Employees are wanting feedback more than ever; 96% of employees want to hear feedback regularly. The demand for feedback has far surpassed once-a-year reviews; employees want feedback weekly. Despite the increased demand for feedback, some employees may find receiving feedback to be challenging or discouraging. For feedback to be effective, it must be constructive, consistent, factual, and unbiased. Some employees find it tough to hear they have things they can improve on, ev

Whether you are a startup or a mature company, employee performance management is critical in order to achieve growth and success. The antiquated annual performance reviews have evolved, and for good reason - they simply don’t work. If you work in a matrix organization, you know better than most that the traditional annual reviews cannot accurately assess an employee’s performance. In this article, we outline some of the performance management problems often faced by matrix o

“Great vision without great people is irrelevant.” - Jim Collins Creating a successful organization starts with your employees. Employees can often be unwilling to produce their best results when they are unmotivated or under-appreciated. Employee recognition is the acknowledgment of an employees’ performance, and it helps employees feel like they are supported and appreciated. It is common for people to want insight into how they are doing, and employee recognition is a wa

We are two months into 2021, and there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding companies returning to the office or continuing with fully remote work. Many people still want to work at home, while others want to go back to working at the office. Although there is no definite answer for whether organizations will be allowing people back into the office, organizations need to be ready for this new normal of a hybrid, flexible workforce. In this article, we outline how organiz

There is an overwhelming amount of research suggesting that traditional performance management just doesn't work. If you are a talent leader, you probably are already familiar with some of these statistics: 95% of managers reported being “unhappy” with traditional performance management. 65% of employees want more feedback. 98% of employees fail to be engaged when managers give little or no feedback. Disengaged employees have 37% higher absenteeism, 18% lower productivity and

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (otherwise known as DE&I) have been at the forefront of many talent leaders minds in the last several years. Diversity in the workplace includes traits and characteristics that make people unique; this includes different ages, genders, and races in your organization. Inclusivity refers to what makes people feel included, valued, and welcomed in the environment. Inclusivity enables a sense of belonging in the work culture. “Diversity is being i

Over the last few years, there have been many changes in the workplace. This includes the ditching of traditional annual performance reviews. This should come as no surprise since assessing employees once a year simply does not work (for more details, you can look at our previous articles on the problems of traditional performance management here, here and here). Nowadays, employees want feedback more than once a year. They want the opportunity to learn and develop in real-ti

Over the last two decades, performance management has gone through a major revolution (for more details, you can check out our previous article on the history of performance management). But despite improvements to the system, employees still complain that performance reviews are biased. One survey found that only 29% of employees strongly agree that the performance reviews they receive are fair, and only 26% strongly agree that they are accurate. There are many disadvantages

What is performance management? Performance management refers to tools and processes that support goal-setting, feedback/recognition, and performance reviews. In recent years, there has been a major revolution on the approach to performance management. What was once an annual review process has now shifted toward a more continuous process with a keen focus on developing and motivating employees. (If you are interested to know more on the performance management evolution, you

The younger workforce, consisting of Millennials and Generation Z, currently comprises over half of the workforce in 2020. The ability to attract and engage these generations is top of mind for many organizations. Baby Boomers and Generation X have primarily been conditioned to the hierarchal company structures with the mindset that they must “work their way up the corporate ladder” (where they expect promotions and increase in status as the main form of progression in their

Every organization wants to have great leaders. Great executives not only have the skills to understand and comprehend a complex situation, but they can make strategic decisions based on the information allocated to them. But where can organizations find these ‘rockstar’ leaders and how can they attract these executives to work for them? Below we suggest some tips on how to find and attract top executive talent. How to attract great executives to your organization 1) Evaluate

Building an employer brand can be key to business success. Employer branding is how current and potential employees view an organization. It should capture an organization’s values, mission, and vision. Why employer branding is critical for success 1) A Good Reputation Every company has a reputation - whether the organization actively works on it or not. Having a great reputation can be key in setting an organization apart from competitors and attracting top talent. One study

For early-stage companies, hiring the right people and then managing them can be difficult. This can be due to the fast-paced and generally ambiguous nature of the start-up environment. However, there are certain initiatives that can help you manage your direct reports in this environment. 1) Set micro-goals We all have heard about the importance of goal alignment for employee engagement and productivity. However, cascading goals down to the individual level can seem like a

“Ninety minutes of your time can enhance the quality of your subordinate's work for two weeks, or for some eighty-plus hours.” - Andy Groves One-on-one meetings matter. However, they often get wasted or they just don’t occur. This is not because managers don't care - they often are just unaware about how to conduct an effective one-on-one. Below we list some key tips on how to conduct effective one-on-one meetings as well as list out some questions that managers should be as

Whether organizations should change how they approach their performance reviews has been a question on the minds of many HR professionals and executives as the end of 2020 draws near. With the switch to remote work and the economy shutdown, looking back at the goals you set 6 months ago or last December is most likely comical right now given the recent events of 2020. Should I skip the performance review all together? Our recommendation: No, do not skip the performance review

Most managers are required to sit down with their employees once a year and have a dreaded conversation: the performance review. For many employees, this conversation is awkward, forced, and just generally unpleasant for both people on either side of the desk (or computer). Sometimes this can lead to managers erring on the side of pleasantry (aka being "too nice") to counteract the overall unpleasant meeting. In fact, one study found that 69% of people try to avoid giving neg

Who can executives turn to when they have need to brainstorm solutions to issues? Who can give them support when difficult decisions need to be made? How can executives learn from other executives? In this blog, we answer the most common questions about peer advisory groups. What are peer advisory groups and what are the benefits? Peer advisory groups solve the inaccessibility of expertise for executives. They are composed of executives of similar status (e.g, CEO, owner), bu

Culture fit is defined as having shared and aligned values and mission in the workplace. From an employee perspective, it’s when the employee’s attitude, behaviors and personality are consistent with the company’s mission. Cultural fit is exhibited in many ways including: (i) language and communication, (ii) work ethic, (iii) integration of your work with your lifestyle, and (iv) understanding how decisions are made and how roles, responsibility, and accountability are distri

New Report From The Starr Conspiracy Lists Pavestep in the Top 10 Startups to Watch SAN FRANCISCO — (Sept 18, 2020) — — The Starr Conspiracy, a B2B marketing agency for workplace innovators, today announced that Pavestep appears as a Top Startup to Watch in its recently published Brandscape™ 2021 report, Talent and Learning: All Together Now. The Starr Conspiracy is the premier agency focused on companies creating the future of work. Work Technology is bigger than just HR T

"To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace." – Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s Soup Building a high performing, people centric workplace is key for business success. Part of building this workplace is ensuring there is people diversity. Diversity is good for business - for example, one study found that gender-diverse business units in a retail company have 14% higher average comparable revenue than less-diverse business units. Men and women have diff