Performance management

Introduction

Performance management is the continuous process of identifying, developing, and measuring the performance of individuals and team. It also involves aligning the performance with the organization’s strategic goals. It is a systematic approach to tracking individual performance against the targeted organization’s objectives (Budhwar, & Denisi, 2008). The focus of this report is to indicate ways for increasing sales and customer services through the implementation of a performance management system.

Job description for retail sales associate

Being the HR manager in the company, it is my responsibility to find ways to improve the performance of the retail store employees. It will help in improving the company's sales and retain good customers while attracting new ones. The company’s retail sales associate should be in a position of delivering the retail promise the company makes to its clients. Thus, the sales associates will have to sharpen their professional sales techniques and also learn about the sales strategy of the firm in order to create a positive relationship between the company and clients. The responsibility of the retail sales associate will be to engage in the side-by-side selling with retail associates. The sales associate will take the responsibility of representing the company in a professional way at all times. As a retail sales associate, one must have a positive attitude and communicative nature in order for the client to feel at ease with any help.

The duty of the sales associate is building customer confidence through making their experience interacting, reassuring, and engaging. The retail sales associate job will also involve developing and managing positive business relationship with other employees and the retail store management. The general purpose of the retail sales associate is to help clients find and purchase the required merchandise in a retail environment. The associate will also be recommending, selecting, and helping clients to locate the right merchandise. The key competencies include patient, integrity, good communication skills, and customer service orientation (Budhwar, & Denisi, 2008). The individual should have a minimum of one-year retail experience and a high school diploma.

Organization behavior modification plan

OBM normally identifies the performance-related behaviors, identify triggers present, study their frequencies, and develops an intervention plan (Jackson & Werner 2011). In order to improve the performance of employees, I should modify their behaviors and also define to them the essential behaviors necessary for job performance. The three key behaviors necessary for a retail sales associate position include communication, personal accountability, and customer services. These are the key behaviors necessary for successful performance as a retail sales associate. Good communication is an important behavior so as to have successful performance as a sales associate (Gerhart, & Wright, 2014).

The associate should be able to listen and communicate effectively with clients so that to ensure that clients have the necessary information. Personal accountability is also important as the retail sales associate must be accountable for delivering excellent services that drive results and also enhances the experience of the customer. The associate should always know that they are in the position so that to assist the customer and create an environment of excellent services. The individual must be responsible for completing tasks assigned to them and offering support to the team so as to achieve success for the company. In case employees engage in unwanted behavior on the job, the HR manager will take a disciplinary action so as to ensure that the behavior does not happen again.

In creating OBM plan, I will have to identify the performance-related behaviors that tend to be problematic. Then, I will measure the degree of the problem through establishing the baseline in the target behavior problem. Third, I will identify the behavioral contingencies through functional analysis and identify the antecedent conditions leading to the behavior. Fourth, I will develop an intervention strategy for modifying the problematic behavior. Fifth, I will apply the strategy of reinforcement together with punishment that will include expulsion. After following the steps above and solving the problem, I will apply the re-enforcement strategy so as to sustain the desirable behavior.

Ways to measure key job performance behaviors

Performance management refers to the achievement of performance targets through effective management of people and also the environment in which they operate. As a HR manager, one way that I would use in measuring if the prospective employee exhibits the key job performance behavior is through evaluating all candidates using the same criteria. When using this criterion, I will have a checklist that covers the behaviors listed in the announcement according to the job description (Jackson & Werner 2011).

I will also consider behaviors not listed, but considered as common because the prospective employee must be familiar with them. Another strategy that I can use in measuring the key job performance behavior of employees is through creation certain scenarios and determines the way that the employees will react to the situations.

When using the scenario, I will always be able to observe the behavior of employees through seeing how an employee will react to certain situations. I will have to be very careful in observing whether the employee describes every accomplishment that they make as a personal feature. In the process, I will observe whether the employee respects other people through cutting off other people when they are speaking or even speaking before processing what they should say. These are some of negative job performance behavior, and I should not overlook such behavior, but find a way that I can help employees eliminate such behaviors as it will affect their performance.

