The performance management landscape is changing abruptly, as I wrote in our recent Performance Management Watch. As formal processes around coaching and developing individuals to become even better at their jobs are put into place, we’ll pave the way for greater innovation and productivity. I believe we’re on the brink of change as companies revitalize methods for providing continuous feedback and development, recognizing employees for achievements and coaching individuals to become better at their jobs.
As performance management does a 180, so do many supporting workplace trends. We’ve pooled a number of industry experts for their thoughts and predictions on the hottest trends in 2016, and why they matter long-term. Read on for their insights, and my thoughts on why these trends are changing the future of work.
For even more industry expertise, sign up to attend our Goal Summit event taking place in San Francisco on April 14th. You don’t want to miss our impressive lineup of speakers including John Doerr (KPCB), Prasad Setty (Google), Erin Sharp (Kroger), Josh Bersin (Bersin by Deloitte), Sharon Abraham (Schneider Electric) and more!
Businesses Will Get Smarter About Keeping Conversations Productive
Renee Cullinan, co-founder of Stop Meeting Like This, predicts changes across three categories in the coming year: employee engagement, collaboration and performance management. She believes these three cornerstone, HR-driven processes can be changed for the better if high-quality dialogue takes reign over unproductive conversations at work. “All in all, authentic, meaningful conversations with employees will determine how quickly change happens. Those companies who rely on stale dialogue, out-of-date review constructs, and crazy hair days may actually go backwards.”
Performance conversations are happening more regularly, thanks to continuous performance feedback technology like BetterWorks. As organizations shift their focus from a “rankings, ratings and reviews mindset”, to focusing on coaching individuals to become better at their job, genuine, productive conversations will move us forward more swiftly.
HR Will Become More Analytical
David Godden, VP of Marketing at Thymometrics, believes the consumerization of HR technology (think: mobile productivity apps and engagement surveys) is moving us towards an HR revolution revolving around the employee (instead of the business at large). He explained how this consumerization makes HR more data-driven, open and collaborative. He says, “In 2016, knowing how to engage and motivate employees will no longer just be intuitive, but will become a much more analytical process.”
Having data on work progress has been revolutionary for many of our customers. A data-driven workforce can better rally around a problem and its solution instead of sitting back and waiting for innovation to occur.
Workplace Culture Will Help Companies Win (or Lose) the Talent War
According to Stefanie Frenking, Global Feel Good Manager and Corporate Recruiter at Spreadshirt, the future of work will be largely shaped by millennials. As of this year, they are the largest demographic in the workforce. She says, “What recruits, retains and resonates with millennials is culture fit. They want to feel like they are part of a team, share the corporate mission, and have a great work-life balance. They are less interested in cash rewards, short term perks. A deliberate focus on shaping the workplace culture and keeping it in place is what will make a company survive and thrive in the talents wars.”
We’ve seen this both internally at BetterWorks, as well as with the Fortune 500 organizations we’re working with. Short-term perks are still important, but giving workers—across all generations—a sense of purpose, value and alignment, holds much greater value.
Internet of Things Will Make Real Time Feedback Manageable
Beth P. Zoller, Xpert HR Legal Editor, commented on the profound impact the IoT movement will have on workplace and customer communications. She explained how “wearable devices and the Internet of Things will revolutionize workplace communications and enable workers to communicate better with each other as well as improve customer relations as workers are better able to service the needs of clients and customer in an immediate and meaningful manner. Such devices have the ability to impact the management and training of employees as supervisors will be able to monitor employee activity and social interactions in real time and evaluate performance, productivity and efficiency.”
As Beth pointed out, real time performance evaluation will be key in 2016. I also believe that frequency of feedback will play a crucial role in performance development and IoT continues to make communication with employees more manageable.
The Workforce Will Never Be 100% Mobile
While the use of mobile devices at work continues to hover at an all time high, Joey Price of Jumpstart-HR believes we’re light-years away from an all-mobile workforce. He poses the question: “Could you imagine your employees with their heads buried in a cellphone or tablet all day communicating through emojis and 140 character messages?”
I believe Joey is on to something. The future of work still involves face-to-face collaboration and human interaction. In fact, the more our workplace evolves, the more I realize how much the collaboration and being aligned with the team can give you a sense of purpose, and reason to stay at your job.
2016 will be a game-changing year as we put more focus on employees as individuals. HR leaders will play an important role in revitalizing their organizations to support performance development. Are there any trends we missed? Leave a comment below!