STRATEGIC HUMAN RESORUCES
Performance Management, Development, and Branding
Maria Franco-Cortes
Liberty University
STRATEGIC HUMAN RESORUCES
Performance Management, Development, and Branding
Employee Performance Management and Appraisal Processes
The management of any company devises activities to help employees improve their
output at work. Employees have a set of goals to meet during a specific period, and they work
diligently to see that they are met at the end of that time. These activities are a part of the
organization's process for managing performance. A company has a set of objectives it must
meet. By keeping an eye on their employees' performance, management hopes to stay focused on
their jobs and do them well to meet their performance targets. Organizations use appraisals in
their daily operations as a part of their employee management. The formal evaluation of
organizations' employees to determine whether or not they are doing their jobs effectively is
called performance appraisal. When an organization sets a standard for employee performance, it
measures how well they have met it. The results of the evaluation are discussed with the
employees by the company's upper management. Outstanding employees are recognized with
promotions or raise in salary. Whoever is found wanting in an evaluation is given training in
other organizations to help them improve their performance. There is always the possibility of
losing or moving some employees.
Management must define what they expect from employees in terms of work
performance, according to Keller (2014). A clear definition aids employees in understanding
what is expected of them by the employer. They know what to do every day at work to achieve
their personal goals and the companies. According to Keller (2014), as the evaluation period
progresses, an employer should develop a rating scale to mark the employee's performance. In
some cases, organizations will use the ranking to evaluate employee performance by listing how
well they performed. Management by objectives is another method of appraisal. Here, the
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employee and manager agree on what they want to accomplish and how long it should take for
their efforts to bear fruit. The period comes to an end with an evaluation.
Employee Training and Career Development Processes
Employee development as a strategic tool is critical for an organization's long-term
growth, ability to retain key employees, and productivity. Employee development occurs when
an organization recognizes that its employees are its backbone and must be developed to make it
easier to achieve its goals. With the changing tides of history, challenges in the employees' line of
work evolve. When employees are trained, they are better prepared to handle whatever comes
their way on the job. When it comes to staying competitive in a field, both the organization and
the employees need to be taking steps to develop their skills.
The best way to develop employees is to provide training for them. Employee training
takes place in a setting that acknowledges the need for employees to keep up with and learn new
skills to be successful in their current and future jobs. According to Hardy (1990), an
organization's management must use various training methods to ensure their growth on the job.
Hardy mentions coaching as a method of employee training. One way to coach someone is to
contact an experienced professional who can give them advice on their field of work while also
helping them learn new skills that will help them perform better at work and advance in their
careers.
Mentoring is a different approach. To mentor, less experienced employees are placed
under the guidance of more experienced ones. In this setup, the more experienced employee gets
to train the less experienced employee on the skills they lack and helps develop them through
formal or informal programs. Organizations benefit from formal mentoring programs by
reducing turnover because it ensures employees are well-equipped to meet various job demands.
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A person's career progresses in an organization because of employee training and growth. Both
employees and employers are cognizant that the workplace is dynamic and that job requirements
are constantly shifting. Organizations set up formal training programs to give employees more
skills and ensure they are ready for new challenges and opportunities as their careers progress.
Hardy (1990) argues that a company that values its employees should invest in training them for
both their immediate and long-term professional needs.
Differentiators of a Branded Approach to Employee Recruitment
The importance of a company's employer brand cannot be overstated. It is all about
positioning as the best option for potential employees. A job seeker looks for an employer who
can provide them with their ideal work environment. Employer branding aims to make sure that
it is the company that can fulfill the dreams and visions of the employer (Valentine et al., 2019).
An employer brand is a perception of the employer held by those currently employed by it and
those who may join in the future. Companies do branding by taking measures to ensure that the
company's values, personality, and work culture match the needs and aspirations of potential
employees about the working environment (Valentine et al., 2019). Instead of lying about the
work environment the organization can provide to attract employees; employer branding models
the organization's ideal working environment based on the critical needs of potential hires.
