AMonline Blog

Employee performance management has been mainstay of most organizations, yet is fraught with imprecision and dissatisfaction.

Rather than serving as opportunity for providing direction, growth and alignment, it is more often seen as a necessary evil.

The Aberdeen Group surveyed over 600 individuals: while 95% indicated conducting regular performance reviews, only 11% indicate satisfaction with the process in their organization.  There is clearly a disconnect between the concept of performance management and it’s successful execution. 

Aberdeen reported that two key performance criteria defined ”Best in Class” Companies (BiC) with regards to performance management:

1. Improved bottom line results: BiC companies experience a minimum profitability growth of 10% or move over last 12 months.
2. Increased employee retention rates: 94% of BiC companies increased or maintained stable employee retention rates over the last 12 months.

Coming in future postings:

• What are top five (5) pressures driving performance management?
• What are strategic actions necessary to achieve performance management goals?
• What is the connection between productivity, turnover and job match?

Have a great week; back to you soon!

Sincerely,

Dave McCaffrey

PredicitiveAssets

(866) 584-9551 (toll free)

A Route Driver (or any employee) may be performing poorly because……

1. Their learning skills (verbal and numerical capability) may not match those required to do their job: 

> If their learning skills are lower than required, the employee may literally not be able to do their job properly. 

> If their learning skills are higher than required, the employee may have communication problems or become bored with their job. 

2. They may not have the necessary unique behavioral traits required to do their job.  In other words, they may not fit into the culture of the job at your company.  

3.  They may not have the occupational interests that match those required by their job.  If their interests do not match those needed by their job, they will lose interest and become disengaged.    

There is a management axiom that says: “you can’t manage what you can’t measure’. 

Given that most current measuring standards are based on functional results (sales, profit, returns, etc) that are historic (they tell you what happened yesterday, not what will happen tomorrow), the scale to which an employee is being measured may not have anything to do with the employee’s success….or lack there-of in a job function.

To be able to manage your employees in a predictive manner, you need to be able to measure their learning skill, behavioral traits, and job interests.  Once you have assessed what may be causing their sub par performance, you will be able to manage that employee to increased productivity. 

I hope this information helps improve productivity and reduce turnover at your company.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dave McCaffrey

profiles@predictiveassets.com

866 584-9551 (toll free)

Manpower’s ‘Hardest Jobs to Fill’ list reveals that many workers with traditional blue-collar skills are leaving the workforce.

Engineers, Machinists, Tradesmen in Short Supply

Because of an aging workforce and a new generation of workers entering other professions, engineers, machinists and skilled trade workers are the three most difficult positions to recruit for, according to Manpower’s annual list of “The 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill.”Baby boomers are starting to retire, which means many workers with traditional blue-collar skills are leaving the workforce, says Melanie Holmes, vice president of corporate affairs for the Milwaukee-based staffing giant. The survey, released Tuesday, April 22, covered 42,500 employers from 32 countries.The retiring boomers are compounded by fewer young people entering these fields. Less than 10 percent of college students in America are getting engineering degrees, Holmes says.The 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill are:

1. Engineers

2. Machinists/machine operators

3. Skilled trades (your Route Drivers?)

4. Technicians (your Machine Technicians?)

5. Sales representatives

6. Accounting and finance staff

7. Mechanics

8. Laborers

9. IT staff

10. Production operators

Technicians, sales representatives and accountants/finance staff also made it onto Manpower’s list.

Employers struggling to fill these vacancies can, in the short term, enhance recruiting efforts on college campuses and at technical schools and also emphasize the retention of older workers.

Longer term, Manpower suggests, employers should partner with local educational institutions and encourage students to enter these professions.

Nearly 25 percent of employers say they are having problems filling positions because of a lack of talent.

“Employers need to do everything they can to give opportunities to everyone who is willing or able to work,” she notes. “This includes the aging workforce, the younger generations, people of color and people with disabilities.”

Successfully recruiting young workers will depend on how well companies can cater to their specific needs. “This generation wants flexibility, they want to be innovative on the job,” Holmes notes. “And they want to have fun while they are at it.”

To minimize the impact on your company,

PredictiveAssets suggests you:

1. Modify your employment profile: Focus on learning skill, behavioral traits and occupational interests as opposed to education and experience.
2. Broaden your employment profile: Establish core competencies for all jobs in your company. Compare all applicants to all job functions, not just the one being applied for today.
3. Utilize accurate selection tools: Tomorrow, more than ever, you cannot afford to make a bad hire; use all available resources
4. Become an employer of choice: Job fit is much more important than compensation; do you have good job fit for all personnel at your company?
5. Finally, use broader advertising tools (i.e. CareerBuilder or similar online services) instead of local tools: a qualified applicant might be moving to your market next month!

For information and/or assistance with finding, selecting, hiring and developing your workforce, contact Dave McCaffrey at profiles@predictiveassets.com or 866 584-9551 (toll free).

Hiring the right person?  Improving performance?  Helping Managers succeed?  Tell us what keeps you awake at night and we will make some suggestions that will ultimately let you get more sleep!

Hope to hear from you soon!

Regards,

Dave “Mac” McCaffrey

Human resources remain one of the most critical aspects of successful operations in the vending industry. Much has changed in product, equipment, technology, and operations, all of which have raised the bar on the capabilities required of the people working in our businesses.

Finding and keeping the right individuals for all positions is an area that requires utmost attention.
Most companies rely on resumes and interviews to find top performers - the best person for the job. But, according to the Michigan State University’s School of Business, using these methods only produces a quality employee 14 percent of the time. Not only are those poor odds, but the cost of this “bad hire” comes out in lost wages/benefits (paying the employee for not doing the job) as well as any lost revenue (lost clients, theft, etc.) associated with the poor hire. Add in the drop in productivity that results when the position again becomes vacant.

Which brings us to the subject of the first installment of my blog: What can operators do to improve their hiring?

“Use a 6 Pak….of hiring tools” because use of interview only yields a 14% likelihood of obtaining engaged employee.

1. Interview (you want to hire someone, they need a job: no wonder there are bad hires)
2. References (many companies reluctant to provide much information)
3. Background Check (imperative to confirm data represented on resume or application)
4. Learning Skills (difficult to determine in interview but critical to long term success)
5. Behavioral Traits (candidate on best behavior during interview; what will you find after 60-90 days?)
6. Occupational Interests (lack of matching interest in job will turn up 60-90 days after hire as disinterested, un-engaged employee)

Use of the whole 6 pak yields a 75% likelihood of obtaining an engaged employee. More likely to be engaged, which will increase productivity and decrease turnover.