but there's so much value we can get out of certifications and courses so we shifted tuition reimbursement program to open it up for employees so they can build skills in the areas where they see fit, where they think they're going to get value.

On setting internal AI guidelines:

If your company doesn’t have an acceptable use policy that addresses AI – whatever your stance is – that is the first place you want to start. Get on the same page from a policy standpoint around what is acceptable and what isn’t within your environment.

We're taking a thoughtful look around the benefits and risks these tools can bring to our employees, policyholders, financial professionals and other stakeholders. Where I think we landed is that this technology has incredibly impactful possibilities for productivity. The toothpaste is out of the tube. It is not going away.

Also recognize that this technology is not something that we, as an employer, are procuring and providing, it's readily available on everyone's cellphones.

CarMax’s Diane Cafritz on Empowering Hourly Workers

2024-11-19T04:00:03-05:00

"Recognition is such a powerful way to make people feel valued."

Hourly workers often miss out on meaningful work, mental health support, and training opportunities compared to salaried employees at typical workplaces. At CarMax, where most employees are hourly, Diane Cafritz, EVP, chief innovation and people officer, explains how they bridge those gaps.

Listen to this episode of the Better podcast to learn how CarMax boosts engagement by supporting its frontline workers, and get practical tips for empowering hourly employees at your organization.

On creating a sense of meaning and purpose for hourly workers:

You might not intuitively think that working at a used car dealership will give you purpose and meaning, so we know that we have to be intentional about providing that for our associates.

Everything we do is based on our four values — do the right thing, put people first, win together and go for greatness. And we weave those values into every program and all our communication so our associates know that we walk our talk.

카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 vision is to ensure an iconic experience for everyone everywhere. An iconic experience is going above and beyond, and the great thing about trying to achieve an iconic experience is everybody can contribute. So we link our associates’ work through their business objectives, through our recognition programs, and how they are contributing to an iconic experience for our customers. We celebrate when they go above and beyond for customers or associates.

We have quarterly communications meetings at all of our stores, and in those meetings, we recognize above and beyond iconic experiences. Recognition is such a powerful way to make people feel valued.

On the connection between customer service scores and employee engagement:

We ask our customers about their satisfaction with the associates they worked with. And whatever that score is so to speak, the NPS score for associate satisfaction, we bring that back to the associate and we celebrate their wins and help them improve when they are not meeting the expectations of our customers.

And it's just this lovely cycle. If we only worked on the things that were opportunities for them, meaning when they didn't meet the customer's needs, then it would be somewhat of a beat down, to be perfectly honest. So, we really focus on what you’re doing well and work on continuing those strengths.

When people are getting recognition and that one-on-one manager conversation about their performance, we think that they're more engaged because they feel more valued. And more engaged associates overall provide a much better experience for our customers.

[Learn to support your entire workforce at the For All Summit™ April 8-10 in Las Vegas. Better listeners save $200!]

On well-being support for hourly workers:

We dedicate a whole month to mental health, and one of the things we do is we take leaders who have struggled with alcoholism or depression or anxiety, and we have them tell their stories, and we videotape them. These are leaders, these are vice presidents of the company, these are people who you wouldn't necessarily assume had mental health struggles.

We showcase them in ways that they’re comfortable telling their story. They talk about how they were supported by friends, family, the company, and their colleagues. That has been wildly successful and incredibly important.

We also provide access to Headspace for all our associates and their family. And we’re piloting a program called Empathy, which is a virtual-based app that helps you go through grief. What we wanted to do was say, what's the common incredibly stressful event in people's lives and what can we do? And we believe that’s if you have a loss in your life.

Financial well-being is very critical to health, and we have tried to make it more accessible and more affordable. Those are the two things, particularly that our hourly workers tell us when we survey them: affordability and accessibility. And so for both, for instance, we have done every sort of virtual service that you can provide. Physical therapy and primary care can be virtual. We are in small and large markets, and in some of the small markets, there is no access to even basic primary care.

On supporting hourly workers with training and development:

One thing that's core to our training and development is individual development plans (IDPs). Everybody at every level of the company has an individual development plan. It takes away the stigma of an individual development plan. I know other companies use that as, “This is how to get you back on track if you've sort of fallen off of your performance.” For us, it's for our most successful and our least successful.

We also offer 10 minutes or less of video, bite-sized learnings for anybody to take advantage of depending on what they want to work on. 카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 hourly workers are incredibly busy. For them to be able to find time for development, we have to make that time for them.

And if it were classrooms where we had to fly them, it's just not practical. To get them to watch something that's entertaining, educational, and easy to digest and then work with their managers on practicing, is the best way to train and develop our associates right now.

On providing flexibility for workers:

The top two things that are important to our hourly workers are pay and flexibility. 카지노 커뮤니티 랭킹 frontline associates love engaging with people. They wouldn't be working for us if they didn't. So their ask isn't to work at home, or wherever they want. Their ask is, I want to get my child off the bus. Can my hours be adjusted so I can get my child off the bus every day? Hey, right now I need to go part-time. Can I go part-time? How many hours do I need to work in order to get my full benefits? Can I go to that level?

They need to be able to switch shifts with people on a dime if they can, based on what's going on in their lives. That's what they need. So as we think about flexibility, it’s not just salaried versus hourly, but what does each individual population need.

Why and How to Create an Internal Talent Marketplace

2024-11-17T08:04:27-05:00

How Schneider Electric built an internal tool that helps employees move into new roles and departments.

