What You Missed in July, 2021

This July, we saw themes of independence and a desire for increased control in a world where there is so much uncertainty.  People want their work to matter and feel like their actions directly impact the outcome.  As a Manager, it can be tempting to micromanage or be a bit more directive, but if we want to empower and develop our team, then we should be instilling a sense of autonomy.  Autonomy plays a pivotal role in an employee's experience, and in a period where retention and turnover are major points of focus, we need to spend time and energy on supporting our Team Members.  For that reason, in the month of July, our content highlighted some best practices for increasing Team Member autonomy. 

Enjoy revisiting these blogs and the many tips and tricks included with each blog post. Please help us expand our community by following us on LinkedIn and Facebook and continue to visit Truvelop’s blog for valuable insights into best practices in performance management, real-time feedback and employee engagement, and how to improve the overall employee experience.

Whether you are new to Truvelop or a veteran user, our team shares best practices for maximizing the app for optimum performance. From Evaluations to Risk Mitigation, we've got you covered.

Generally, employees can handle change, good news, bad news. What they can’t handle is no news. Employees want to be informed. A lack of information or communication from leadership can leave employees feeling isolated, affecting morale and confidence in job security. Ineffective communication can increase misunderstanding, impact trust, and foster hostility among employees. As employees begin returning to the office and companies adapt to a hybrid workplace with some employees working remotely, communication will be more important than ever before.

We’re nearly halfway through 2021. As we approach that midpoint, it’s a good time to check in on the goals set in January. It's important to consider independence, growth mindset, and reengagement as companies adjust paths to reach goals in the second half of the year.  

Maintaining production is important, but employers can also take this time to get creative and develop ways to increase engagement with employees. HR expert Tina Hamilton shares with SHRM that instead of fighting the summer slump, employers should embrace it, "You can't change people's feelings and emotions about wanting to be outside in summer. Allowing flexibility and encouraging time away from the office can help them focus when it's time to work."

We are thrilled to announce the addition of our Employee Resource Center to the Knowledge Center.  At Truvelop, we do a lot of work supporting and guiding our Managers.  Most of our resources are Manager facing and have been aids in “training the trainer.”  However, real, long-lasting performance change has to come from the employee.  A Manager can be doing all of the right things and sharing constant support and encouragement to their Team Members, but the Team Members need to have the ability to take their development into their own hands.  From this idea, our Employee Resource Center was born.  

Goal setting is the most customary practice in any workplace, but are we using the most efficient techniques? Knowing how to set goals is an important soft skill to have as a manager. According to OPM, “By aligning employee performance with organizational goals, supervisors direct their employees’ efforts toward maximizing accomplishments and supporting the agency’s strategic plans.” 

Company leaders and managers are inundated with more challenges and considerations around the workforce than ever before. How to transition back to the office? How to respond to the new, increased demand for work-from-home options? Can we require COVID-19 vaccinations? How do we adapt our production and revenue strategy around this new post-pandemic world? What new renovations to the office space will need to be considered?

Now that you have been collecting performance data on your direct reports and generating meaningful insights on the Team Member dashboard, what’s next? Truvelop helps guide you by providing suggested proactive management strategies to increase engagement and talent retention with your Team Members. Understanding where your team members stand to curate productive and meaningful feedback is the first step in propelling your organization towards success.

In the early stage of a start-up, founders typically surround themselves with like-minded visionaries who are willing to do what it takes to build a business from the ground up, taking on new duties and roles as needed as the business experienced rapid growth. For instance, the person responsible for business development eventually is also in charge of marketing, operations and HR. While this can work at first – sometimes even for years – eventually it becomes clear the current structure is not sustainable or scalable.

This month, we’ve put the focus on building Team Member autonomy.  That conversation also needs to include Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.  An essential part of autonomy lies in psychological safety, and a way to build psychological safety is to show your organization’s dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  By ensuring a safe workplace that uplifts and empowers all of your employees, you are creating an environment that allows your Team Members to feel confident and supported in all of their endeavors.  That level of safety gives people a stronger sense of control over their experience, as there has become an apparent emphasis on equitable opportunities.  They know that their actions dictate their outcomes and they will not be penalized because of what they look like or their experiences. Because of the importance DE&I plays in autonomy, we wanted to share some best practices to have an open and productive conversation surrounding DE&I.   

The Truvelop app is designed as a comprehensive tool for performance management with dozens of resources to support managers, providing tips for how to leverage the app, ways to communicate more effectively with employees based on their evaluation scores, and how to analyze team capacity based on evaluations and performance development.

However, we believe that the best approach to performance management is one that is rooted in two-way communication, which is why we have also developed a resource center for employees.

Up Next...

Heading into August, we are shifting the conversation towards Transparent Communication.  Employees want to know where they stand and want consistent, productive communication.  By communicating transparently, you are instilling trust between yourself and the Team Member while also staying proactive and promoting continuous development.  There are a lot of things that people are uncertain about, but what their Manager is thinking shouldn't be one of them.  

As always, we would love to hear your ideas and feedback! Please reach out to us at support@truvelop.com to share.

Want to learn more? Visit truvelop.com to discover more about our solutions and schedule a demo!