Learn how tools to support better performance management and employee engagement can help public sector agencies combat The Great Resignation.
Article Highlights:
- How Performance Management Supports Government Employee Retention
- Why You Should Start with Employee Performance Tracking Software
- Employee Performance Evaluation Tools to Grow Employee Engagement
Many organizations are struggling to retain current employees amid The Great Resignation. Employees today are looking for better work-life balance, more opportunities for advancement, and remote-friendly environments where they feel valued as a team member and also understood as a human.
In the public sector, this shift has made it more difficult to keep employees from migrating to the private sector, where there’s often higher pay and more flexibility. But there are ways to make your government agency a more attractive place for employees to work and reduce employee turnover.
You can begin making progress towards higher retention by improving your agency’s employee performance evaluation tools. Supporting employee success by enabling them to perform well, both individually and as part of a team, can immerse employees into your agency's culture and grow their commitment to the organization. Not only can better performance management and employee engagement lower turnover – they can also boost your organization's effectiveness by fostering greater productivity.
Keep reading to discover how performance management supports public sector retention, how employee performance evaluation tools drive employee engagement, and why you should make it all happen with employee performance tracking software.
How Performance Management Supports Government Employee Retention
Performance management and employee engagement are deeply connected. With a comprehensive strategy, performance management involves strategic goal-setting and alignment, tracking employee performance, and identifying your team’s strengths and weaknesses so you can further develop their skills. Together, this helps them understand their value and drives a more uniform, motivated, and productive workforce.
These benefits make performance management an effective tool for keeping your employees engaged in the organizational mission and culture. It enables them to connect the dots between their work and how it contributes to the agency goals, making them more invested in helping you paint the bigger picture.
Engaged employees also perform better and feel more successful in their work, giving them greater job satisfaction. As a result, they're more likely to remain with your agency. That boosted retention also helps you save on hiring and onboarding costs because you don't have to hire new employees to replace the lost ones.
Why You Should Start with Employee Performance Tracking Software
A modern performance evaluation system starts with employee performance tracking software. That way, it's easier for agencies to develop a comprehensive performance management system that benefits both your employees and the agency.
Performance software allows employees to stay informed of their goals and progress for themselves, their teams, and the organization – and how they all interconnect. Employees can track their KPIs and make course corrections to improve performance all on their own. Plus, managers can quickly identify when employees are struggling or exceeding their expectations. This ensures they can lend a hand before problems become too overwhelming or reward their great achievements.
Additionally, performance-tracking software streamlines all your evaluation processes for improved productivity, effectiveness, and collaboration. You can automate workflows, notifications, and reviews, and since all your data is stored in one central location, you can stay up-to-date on employee task completion.
Employees can easily enter information into the software as they progress, and you can compile performance reports in the system with just a few clicks. This saves time and mitigates the stress of trying to wrangle everyone’s information together just before annual reviews.
A government-focused solution
Perform by NEOGOV is an employee performance tracking software that helps public sector agencies implement comprehensive performance management, generate performance reports and analytics, and provide continuous constructive feedback. Perform gives your agency complete oversight of individual employee and team performance, while demonstrating how their efforts drive the organization's mission forward.
Using Perform, your employees will stay informed about their performance expectations and outputs year-round, rather than waiting for annual reviews and manager feedback to see whether they’re meeting standards. Supervisors can make comments directly in the platform at any time, allowing employees to immediately make changes and leaving documentation that you can refer back to during your performance appraisals.
Employee Performance Evaluation Tools to Grow Employee Engagement
Leveraging employee performance evaluation tools gives you the ability to make strategic improvements and amplify the success of your agency and your staff. There are a variety of solutions for tracking employee performance and supporting improved engagement.
Goal management
To get your performance management on track, you can use tools for employee goal-setting and monitoring progress to objectives. Managers can drive engagement by setting clear expectations and giving employees autonomy over their work and accomplishments. Furthermore, by aligning each individual’s goals with the goals of the organization, employees can support each other and work as a team to meet their KPIs.
Performance reviews
Performance evaluation tools can also enforce regular performance reviews. Rather than holding only annual reviews, you can set up quarterly, monthly, or even weekly reviews depending on your team’s differing needs. This creates more time and opportunities to talk about each employee's accomplishments and struggles, get an update on their progress, and make any necessary adjustments to ensure you’re on the right path to meeting your objectives.
Plus, these systems allow you to solicit 360-degree feedback from employees and even across departments. When your appraisals are more frequent, you can discuss this feedback while the topics are still top of mind.
Performance analytics
Performance analytics and reports are key components of tracking employee performance. Quantifying your employees’ work with metrics shows its impact, and reports provide a visual representation of your progress. With these, you can identify employee development opportunities, measure both individual and team performance, and ensure continued alignment with agency goals.
Implementing the practices above shows employees that they bring value to the organization and makes them feel appreciated and supported, which increases their job satisfaction. Keeping employees happy is vital to keeping them connected to your greater purpose and motivated to achieve your goals. This engagement improves their performance and productivity, and ultimately grows employee retention in the public sector.
Grow Agency & Employee Success
Productivity experts have shown that performance management and employee engagement go hand in hand. They’ve also found that annual performance reviews are not nearly as effective as more frequent reviews, and organizations that encourage continuous feedback have more loyal and involved employees.
For government agencies, tracking employee performance can reveal productivity metrics that are falling short and why. For employees, it can show them how their efforts support the agency’s mission.
Performance management tools and software like Perform will help you do this more efficiently and effectively. Your agency and employees will be better prepared to accomplish goals – and in the end, this improved employee performance, engagement, and success will boost your government employee retention.
If you’re ready to build a culture of quality performance and high retention, learn how you can improve strategic alignment between agency and employee goals.
