Judge or condemn

Manager's assessment tool.

Performance reviews are part of the tools, alongside performance appraisals, appraisal interviews, and progress meetings, that you have at your disposal as a manager to coach and motivate your employees. The structure is best compared to the way a house is built.

The POP (Personal Development Plan) is the specifications and construction plan, the progress review and performance reviews are the construction meetings, and the appraisal review is the handover of the house; do we sign for it or do we reject it?

In short, the moment when you express your appreciation for the way in which the work was carried out and indicate whether you think the employee was worth his salary or not.

So how do you ensure that the performance review doesn't turn into a condemnation? If your employee has performed well, that isn't too difficult; you can compliment him, and perhaps a salary increase is even in the cards. However, you shouldn't overestimate the effect of that—more on that later.

But how do you handle it when things haven't gone well, a salary increase is absolutely out of the question—meaning it's insufficient to be satisfied, but good enough to keep someone? A negative performance review, while you still want to motivate the employee to go the extra mile.

The answer to the question “what are the most important motivators for employees?”

" gives a good indication. Salary, for example, is not the most important motivator for employees; in fact, it can be a huge demotivator. So what are the most important motivators for employees, because that is what you want as a manager, isn't it? To motivate your employees.

How important is motivation?

First, let's answer the question: how important is motivation? The answer is simple. Motivation ensures that someone is prompted to take action.

As long as an employee delivers good work, you, as a manager, are often quite satisfied with them. It becomes a different story when an employee's motivation is below par – performance will then decline.

However, you should not conclude that employees who deliver good work are also motivated. That mistake is often made. Supervisors, however, regularly make the same mistake as their own managers: they know very little about the employee's motivation pattern.

Only when they reflect on the factors that determine their own enthusiasm and drive do they understand what motivation actually is. What makes employees motivated?

1. used for?
2. meaning, value of the work
3. expertise
4. creativity
5. connection with group
6. autonomy, decision space or regulatory capacity
7. reliability
8. status
9. material reward

It is therefore striking that the material reward only comes in 9th place and is often the most discussed topic in an assessment interview.

Motivators and De-motivators

Employees derive satisfaction from personal development, successes, recognition, authority, the ability to achieve results, possessing and applying knowledge, and so on. These positive factors increase your job satisfaction when they are present.

They are also called motivators, things that make you happier and more satisfied and therefore motivate you.

Some tasks have certain demotivating characteristics. Consider performing routine tasks for extended periods or persistently excessive workload. There are also many professions where you sit behind a computer all day.

In other roles, people experience having too few opportunities to organize their own work or influence its quality. The work environment can also lead to dissatisfaction. Consider stressors such as noise pollution or excessive temperatures.

Such things contribute to a reduction in job satisfaction and are also called de-motivators. So they have a demotivating effect. A few examples:

1. lack of competencies (knowledge, skills, insights)
2. lack feedback about the results
3. lack of challenges
4. lack of clear goals
5. strong dependence on others
6. lack of personal appreciation
7. monotony in the tasks
8. attachment to the workplace
9. poor relationship with manager and/or colleagues
10. lack of clarity about responsibilities
11. too high for a long time workload
12. lack of clarity about employment or career prospects
13. poor working conditions
14. poor pay
15. unfair relationships (privileging)
16. intimidation/unwanted intimacies
17. private problems (financial, social, etc.)

Here too it is striking that poor remuneration only ranks 14th.

How can you find out the motivation patterns of employees?

You as a manager have the task of working with the employee to find a new balance between the employee's expectations and what your company can offer. You can do this by having targeted conversations:

• Performance reviews, which are held once or twice a year, offer the opportunity to discuss the employee's future and to make clear agreements about it.
• During the  career discussion As a manager you can speak explicitly about the personal development plans (PDPs) of the employees.
• If you have problems in the work environment, you can also have a problem-clarifying conversation.
• The program assessment interview, the report of the past period.

Through one or more productive conversations, you can identify the root cause of motivational problems. Searching for solutions together often forms part of the solution itself. As a manager, you can make agreements regarding further guidance and consultation.

Keeping a finger on the pulse by regularly exchanging ideas is important. Personal attention effectively helps get demotivated employees back on track.

You, as a manager, cannot motivate your employees, employees can only motivate themselves. As a manager you can provide circumstances that are motivating. For example, by making and keeping a position attractive. Think of variety and challenge.

And finally

The end of the year is approaching, a special year and we don't yet know what 2021 will bring us. Just before the champagne and oliebollen, take that opportunity and have a motivational assessment interview with your employee, he or she deserves it and you no less.