Integrating social media into performance
With so many companies establishing themselves in external social networking sites, it raises the question: can or should the comments and feedback received on these sites be integrated in performance reviews and recognition? As a company, what do you do when
you receive comments or reviews that refer to an employee by name? Or where, with enough data mining, you can trace a situation back to a particular employee or team? Social feedback presents a whole new way of managing performance – and brings its own challenges.
“Part of becoming a social workplace means adapting internal and
external policies and processes to account for a growing social media presence,” says Elizabeth Lupfer (pictured), senior manager, employee experience and HR technology, global HR at global telco Verizon. “And when it comes to performance management, it is important to weigh the value of using social feedback in your performance management process against the impact this could have on how employees view themselves and their performance within your company.” Lupfer is an internationally recognised authority on applying social
technologies to drive engagement, collaboration and productivity. In 2009, she founded The Social Workplace, a blog that has become a leading resource for insights, research and thought leadership on
implementing social technologies within enterprises. “I love social media and I love my 5-inch heels,” Lupfer says. “And I’m passionate about how they both figuratively and literally allow for a higher-level perspective on engagement and communication.” Companies, Lupfer argues, should treat social feedback no differently
to other feedback channels – and apply the same policies. Consistent use of social feedback means highlighting both negative and positive feedback. Moreover, if feedback is collected from one social networking platform, then it should be collected from all social networking platforms in which the organisation has a digital presence – or there should be clear justification why one is preferred to another. “There aren’t too many organisations that have the technology or
processes necessary to incorporate social media feedback into their performance management process,” Lupfer says. “For organisations that have established themselves in social communities but aren’t quite ready to change how performance is managed, the best approach is to collect the social feedback and use it as a recognition tool for positive feedback and as a learning opportunity for negative feedback. “Have we reached a place within social media adoption where a
company can, or should, use solicited or unsolicited comments, remarks or feedback as a part of an employee’s performance plan? Only you can decide, but recognise there are benefits and risks and be prepared to modify and enhance as this area continues to develop,” adds Lupfer. Elizabeth Lupfer will be expanding on these ideas at The Social
Workplace Conference on 1 November, at the Cavendish Conference Centre in London (
www.crexia.com/conferences/social-workplace).
not wonderful. I have been saying for some time that ‘good enough is no longer good enough’. With employees in possession of more rights – and therefore costing more – than they ever have in history, it is entirely appropriate to coach and guide them – and ultimately discipline them if necessary, to ensure they meet all of your reasonable standards.” There is a degree of confusion in some quarters as to the difference
between performance management and talent management. The latter has become so broad that people may use it in reference to anything from recruitment through to succession planning. One view is talent management is about proactively managing the attraction, development, deployment and retention of the organisation’s highest quality employees. This differs from performance management, which encompasses all employees within the organisation. The key is to identify the right high-calibre staff to participate in
talent management initiatives, using objective rather than subjective data. “Usually this involves making sure relevant competencies are in place to assess staff against set criteria and then implement a structured career development assessment procedure to objectively measure potential,” says Rachel Blackburn, director of management consultancy US2U Consulting. “This process involves psychometric assessment tools. Most clients have surprises when we complete this process and then we work with them to get the best from the talent they have, rather than over-promote employees, which usually results in stressful circumstances for all parties involved.” It should be noted that recent legal developments have contributed
to an increased focus on continuous assessment throughout employment. With the end of the default retirement age earlier this
hrmagazine.co.uk
challenge staff tend to have with performance reviews
is theydon’t think performance reviews
areuseful Mike Carden/Sonar6
year, it is no longer possible to let under-performing employees simply ‘drift’ to retirement. Kevin McCavish, partner and national head of employment at law
firm Shoosmiths, advises that older employees need to be performance-managed just like any other employee, because their employment can no longer be terminated simply when they reach a certain age. Where they cannot substantiate selection for redundancy with prior performance appraisals, an employer is likely to struggle to show they dismissed an employee fairly for redundancy, McCavish asserts. The pressure is on to heighten performance – but applying it
with all the subtlety of a thumbscrew is not the way to get the best results. HR
October 2011 HR 47 Certainly thebiggest
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