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Performance management processes, including individual reviews, have the potential to foster the growth, development, and engagement of your people. Despite knowing that a happy team equates to happy clients and happy pets, we often struggle to make take the time to learn how to deliver a review process. This process will help your business recognise and reward your people fairly and equitably while identifying skill gaps and opportunities for improving performance. In other words, reviews can help you to invest in and retain the right people.
According to the Gallup State of the Workplace 2022 Report – the statistics are grim.
Source: Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2022 Report Employee Engagement
The performance review process provides you with the opportunity to review why you do what you do and what makes your practice special. However, most importantly, it highlights a person’s individual contribution to making it all happen.
Who wouldn’t want to sit down with their manager on a regular basis to hear that their work matters and this is how it matters?
Unfortunately, this often isn’t the message we give your individual team members when we sit down with them to discuss their performance.
Sometimes this is due to a lack of time, but other times it’s due to a lack of training. And despite our best-laid plans, rather than listening to understand and then discussing the opportunities for improvement and growth, we concentrate on the things they aren’t doing ‘right. And while we all can appreciate constructive criticism, it is really only taken as constructive when it is equally balanced with constructive positive feedback.
No doubt none of this is a great revelation to many of you. So the million-dollar question is: How do we modify/start a process that will engage and motivate our team?
The famous response, “if it was easy everyone would be doing it”, comes to mind.
If you would like more structured help, at Vettr, we have a comprehensive 3-month program that will help you create an ongoing process to provide the results you are after.
Every element of your review process – each question, activity, and conversation – should align directly with the overall outcomes the practice wants to accomplish within the next 12 months and the strengths of your team.
I regularly get asked for help with what questions to ask in a review and the fact is, if you have clear quarterly goals, then the questions should write themselves.
As a manager, you play a critical role in any performance review process, including:
As part of your role as a manager, you should be having meaningful conversations about performance, progress, and growth with each member of your team at least twice per month. But before you start these check-in’s, we recommend a formal meeting to discuss the quarter goals you’ve set for your practice and any challenges the employee may see with their individual role.
If you’re concerned that you don’t have the skills to effectively have these essential conversations with your team members, the skills required can be learned and further developed over time.
Consider the next 3 months and define a focus by asking: What behaviours (not tasks) do you want to see changed in each of these areas?
For example…
The business:
The clients:
The team:
Start by specifically describing the difference between your goal and the current reality.
Use this system of questions to help you identify the gaps that currently exist:
Develop the necessary questions to encourage a conversation about what part their role plays within the wider practice and more specifically, determine what support the individual needs to help the team succeed in the above goals.
Hopefully, now you can see how the yearly review or even worse, the haphazard version of snap reviews when you think there is a ‘morale problem’ is often not the best solution.
While this process does take more time and thought, with 3 minor changes your practice can be well on its way to being more Team-Centric.
If this process seems like it’s way out of your comfort zone, or you just don’t think you have the time (or expertise) to do it successfully, then now is a great time to consider joining Vettr. You’ll not only benefit financially from our rebates BUT you’ll also have unlimited access to our Business Coaches who will guide and support you through this process.
Maybe now is the time to think about joining us – you can find out more here.
Animal Emergency Hospital Launceston (AEHL) is the only after-hours emergency veterinary clinic in Northern Tasmania. It was founded by Dr Lisa Reynolds in September 2023, who identified the need for an after-hours emergency service in the area. Although it...