Performance assessment is a complex activity in human resource management. It is essential to enhance performance assessment because of various reasons. Performance assessment is essential as it helps provide feedback to employees, recognize and enhance their strength (Jackson & Werner 2011). It also enables them to work on their weaknesses so as to determine the increase in wage. During performance assessment, I will be able to know what employees understand and what they think they understand. In the process, I will be able to inform employees of any new performance standards that they should know. Another method of informing employees about new performance standards is through mandatory training session. Employees will be attending training sessions where they will receive information on how to handle changes in performance standards or how the changes affect their current positions.

Methods of providing feedback

Employee feedback normally helps in improving their performance, motivating self-improvement, decreasing turnover, and building trust. As a HR manager, it is important to ensure that employees receive information at all time for the firm's benefit and also employees. The goal of providing feedback is to improve and promote the effectiveness of employees (Gerhart, & Wright, 2014). It is a continuous process that needs monitoring and regular review. A plan for proving feedback to employees is through ensuring that I offer positive feedback in a timely and specific manner. When doing this, it will allow employees to feel that their work does not go unnoticed and that the management cares about their efforts (Pravin, 2010).

When providing positive feedback in a timely manner, it provides employees with a sense of pride as they know they are doing good work, and it also motivate them to continue doing well and even much better. Another method of providing feedback is through being specific because people tend to respond better to specific and positive information (Jackson & Werner 2011). When giving feedback, it is essential to say something that is positive and specific pointed to the task I want employees to accomplish.

Actions to reinforce positive employee behavior are through creating an incentive program or even award process. Successful leaders normally use praise because employee performance improvement and achievement are extremely vital to the company. Using sincere and honest praise tend to let the employee know that leaders appreciate their efforts (Pravin, 2010). It is necessary that employees know that leaders view them as valuable members of the company. Praising employees tend to create and reinforce the positive self-image in employees; thus, making them feel like winners.

Another strategy of reinforcing positive employee behavior is incentives such as rewards and recognition. When leaders use recognition, it helps employees in heightening the level of commitment to the company and feeling appreciated for their contributions. The reward system should be effective in recognizing the sources of motivation. In order to ensure that the reward system motivates the desired behaviors, it is necessary for leaders to reward based on performance.

Legal and ethical issues

Performance management refers to the process in which managers ensures that the activities and outputs of employees contribute to the goal of the organization. The process requires knowing the desired activities and outputs, providing feedback to the employee and observing whether desired outputs occur. Discrimination is a legal issue that can impact the performance management system. Discrimination refers to differential treatment of people based on sex, color, language, race, politics, religion, etc. discrimination tends to violate the principle of equality. The performance management processes undergo scrutiny in cases of discrimination. Discrimination in the organization is an issue that can impact the performance management system. 

Performance measures tend to play an essential role in decisions regarding discipline, promotions, and pay; thus, employment-related lawsuits can challenge the performance management system of the organization. The lawsuits that relate to performance management involve the charges of unjust dismissal or discrimination, and they tend to impact the performance management system in a negative manner (Gerhart & Wright 2014). In order to protect against the discrimination lawsuits, it is essential for the organization to have a legally defensible performance management system. A system can be legally defensible if based on results and behaviors rather than on traits. Managers should make sure that their process of measuring employee’s performance is accurate, fair, and supported by examples and evidence.

An ethical issue that can impact the performance management system is employee monitoring using electronic devices as it can raise concerns regarding the privacy of employees. Today, computer technology supports many performance management systems, and the Congress established laws so that to regulate computer monitoring. Electronic monitoring normally provides accurate and detailed information; however, employees may find the process to be stressful, degrading, and demoralizing (Gerhart, & Wright, 2014).

A company must ensure that it protects the privacy of performance measurement the same way they do with other records of employees. When developing and using the performance management system, the HR manager must make sure that the systems meet the legal requirement for avoidance of discrimination. The performance management system must also meet the ethical standards as the protection of employee privacy (Gerhart, & Wright, 2014). It is essential for managers to ensure that the performance management systems and decisions treat all employees equally without regard to their sex, color, race, or any other protected status.

Reference

Budhwar, P Varma, A & Denisi, A (2008). Performance management systems Taylor & Francis Group

Noe, A., Hollenbeck, R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, M. (2014). Fundamentals of human resource management New York, McGraw-Hill

Pravin, D (2010). Human resource management Dorling Kindersley

Schuler, R Jackson, S & Werner, S (2011). Managing human resources Cengage Learning

Carolyn Morgan is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in Write My Research Paper For Me services. If you need a similar paper you can place your order from custom nursing essay writing services.