HR should be continuously improving its processes: performance management is no exception. Of course, that means that you’ll need some guidelines for reviewing your process. Here is a checklist for identifying where improvements are most needed.

We live in a culture of immediacy. We’re multi-tasking masters. We get maps, taxis, and dates with just a few swipes of a screen. We consume news in tweet-sized tidbits. We watch ten-second videos that disappear. It’s a world filled with distractions galore.

More than a decade ago, the Pew Research Center coined the term “silver tsunami” to describe the anticipated retirement of Baby Boomers. Although the mass wave of retirements was projected to hit government in 2011, the recession put many of these retirement plans on hold. This gave government agencies a bit of respite, but now, according to a number of reputable sources, the long-awaited silver tsunami may have finally arrived.

There has been a lot of press about companies in the private sector replacing the annual appraisal with more frequent feedback. The same desire for change exists in the public sector.

Bias is an inevitable part of human nature. When bias is unconscious, we don’t control it. People make nearly instantaneous assumptions and form fast opinions about other people. Though unconscious bias is a handy mental shortcut that can help people process information, it can have negative side effects in the workplace.

NEOGOV ranked among the fastest-growing private companies in 35th annual Inc. 5000, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies.

Nearly one in three adults—more than 70 million Americans—has a criminal record. Many of these individuals never served time in jail or had an arrest that resulted in a conviction. No matter how major or minor the record, many of these individuals struggle to find employment because they are automatically screened out of the hiring process by checking “yes” on an application question regarding criminal history.

A new job applicant can be in a highly charged emotional state. They’ve spent days, weeks, or even months scouring job boards. They’ve agonized about their resume and cover letter, fussing over how best to describe their accomplishments and skills. They’ve gamely entered all the exhaustive information requested in your organization’s online job application form. 

A recent study conducted by Phil McAleer, a psychologist at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, found that we begin forming opinions about people when they first open their mouths.

Your organization is in a fierce competition for top talent. Thankfully, people willing and eager to work for public sector organizations are in it for more than the paycheck. Even if their day-to-day responsibilities are repetitive, people in the public sector want the work they do to matter.