Internal talent marketplace platforms have become a key tool for large organizations fighting attrition in their workforce.

What are the steps HR teams must take to ensure an internal talent marketplace is successful?

These platforms — enabled with artificial intelligence — are helping employers map the career trajectory of employees, connect them with mentorship opportunities, and identify career shifts that will help them find more fulfilling roles within the company.

They’re also part of a larger trend: the increased focus on learning and development for employees.

That’s why LinkedIn’s CEO Ryan Roslansky says, “Your next best employee is most likely your current employee.”

Schneider Electric, a multinational energy management and automation company, has been an early adopter of this practice, partnering with a tech startup to develop a bespoke platform it calls Open Talent Market.

The tool is used by Schneider employees to plan their careers, identify new opportunities in the organization, and grow their skills.

“At Schneider, we believe in the principle that you own your career,” says Mai Lan Nguyen, head of human resources, North America.

“As a company, our responsibility is to make sure that we arm and equip people with the right tools, the right transparency, the right abilities to build the skills and experience that are going to take them to wherever they want in their careers.”

Building an internal LinkedIn

Open Talent Market operates almost like an internal version of LinkedIn, giving the company more opportunity to reengage employees who are looking for a career change. It’s also a key tool for helping employees own their careers.

“Every time someone would leave the company on their own terms, when you asked them, ‘Why did you leave?’ in the top three reasons it's always: ‘I didn’t see my career opportunity in Schneider. I couldn’t see where I could grow,’” says Nguyen.

As a big multinational company with so many new opportunities available, Schneider clearly needed a tool to connect employees with the opportunities they couldn’t see.

Open Talent Market allows employees to upload their skills and experiences, as well as share new areas, desired skills, or opportunities they would like to explore.

Using a “gig economy” model, employees create projects — what Schneider calls “internal gigs” — and open part-time project roles on the platform, with AI connecting internal candidates to these opportunities.

“In five minutes, you can upload a selfie video and advocate for your project, and then people apply,” says Nguyen.

The platform allows Schneider to focus on skills rather than jobs, a crucial practice for ensuring your organization has the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

“The skills of today are already obsolete five years from now,” says Nguyen. Only by consistently investing in development can companies keep up with the fast pace of change.

A culture of learning

Open Talent Market works because of the focus Schneider Electric makes on development and connection for employees.

By allowing employees to take on internal gigs — short term assignments that are not a part of their usual role responsibilities — Schneider is making a big investment in employees’ growth.

“It’s an acknowledgement at the company level that being able to spend some time on projects that are not in your direct line of work is a way for you to build your network and meet new people,” says Nguyen.

"It’s our job to actually transform ourselves as an organization to be much more fluid in the way we think about work and growth."

Through these internal gigs, employees develop the skills and experience needed to get the job they might be dreaming about.

The company has also worked to ensure managers are prepared to have conversations with their direct reports about their careers and development paths.

“We have a process where at least once a year, you have to discuss that with your manager, you have to have a career conversation,” says Nguyen.

Being prepared

What are the steps HR teams must take to ensure an internal talent marketplace is successful?

Apart from codifying the skills required for roles across the organization, Nguyen shared a few lessons from Schneider’s roll out:

1. Consider how your culture needs to change.

“For the Open Talent Market to work, we had to let go of a few rules that we had put for ourselves,” says Nguyen.

For example, Schneider had required employees to stay in a role for a certain amount of time before transferring. Instead, the company has found success with a more personalized approach.

“It all depends on the job; it depends on where you are in your career,” says Nguyen.

For recent college graduates, it might make sense to rotate faster and get lots of exposure to different kinds of roles. For more senior and experienced employees, more time might be required, and some specialized roles require more time for training and exploration.

2. Ensure employees have psychological safety.

Nguyen highlights the value of transparency for employees and the organization in trying to connect the right person to the right job. However, this open exploration requires healthy communication with managers — and managers can’t hoard their talent.

Schneider’s trust in its people has been highly rewarded since rolling out the marketplace, Nguyen says.

“We have to trust that not everyone is looking for a job every single day,” she says. “And as long as you’re finding a meaningful role, which we hopefully see with the Open Talent Market, the market regulates itself.”

3. Be willing to start small and iterate.

HR leaders can be overly risk averse, says Nguyen, and fear can stifle innovation.

“As HR professionals, we always think a solution can be deployed only when it is 100% ready, when you have a policy that is written and you have thought of all the things that can go wrong,” she says.

When launching Open Talent Market, the team had to let go and launch without having answered every last question about the outcome of the program and iterate over time.

“It was OK because we knew we wanted to actually tackle a big problem,” says Nguyen.

Building a better workplace

If you aren’t ready to launch an AI talent development platform, there’s still plenty you can do to empower employees to own their careers, Nguyen says.

1. Help them identify what makes work meaningful.

“Build an inventory of the things that make a day meaningful to you,” recommends Nguyen. Make sure employees are comfortable sharing their goals and aspirations.

Once you know what an employee hopes to accomplish, you can help them find the path to get there.

2. Help employees build their network.

Meeting one new person every week is Nguyen’s recommendation for building a professional network.

“Sometimes the magic can happen where those people are going to think of you the next time they think about an opportunity,” she says.

3. Help employees adopt a growth mindset.

The future of work isn’t going to look like it does today. That means every employee must be thinking about how to add skills and grow.

“It’s our job to actually transform ourselves as an organization to be much more fluid in the way we think about work and growth,” says Nguyen.

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