360 Degree Feedback

Employee Appraisals are a very important part of any organisation to better reflect on its performance and effectiveness within any given environment. Assessments are normally conducted by line mangers, supervisors and team leaders at some places of work, however it's has come to light that these kind of appraisals are not very effective and efficient due to the simple fact that they are bias oriented or conducted in a very flaccid manner. Bringing into light the 360 Degree Feedback as the best way of conducting appraisals unlike the traditional ways of assessment.

360 Degree Feedback appraisal is an all round assessment and the most likely to given unbiased and accurate data to best explain the performance of each individual assessed. 360 degree (or 360⁰) feedback, and sometimes simply called 360 feedback, is a performance appraisal system that gathers feedback on an individual from a number of sources, typically including colleagues, direct reports and customers. Its supporters claim that this gives managers and individuals better information about skills and performance, as well as working relationships, compared with more traditional appraisal arrangements based on line managers’ assessment.

With 360 degree feedback, typically eight to 10 people complete questionnaires describing the individual performance. Often individuals fill out a questionnaire for themselves too, assessing their own performance.

The rationale is that, in more complex organisations, managers may not always fully understand the contribution of the people they manage – as they may be part of many different teams and engage in autonomous or semi-autonomous relationships with customers or colleagues.  There is therefore a strong argument for obtaining wide-ranging information to form an accurate picture of performance. Unless social networks have managed to get all these employees access to one another then the problem of biased data might continue to be a stumbling block. Therefore a thoroughly drafted, schemed report and or a questionnaire must be structured with policy mandated information to yield the best results that not increase performance but motivates those being assessed.

360 Degree Feedback does not only increase performance within a work environment but morale and integration because the employees are involved or rather have a say in the reviews of their superiors that are part of the greater picture. Engaging employees in these vital decision making and life changing models elevates the organisation to a democratic and healthy work relationship that is guaranteed to satisfy all the stakeholders.

At Humba HR Consultants we guarantee to draft a bespoke report, questionnaire and we guarantee to research intensively so that your 360 Degree Feedback appraisal works only for this particular organisation and its employees. Employees are very important assets of any given organisation and with that in mind we should reward them with the best incentives, respect and remuneration. 

Employee Engagement

Engagement is cause for someone to become involved, committed, attract or occupy. Often most people wonder why do employers seek the attention and involvement of their employees. The answer is not as simple as we are made to think, although there is much need for employees to be involved some employees commit themselves for the wrong reasons and hence the outcome is not forthcoming. Employee Engagement is a policy which promotes motivation, morale and in most cases delivery of top-notch work related  results.

There are a lot of things which are now cause for concern and which have realised the importance of employees engagement. In Europe there has been a lot of recession and in some cases double deep recession that's has seen many organisations and companies go in administration leading to loss of jobs and businesses. In the previous topics we have been taking about communications and its unequivocal importance to any given organisation that invests in its employees and their well being as a whole. In most highlighted cases we have noticed that it takes a motivated, engaged and committed workforce to deliver the highest standard of first class level. Therefore a business can have all the inputs, capital but without this vital ingredient it's bound to fail at some point because in employee engagement lies the future. Reassuring the employees through involvement in decision making is crucial in these difficult job market and also reaffirm their secured job posts for the future.

The video below illustrates how important the concept is and relates to most segments of the organisation, especially since we used it on our organisational development project as well. Watch it-:

And in the following video another remarkable presentation to highlight the grey areas in the whole ethical platform without any prevarication towards the effort and essential hard work contributed by the entirety of hardworking employees working towards one goal as one team. 

Employee Engagement is a critical and delicate policy that needs a procured approach which is supported by precedence and strategic structures which have worked or potential to work. The supporting aspect such communication and skill group assists the whole organisation to move forward in a lucrative manner increasing the chances of the enhancement of the business to both employer and employees. Although we realise the importance of incentives and bonuses these programmes might not be enough to counteract the involvement employees are expecting, therefore making them part of the future is a start and developing their skills to affirm their worthiness is of great importance.

Communication and Consultation

Communication is defined as the imparting or exchange of information or news, while Consultation is defined as the action or process of formally consulting or discussing. These two aspects underline the importance of formalities within any given business, organisation or company's statutes-fundamentals-objectives mainly because without them you will find yourself in a very much difficult position. In many organisations these are initially handles by the Human Resources Department who work as the contact for the business and have the sole responsibility of recruiting, training, develop and retain you as an employee if you are deemed the right candidate for the position available. Formal communication is established through correspondences that are dated and recorded for future references. Where interviews are conducted consultations will follow which will effectively establish a basis of further communication whether formally or informally.

