The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to a range of content on employee performance management, including a selection of articles from premium databases. Access to full text articles is provided for ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to the conditions listed in the terms of use statement.
If you have any difficulty accessing these electronic resources, please see our help page for further guidance. The page also provides search tips and tricks that you may find useful.
Displaying 1-40 of 40 results
Exclusive
Reframing employee health: Moving beyond burnout to holistic health
- 02 Nov 2023
- Jacqueline Brassey, Brad Herbig, Barbara Jeffery, Drew Ungerman
A survey conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute across 30 countries provides insights into how organizations can prioritize the holistic health of their employees. Positive work experiences are associated with better holistic health, increased innovation, and improved job performance. The article suggests that organizations should prioritize employee health as a strategic imperative and align it with their broader environmental, social, and governance framework.
Exclusive
Should AI make layoff decisions?
- 01 Jul 2023
- Dave Zielinksi
Research shows more HR leaders are using algorithms to recommend workforce reductions based on employee performance. Typical algorithms might evaluate skills data, performance data, work status data (e.g., full-time, part-time or contractor), and attendance data. But researchers say HR professionals also need to have a good understanding of performance aspects that algorithms might miss.
Exclusive
Root out gender and ethnicity bias in performance reviews
- 01 Oct 2022
- Judy Ellis
Give managers guidance on setting objective criteria to evaluate staff performance, and teach them to recognise their biases. Judy Ellis has some advice on strengthening your organization's performance appraisal system in light of your diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals.
Exclusive
Performance management shouldn’t kill collaboration
- 01 Sep 2022
- Heidi K. Gardner, Ivan Matviak
Companies today need cross-silo collaboration to survive a volatile competitive environment but often their performance management systems discourage it. The authors outline specific ways companies can retool their performance management systems in order to boost collaboration. Includes implementing a four-part performance scorecard for every employee that establishes shared goals for tackling big challenges while still holding people accountable for delivering individual results.
Exclusive
Management accounting systems and performance measurement at Lean companies
- 01 Jun 2021
- Lawrence P.Grasso, Thomas Tyson
Results from a survey of manufacturers interested in or actively engaged in Lean manufacturing and Lean production. The authors' research supports the common perception that Lean transformation of the accounting function lags behind other areas. Respondents reported on the business performance improvement their facility had achieved due to Lean initiatives.
Exclusive
Employee appraisals and the calibration process
- 01 Nov 2020
- Will Demere, Karen Sedatole, Alexander Woods
The article discusses the calibration process in employees' annual performance appraisal. It states that involving higher-level managers on the process will prevent bias and favouritism, thus preventing negative feedback affecting employee motivation. It suggests that this process will improve consistency and increase employee satisfaction.
Exclusive
Appraising the performance appraisal
- 01 Jan 2020
- Deanna M Merritt
Article analyses the performance appraisal process and makes suggestions on how to improve it.
Exclusive
CFOs: How to enable finance as a business partner
- 20 Mar 2019
- Neil James
How to use the integrated business planning (IBP) approach to support finance business partnering in your organisation. Neil James explains how IBP can allow finance business partners to create a less resource-intensive, 'little and often' financial planning process. It can also be used in various elements of decision support and performance appraisal by the finance business partner, such as new product introduction, scenario planning, budgetary control, alignment of KPIs and risk management.
Exclusive
Feedback doesn't always work
- 01 Mar 2019
- Marcus Buckingham, Ashley Goodall
Article discusses how giving employees feedback, whether it be positive or negative may not be as effective as believed and may actually negatively affect an employees development.
Exclusive
Revision of performance measurement tools and methods
- 01 Jan 2019
- Alladyn Elmgasbi
The article discusses and compares several popular performance measurement tools and methods, including: the Balanced Scorecard, Tableau de bord, Skandia Navigator, Intangible Assets Monitor, German Scorecard, Business Excellence Model, Dutch system of performance management, Performance Prism and the EFQM Excellence Model.
Exclusive
The fairness factor
- 01 Jun 2018
- Bryan Hancock, Elizabeth Hioe, Bill Schaninger
Discusses the role of fairness in performance management, including employee perceptions, business priorities, arbitration and rewarding success. The article also looks at the use of digital technologies in performance management.
Exclusive
"Getting our managers to change is the most powerful thing we've done"
- 01 Jun 2018
- Jo Faragher
The article reports on the growing number of companies replacing annual employee and business appraisals with a more frequent evaluation scheme. Topics discussed include the factors behind the growing move away from annual appraisals, the factors that may influence the success or failure of changes to the annual appraisal and the benefits and potential negative effects of regular discussions or appraisals.
Exclusive
Agility in HR
- 01 Mar 2018
- Peter Cappelli, Anna Tavis
Human resources departments are adapting to the changing business environment and employment culture. This article looks at the biggest changes affecting talent management, employee training and performance appraisals.
