HR Planning for 2021
We have survived a lot this year. As we enter the holidays and start to plan for 2021, we need to consider our focus. Many organizations may prioritize their bottom line, sales & revenue to stay afloat, expanding to cover untapped markets, or pushing for governmental regulation changes to support their business efforts. These are all valid and important; however, they may miss the most essential point. Without engaged employees, all this is moot.
Your employees are the lifeblood of your organization. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in healthcare, food manufacturing, or technology – your employees are the gears, the grease, and the gas that keeps the wheels spinning. It’s essential to keep this in mind and practice good maintenance – especially when you’re driving uphill – as 2020 has felt for many of us.
Over the years, we have found one thing consistent concerning engaged employees – everyone needs direction. As we start in 2021, employees must know where they are going and how they will get there. Whether it’s establishing goals through a formal performance process or meeting with your direct reports to help them outline what they should be focusing on this next year, there a wide range of practices you can employ.
Here are our top ten things to consider for 2021 as it relates to employees:
Celebrate – Acknowledge the wins and losses as we start the new year. You know both you and your staff have been through a tremendous amount. You can share accomplishments from your employees’ children’s home-schooling, personal fitness goals, and or creative & artistic achievements. Inevitably, there have been some losses along the way too, and if you choose to acknowledge those, please consider compassion and consent first and foremost.
Recognize – Recognize staff that has stepped up to the plate. Public acknowledgments are suitable when appropriate, but genuine and sincere appreciation truly goes a long way. Make a point to go out your way to recognize these employees 1-on-1, however, feels comfortable for you.
Draft and implement a Strategic Plan – Providing employees direction needs to come from the top down. If you haven’t put in place a strategic plan, you should do so.
Start the Performance Management Life Cycle – Create or remind everyone of their reviews being up next at-bat. Performance reviews need not be a daunting nor intimidating process if done right. They can be an integral part of employee development, empowering them in growth and expansion. Do you have messaging to consider? Has anything changed in the process?
Create an Interactive Performance Management Experience – Even though we are already working remotely, having an interactive performance management experience is vital. Whether conducting reviews over Zoom or utilizing other various platforms, this process can bring stress on both sides. Consider being open and honest – merely making it a more casual interactive will help alleviate stress. Employees and managers are uneasy at times during review time – what can you do to remove that stress and strain?
Training – Inquire with your employees what kind of training they may be desiring to do their job better and assist them with it. Offer time and or financial assistance and other resources to help them along. You may also consider supporting them in training programs outside of the workspace – personal engagement can also lead to professional engagement, and feeling supported lends a hand to that.
Compensation – Make sure you have the budget in place to review outcomes and potential promotions. Let’s face it – no one wants to work for free. People want to be rewarded for their efforts, and it’s your job to make sure the business provides enough to meet those goals.
Compensation Strategy – Do you have a compensation strategy in place yet? This is an oft-overlooked piece of compensation management. High-level strategies can help outline your efforts and communicate to your employees that you care about the long-term and short-term.
360 Reviews – Consider adding on 360 reviews for staff to give the leadership more feedback. This process can establish valuable insights for management and naturally empower employees to contribute to the organization differently.
Plan for Implementation and Follow-up – After you have accomplished all of the above, check-in with staff on operationalizing it. Do you need to create any dashboards to measure the metrics you outlined in the strategic plan, performance reviews, etc.? Set quarterly and monthly reminders to check back in on progress. Delivering on what you promise also shows employees that you’re committed – another thing that will lead to them feeling empowered and engaged.
Try getting this done in the next few weeks and start this year off right. If you need help on any of this – or any HR, Compensation, Recruitment, or Organizational Development – we are your best choice.
Contact us today at info@futuresense.com or 888-336-0909 or matt@futuresense.com