A low employee turnover rate is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a branded
approach to employee recruitment and selection. Employees tend to stay with an organization for
a long time when the employer has built their brand to meet the needs of both current and future
employees. Employees are looking for a specific quality in an employer before accepting a job
offer. Security, appraisals, job training, and career development are some of the needs employees
might have. They stay longer when current employees realize their employer provides almost all
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of their needs in terms of a workplace (Waters, 2017). The frequency with which employees
leave a company can give prospective employees insight into the company's values. Because of
the low staff turnover, the organization's current employees are satisfied with the work
environment, which keeps them (Valentine et al., 2019). Employees who are happy with their
jobs promote the company to others, leading to new hires.
A company's ability to attract and retain top talent is another differentiator of an
employee-branded strategy. Because of their established brand, outstanding companies can
attract and retain the best employees. Apart from that, employees wish to be associated with the
best companies and to have the impression they are part of a big family within the organization
itself. The ability of a company to attract and retain top-tier employees is directly linked to its
brand recognition. A company's ability to attract top talent in the various departments they
provide at the workplace increases if it has effectively and attractively branded itself. The
organization's involvement in the workplace or societal causes is the third way it differs.
Employers demonstrate their values when they donate to worthy causes like a cancer center fund
drive. If an organization sponsors a training program to improve the skills of its employees, it
becomes more attractive to both current and future employees, making it stand out from the
competition.
Strategic HR Recommendations for Improving Employee Recruitment
Employers are an organization's backbone, so the recruitment and selection processes
they use are critical. When an organization treats its current employees well, it has a better
chance of attracting top candidates in the future. The use of employee referrals is recommended
by HR when it comes to recruiting and selecting new employees. No one knows a company like
the people who work there. Current employees are well-versed in the company's culture, goals,
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values, dynamics of the team, and day-to-day activities (Acikgoz, 2019). These individuals are
best suited to market the company and recruit top talent to fill organizational skill gaps. While
employee referrals are more effective when made in person, employers can also look online to
find top-notch employees they can hire. Employers can use social media sites like Facebook and
LinkedIn as practical recruitment tools. LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and other professional
social networking sites allow employers to post job openings. LinkedIn, in particular, is an
excellent resource for employers looking for candidates with the requisite skills and expertise for
specific positions (Pan et al., 2021).
It is also a good idea to hire for attitude first, and then train them on the skills they need.
Instead of focusing on a candidate's technical skills or expertise, employers can hire for attitude
instead. The pool of potential employees is larger when employers prioritize attitude over skills
because people's lack of experience excludes them (Acikgoz, 2019). As soon as they have been
hired, these employees will learn new skills and receive general training because they have the
right attitude. Because the tools of the trade are constantly evolving in modern times, employers
must place a higher value on attitude than on skills. In four years, the skills employees use today
may be obsolete. As a result, retraining will be necessary for employees in order to meet the new
challenges. Attitude-aligned employees are less expensive to train, which saves the company
money (Valentine et al., 2019).
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References
Acikgoz, Y. (2019). Employee recruitment and job search: Towards a multi-level
integration. Human Resource Management Review, 29(1), 1-
13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2018.02.009
Hardy, L. (1990). The Fabric of This World: Inquiries into Calling, Career Choice, and the
Design of Human Work (Edition Unstated ed.). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Keller, T. (2014). Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work (Reprint ed.).
Penguin Books.
Pan, Y., Froese, F., Liu, N., Hu, Y., & Ye, M. (2021). The adoption of artificial intelligence in
employee recruitment: The influence of contextual factors. International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2021.1879206
Valentine, S. R., Meglich, P., Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2019). Human Resource
Management (16th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Waters, S. (2017). Adapt or die: Your business will suffer if your employees aren't flexible. HR
Magazine (Alexandria, Va.), 62(5), 114.