Exclusive
Annual reviews: difficult conversations made easier
- 01 Dec 2017
The article offers information on the result of annual performance review of office employees in the U.S. as of 2017. Topics discussed annual review discussions topics including agreement to an agenda beforehand, agreement for short set of goals, and formation of difficult conversations empathetically.
Exclusive
Ahead of the curve
- 01 Sep 2017
- Shruti Chadha
Article looks at how the days of traditional appraisals and forced ranking are coming to an end, performance management is now a tool for greater employee engagement and states that organisations should closely examine their performance processes and push toward simplification and strength-based assessment and coaching.
Exclusive
How am I doing? How top companies review performance.
- 01 Sep 2017
- Scott Murphy, Matthew J Mowry
The article focuses on how companies review the performance of employees. One company has a formal quarterly feedback system with each quarter dedicated to a different topic. Some companies say that adding a mid-year review helps the professional development to corporate goals and increases communication between employees and management.
Exclusive
Should performance be linked to pay? For decades, companies have given bonuses and raises based on employee performance. But is this truly the most effect way of ensuring each employee gives their best?
- 01 Jun 2017
- Amanda Visser
The article discusses giving of bonuses and raises based on employee performance due to direct link between employees performance and pay or increases received and reasons behind its increased use in industry. Topics discussed include views of David Rock, co-founder of the Neuroleadership Institute, on removing ratings may lead human resource executives a little crazy, performance reviews due to changing nature of working in teams and need of developing people faster across the board.
Exclusive
"You had one job..": Why do some staff fail to perform and what can an employer do about it?
- 01 Apr 2017
- Jo Faragher
The article reports on the role of personnel management in the evaluation of job performance. It discusses the management of expectations of both the employee and employer, the use of feedback apart from formal annual reviews, and dealing with productivity and motivation issues and their causes.
Exclusive
Plan for improved performance
- 01 Dec 2016
- Kristine Bainbridge
The article offers information on a performance improvement plan (PIP) as a great way for supervisors to coach the employee to become productive. It mentions that supervisors need to consider placing an employee on a PIP in addition to carrying out performance appraisals. It states that the first step is to distinguish the discrepancy between the actual measurement of performance and the previously established goals when supervisors identify that an employee is not performing well
Exclusive
Let's not kill performance evaluations yet
- 01 Nov 2016
- Lori Goler, Janelle Gale, Adam Grant
Article looks at the fact that many companies have stopped performance appraisals altogether and details Facebook's reasons for retaining employee evaluations and the methods they use.
Exclusive
The performance management revolution
- 01 Oct 2016
- Peter Cappelli, Anna Tavis
The authors explain how performance management has evolved over the decades and why current thinking has shifted - traditional performance appraisals have been abandoned by more than a third of U.S. companies.
Exclusive
Bell curve - time to bid adieu?
- 01 Aug 2016
- Priyanka Kumar
The article focuses on the Bell Curve used by companies to differentiate the performance of employees. For many years, it has been the only tool utilized by industry to rate employees' performance. The accuracy of the bell curve is in doubt as it encourages a mindset of distributive rewards instead of encouraging improved performance. The philosophy behind the bell curve which measures relative contribution and performance encourages a sense of unhealthy competition and negativity.
Exclusive
Why one firm ditched performance reviews
- 01 Aug 2016
- Sheryl Smolkin
The article reports that accounting firm Crowe Horwath LLP has eliminated traditional annual performance reviews and made Measure What Matters program that requires all employers to have more informal meetings. It states that with removal of the ratings scale, a signal is used as an indicator to show whether employees are on track or are at risk. It mentions that Crowe Horwath faces a challenge communicating to employees how raises and bonuses are linked to the achievement.
Exclusive
Transforming the annual performance review
- 01 May 2016
- Halogen Software
The article offers suggestions on practices to help transforming the annual performance to employee centred strategy and ways to align workforce for organizational priorities. Topics discussed include revising and reviewing goals quarterly to ensure that workers stay focused, regular discussion regarding developmental plans with continuous 360-degree feedback assessments of employees for appraisals; and sharing project review.
Exclusive
Measuring people doesn't improve performance
- 01 Apr 2016
- Stacey Barr
The article argues that measuring employees' performance to rank them does not help in improving the performance of a business organization. Topics discussed include people feeling being judged when the manager monitors their performance that reinforces a downward spiral in the organizational performance, people hiding a performance problem in order to make the performance look good, and need for reframing an accountability structure to motivate employees to improve business performance
Exclusive
Ahead of the curve: the future of performance management
- 01 Apr 2016
- Boris Ewenstein, Bryan Hancock, Asmus Komm
The article looks at the changes in the way companies evaluate the performance of their employees. Topics discussed include the increasing number of companies that are rethinking what constitutes employee performance, the collection of objective performance data through systems that automate real-time analyses, and the decision of some companies to sever the link between evaluation and compensation.
Exclusive
Are performance reviews dead?
- 01 Mar 2016
- Sheryl Smolkin
Discusses the re-design of performance management systems in favour of a more informal approach. Looks at the performance management journey of companies such as Eli Lilly & Co., General Electric and Deloitte.
