The “Great Resignation” has morphed into “Quiet Quitting” but what does that mean? Simply stated, people found that quitting their jobs was not in their best interest, so they decided instead to put in the minimum effort required and keep getting paid. This has reduced organizational productivity and lowered overall morale and teamwork. Organizations must be proactive in re-engaging employees to combat quiet quitting and raise the bar on performance.
Most motivational studies agree that employees want to feel they are being treated fairly while they are being nurtured, challenged, and developed by their organizations. If this is true, then understanding how to create a culture that aligns the vision and mission of the organization with objective performance expectations for employee growth will help engage and retain people.
Here are 5 tips to create performance management alignment that will combat quiet quitting.
- Every employee should know the organization’s “Vision and Mission”. Many people may consider this organizational fluff, but it should be the lifeblood of the organization. When an organization truly believes in its Vision and Mission they act as a rutter on a ship giving direction to decisions. These two simple statements are what can give an emotional connection to employees. These statements also allow employees to be self-starters who can give more discretionary effort to ensure the realization of the bigger goal.[vcex_spacing size=”30px”]
- Each position should have a “Position Goal”. This is defined as the reason the position exists in support of the Vision and Mission. Aligning the position to the bigger picture of the Vision and Mission empowers the owner of the position to act in the best interest of the organization.[vcex_spacing size=”30px”]
- Each position should also have 4 to 8 supporting “Key Result Areas” (KRA). These KRAs give a clear picture of what the job looks like when it is done well. Employees with this clear picture are challenged to make it a reality. These areas are also the basis for monthly one-on-one conversations with their managers to determine the resources and support they may need.[vcex_spacing size=”30px”]
- Each KRA should have objective supporting “Performance Standards”. These standards take the guesswork out of wondering what the employee will be evaluated on during performance reviews. They need to be written results the position is expected to achieve and should be under the person’s control. An example would be to change a performance standard from “Sales should meet expectations” to “Sales should meet or exceed $50,000 per month”. The latter has no room for misinterpretation.[vcex_spacing size=”30px”]
- Each performance standard will offer areas that may need additional skills, knowledge, or abilities. This is the manager’s chance to help nurture and challenge employees to grow. Writing the training the employee is expected to participate in will help the person see they are being mentored and developed. This motivating factor (when done with intention) can be a major catalyst for the re-engagement of an employee.
Whether employees are engaged or disengaged, performance management alignment can empower them to be self-starters, know expectations, and feel motivated to give discretionary effort to contribute to the bigger picture of the organization. Employees that have this type of connection to the organization are more productive and less likely to quietly quit, creating a more productive and profitable organization.
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Emotional Intelligence: Effective Communication to Increase Employee Retention
October 19, 2022
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