There is a considerable body of research which has highlighted the importance of front-line managers in driving the performance of an organisation.
But how much effort and emphasis is being placed on this very subject within your own organisation?
How well do your managers perform and how are they being assessed, and against what criteria?
Research has consistently shown that firms that demonstrate good management practices perform better than firms that don’t.
Probably the biggest ever research exercise into the factors that influence organisational performance was a 30 year long study by Gallup, published a few years ago now, to identify the elements most important in sustaining workplace excellence. This included 10 million employee and manager interviews, spanning 114 countries and conducted in 41 languages.
Gallup identified 12 factors that made the biggest difference to employee engagement, often referred to as the ‘Q12’. Many of these relate to the way the employee is managed by their front-line manager, such as knowing what is expected of them, receiving regular recognition and praise, having someone encouraging their development and being regularly spoken to about their progress.
Gallup’s vast amount of data showed clearly that the more of the Q12 factors are true for an individual employee, the more engaged the employee is likely to be. And where employees were engaged this led to:
- less absenteeism
- less staff turnover
- higher customer satisfaction
- higher productivity
- Employees answer 12 simple questions, available in multiple languages, that tie directly to performance outcomes and that improvement efforts should focus on the essential elements of engagement, those measured by the Q12 survey.
Whatever your Performance & Development strategy is deemed to be, do have one!
To discuss how your performance criteria can be underpinned and delivered using Youmanage’s Competency Framework model and the Performance & Development module, please feel free to get in touch on 01786 458037 or by email to [email protected] Did you find this article useful? Youmanage HR offers software to help you streamline your HR processes and ensure compliance within your company. We also write articles on HR, leadership, employee engagement, health & well-being and much more. Start a free trial of Youmanage, get in touch to ask questions, or check out our blog to help you to deliver HR best practice in your business.
