For most companies, adoption of a continuous performance management solution can be challenging. This shift requires significant effort and change not only from a HR process standpoint, but also from an employee standpoint. In fact, getting employee adoption in any software (let alone HR software) can be an uphill battle without the proper steps.
Below we list some ways to generate buy-in for your new performance management software and maximize employee adoption.
1) Create a vision
Before buying a performance management solution (or really any new technology solution), the benefits of this new system for the employees and the organization have to be clearly outlined. Perhaps your organization needs a continuous feedback solution that helps store all the feedback data. Perhaps you want to be able to analyze all that feedback data to make better talent and training decisions. Or perhaps you are tired of the pen-and-paper approach and you need to streamline your performance management process ASAP. Whatever the reason(s), you will need to help employees and leaders understand why this switch is important, how everyone will benefit, and what the process will look like.
2) Choose your technology wisely
When choosing a technology, bear in mind your employees’ interests. Functionality is just as important as user friendliness. That means that hefty user manuals and/or long training programs to use the software are a big no-no. If you want a technology solution to be adopted and actively used, it has to be simple and easy!
One point we want to highlight that many HR leaders may overlook is: feature overload. Beware of feature overload. If your people are wasting time trying to find which feedback/goal/review feature they should use, long term adoption and active user-ship will ultimately take a downturn. Keep it simple.
3) Create advocates of change
The buy-in from senior leadership is vital to any change process. Previous research by MIT Centre for Digital Business with Capegemini Consulting found that when CEOs have shared their visions for digital transformation, 93% of employees feel that it is “the right thing for the organization”. Senior management have to be advocates of your new performance management system. They also need to lead by example and use the tool; they need to give feedback and request feedback, create/update goals, etc.
It is also important to highlight that advocacy extends beyond senior management. Keen junior employees that truly believe in continuous feedback and love the new tech can also be your ambassadors. Involve them in the initial roll out.
4) Identify skeptics
Some people are bound to prefer the ‘good old days’. Most organizations will have some skeptics when introducing a new initiative in the organization. Learning a new technology or changing up the regular day-to-day routine can be seen as a nuisance.
Organizations need to be able to continuously communicate the benefits of the new performance management system (or any system). To help with the skeptical employees, appoint ambassadors – people that really love the solution that can help get other people excited to use it. Employees have an easier time getting on board if they see that others in the office are advocating the new system. HR leaders should also make sure to recognize the employees that are adopting to the new system – employee recognition and appreciation are key!
5) Develop the right processes
When implementing a new performance management system, consider creating processes to help encourage adoption. A few things to consider include: how/when will employee set goals? How will they track goals? When should feedback be given? When/how will employees be evaluated? etc.
If your organization is transitioning from once-a-year reviews to continuous feedback, consider incorporating the number of feedback in your manager’s KPIs to help with initial adoption. When coming up with these performance management processes, make sure they fit with your culture. And remember that adoption will not happen overnight! It takes time and you may find yourself reiterating the processes until you achieve the desired employee adoption.
Finally, ask your employees for their feedback on the system! It can be challenging to get employee adoption for a new system if employees are not able to raise concerns they have with the system; their feedback is valuable.
Are you interested in revamping your performance management solution? At Pavestep, we help you maximize employee adoption of our software. Feel free to reach out for more details – we would love to chat!
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