Exclusive
Appraisals are finished: what's next?
- 01 Sep 2015
- Hayley Kirton
The article discusses the elimination of performance reviews by organizations such as the professional services agent Accenture, and the opportunity for Human Resource departments to re-evaluate the way organizations assess and manage performance. Topics include the tendency for large companies to move towards less formal, more frequent methods of performance management, the use of coaching and frequent feedback to focus on development, and the importance of creating a trusting environment.
Exclusive
Bright shiny objects and the future of HR
- 01 Jul 2015
- John Boudreau, Steven Rice
A case study of Californian technology firm Juniper Networks' research-led approach to annual performance reviews and other talent management challenges. The HR department's initiatives have created a better prepared and empowered talent pool.
Exclusive
Reinventing performance management
- 01 Apr 2015
- Marcus Buckingham, Ashley Goodall
This article outlines how Deloitte modernised its employee evaluation system, abandoning cascading objectives, annual reviews, and 360-degree feedback tools. The new system focuses more on improving future performance than on assessing the past. Underpinned by a new method of collecting reliable performance data, it emphasises speed, agility, individualisation, and continuous learning.
Exclusive
Appraisal nightmares
- 01 Aug 2014
Several human resource (HR) professionals discuss their memorable employee appraisal interviews. Topics of the experiences include a female research and design (R&D) manager slapping a male engineering manager, a manager who brought employees receiving good reviews to a restaurant for chocolate cake, and a restaurant manager who arranged for an appraisal interview with a female employee in a hotel room.
Exclusive
Organizational performance management: Examining the practical utility of the performance prism
- 01 Sep 2013
- David Hassan, Ian O'Boyle
Paper analysing how practical the 'Performance Prism' performance management tool is for organizations to use. The various components of The Performance Prism are discussed, followed by a case study examining its use within the UK division of the delivery company DHL.
Exclusive
Where does employee recognition fit into a development review?
- 21 Aug 2013
- Ian Silvera
The article discusses the significance of performance development reviews (PDRs) to identify an employee's performance and progress during the year. It mentions the move of employers to shift to crowd-sourced PDRs with social recognition system that motivates the employees to recognise each other for great work.
Exclusive
How to improve staff performance
- 10 Feb 2012
- Rachael Jessop
The article offers suggestions on how to manage the employee performance. It mentions reasons for which the employee dismissal is permitted under law on the basis of poor performance including the employee not incapable of carrying out the job properly, and the employment of a fair procedure for the dismissal. It suggests businesses to investigate the problem, deal with the issue confidentially, and offer the employee the opportunity to improve.
Exclusive
A new era of performance management
- 01 Oct 2011
- Ann Pace
Some organizations are ditching their old employee performance appraisal systems and embracing a new method for managing employee performance: coaching and development. Despite this, a study by Bersin and Associates found that managers' inability to coach is the number one performance management challenge.
Exclusive
Boardroom quotas fail to convince senior women
- 24 Feb 2011
- Claire Churchard
Lord Davies' review avoided recommending mandatory quotas for women, instead opting for a more deep-seated approach to bring about culture change. A number of senior female leaders contacted by People Management magazine were also not convinced by quotas, although Standard Life and Imperial Oil non-executive director Sheelagh Whittaker supported the concept of quotas for women, to speed up female board membership beyond the 10 percent level.
Exclusive
How to address poor performance
- 25 Nov 2010
- Kate Russell
The article offers tips on how employers should address poor staff performance. The capability of an employee to do the job should be assessed and the company's standards for work performance should be communicated to employees with efficiency. Performance problem may be addressed by regular objective feedback and employees should be given time to improve.
Exclusive
The art and science of target setting
- 01 Sep 2010
- Mike Bourne, Monica Franco-Santos, Javier Marcos
Little consensus exists on the true effects of performance targets on staff. The authors highlight the challenges in setting performance targets, which can lead staff to engage in dysfunctional behaviour. Based on their two-year study of target-setting practices in sales organisations, they recommend a 10-way process to improve performance targets.
Exclusive
Linking strategy to operations: six stages to execution
- 01 Dec 2008
- Andrew Pateman
Andrew Pateman discusses the importance of successfully executing corporate strategies in order to achieve success in business. Generally organizations' success at strategy execution is low, with most finding it difficult to deliver on their plans. He explains the basics of using the Balanced Scorecard as part of a holistic performance management system (the Execution Premium Process model) that delivers results by achieving a solid connection between strategic planning and operational execution.
Exclusive
From soft to strong
- 06 Sep 2007
- Anat Arkin
Kimberly-Clark's new performance management system means at least five per cent of staff must be rated as poor performers. Has this harder - but fairer - cultural approach delivered the goods?
Displaying 1-40 of 40 results
- See all our HR journals and magazines
- Search our database of online articles (Business Source Corporate)
Terms of use
You are permitted to access articles subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.