There for the duration of your time with your employer a paper trail has to be recorded as evidence of your relationship with the employer. The information will also have your CV and other work related qualifications and or other skills that you gain as you continue to work with your employer. In most instances it's updated on a regular basis which includes the mandatory training that is taken annually or were expected. Therefore every employee is entitled to both these vital aspects which bind not only the employees but the end result of aiming to meet the main objective. Consultations are normally a follow-up on any primary communications made prior to any discussion. The Human Resources Department is obliged to maintain a mandated form of formal communications and consultation, however there are informal structures which threaten all the efficiency of formalities which come in form of grapevine and so- forth but better explained in the following paragraph.

 Communication and consultation involves a dialogue between employer and employee, which can help to build the ways in which employees feel valued by their employer and the employer values (and is seen to value) the employees’ contributions. You’ll find here information on employee communication, involvement and participation, employee voice, consultation and representation, and works councils. This factsheet looks at internal communication rather than external communication (for example, with customers, investors or other stakeholders). It may be helpful to read it in conjunction with our factsheet on ‘employee voice’ which covers the history of employee involvement, the mechanisms of two-way communications, and its potential benefits. Our factsheets on employee voice, engagement and branding are also relevant.

Two-way communication involves management talking to employees, and listening to responses and taking action in relation to those responses. Good two-way communication can help to build the psychological contract, in which employees feel valued by their employer, and the employer values (and is seen to value) their employees’ contributions. Our factsheet gives more information.

Information Consultation - Summarises the Code of Practice on Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006 launched by the Irish government on 20 March 2008. The code aims to assist employers, employees and their representatives to develop effective arrangements for information and consultation in accordance with the provisions of the Employees (Provision of Information and Consultation) Act 2006. http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/Employment%20relations.pdf

There are many ways of implementing effective communication structures that can almost certainly secure a successful organisation but there has to be thoroughly researched proposals which have to be integrated fundamentally for the benefit of the whole organisation. Barriers and Hindrances are possible threats that can possibly affect the future projections mainly because the strategy was wrong to start of with but with a carefully structured strategy, communication supported by efficient consultations can yield magnificent collaboration which can maintain a resounding lucrative day to day business. Even in our daily lives good communication practice has always yield healthy relationships. 

Management and Business Skills.

Management and Business skills are the cornerstone of any business literally speaking. These skills although in some people they come natural in many cases they are taught and improved over time and through comprehensive  various experiences. Charismatic leaders normally have this quality and improve their articulacy embed in them - metaphorically! These two quality work in close relation because for an organisation or company to exist these are the orchestrators of the objectives fundamentally underlined for the intended business. Hence defining skill as the ability to do something well - expert. 

While we are looking at these major topics we also need to realise and acknowledge that not everyone can adapt to these skills. However over time promotions arise and see others shifted to these high profile positions mainly because of great track records or precedence within a company/organisation they might be obliged to second individuals for promotion. Therefore these individuals will have to be educated, coached and assessed before they are fully assigned to these tasks in order to get in sync with the working environment.

The UK’s prosperity depends on how many people are in work and how productive these people are in the workplace. Skills, and how they are used, are a key determinant of labour productivity. Increases in skills levels thus translate into higher productive and prosperity for the UK economy. Higher overall skills levels and also lead to greater social cohesion.

For individuals, skills are important for their employment and earning potential as this is dependent on skills levels, for instance employment rates for the least qualified have fallen almost every year from 1992. Skills are also associated with a range of non-financial benefits such as improved health and wellbeing. For further information on the value of skills, see the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) report on the value of skills¹.

In order to improve the UK’s skills profile it is not enough to focus on initial education and training. On the contrary, almost two thirds of the 2020 work force is already at work, so continuing workforce training and development, adult training and vocational training are more important than ever to the UK’s prosperity.

Line managers are those managers to whom individual employees or teams directly report and who have responsibility to a higher level of management for those employees or teams.

The term ‘front-line managers’ is rather more specific and normally refers to line managers in the lower layers of the management hierarchy – that is, where the employees who report to them do not themselves have any managerial or supervisory responsibility. Front-line managers are often promoted from within and are unlikely to have formal management education.

Typically the management responsibilities carried out by line managers (particularly front-line managers) might include:

• day-to-day people management
• managing operational costs
• providing technical expertise
• organisation of work allocation and rotas
• monitoring work processes
• checking quality
• dealing with customers/clients
• measuring operational performance.

As examined in detail below, line managers in many organisations also carry out activities that have traditionally fallen within the remit of HR such as providing coaching and guidance, undertaking performance appraisals and dealing with discipline and grievances. They also often carry out tasks such as recruitment and selection or pastoral care in conjunction with HR. 

 http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/5837%20Employee%20Outlook%20(WEB).pdf