This is the first of our series on how Reflektive customers develop, launch, and manage successful performance programs. Reflektive customer HoganTaylor is a professional services organization based in Oklahoma, specializing in business advisory services and accounting. Our below Q&A with Heather Fuller, Talent Advisor Manager, and Gayle Hoover, Benefits & HRMS Administrator includes best practices on crafting an effective check-in program.
Reflektive: Can you talk more about your roles at HoganTaylor, and how you support the company’s performance management programs?
Heather: Our Talent Advisor team partners with our service areas on strategic people services. Specifically, we focus on helping employees develop with our “one-size-fits-one” approach — no two associates are alike! For our performance management program, we utilize check-ins (similar to 360 reviews). We develop the strategy and structure around our check-ins, including a successful set-up in Reflektive. We also build programs to support employees after their check-ins, such as resources on developing soft skills.
Gayle: I handle all HRIS and benefits administration work to ensure a seamless experience for our associates. On the performance management side, I work on the technical pieces to ensure that our HR programs are running smoothly.
Reflektive: Why did you switch to Reflektive as your performance management solution?
Gayle: We really liked that everything was in one place, such as goals, recognition, and 1:1s. We also appreciated the dynamic nature of Reflektive — we could easily adjust goals as needs change, and provide real-time feedback to colleagues.
Heather: Reflektive also drives more conversations within our workforce. With People Intelligence, I can see that employees are completing their check-in forms and that feedback is being delivered. Reflektive also saves me so much time managing performance processes – I always know exactly who to follow-up with.
Reflektive: How do you structure your check-ins with Reflektive?
Heather: Our check-in cycles are run three times per year, and they’re centered on goals, feedback, and development. They’re a time for employees to learn and grow, so we pull in goals and real-time feedback (they automatically populate in Reflektive). We change up the check-in questions too, to drive different conversations.
Gayle: The check-ins include feedback from 3-5 people, including a peer, someone who reviews their work, and someone whose work they review. This helps provide a holistic overview of the individual’s performance.
Reflektive: What Reflektive tools do you use to make the check-in process easy for managers and employees?
Heather: I appreciate having the ability to log-in as other people (Reflektive’s proxy functionality) so I can see the experience from both the manager and employee perspective. We also utilize the nudges to remind folks to complete their reviews. I like having the ability to change the subject line — “Reflektive Action Due” can help grab their attention!
Finally, Reflektive’s reporting is super helpful. Specifically, we use Reflektive’s pre-built Completion Report to see where people are in the process and who we need to follow-up with. We also use the Total Review Assignments per Employee report at the start of the review process to see if folks are receiving too many review requests.
Reflektive: Your check-in completion rates are high at nearly 100% — what have you done to be so successful here?
Heather: We have a process that we follow, and we continuously optimize it as we learn new things. Here’s what our current process looks like:
Pre-Launch
- Our Talent Advisor team meets to brainstorm check-in questions for the employee’s self-assessment, and the manager’s summary report. We pull a lot of our question ideas from Reflektive — we love their Question Bank and Conversation Starters.
- Planning our communication strategy:
- For the advisees (individual contributors), we provide best practices on how to take ownership of their check-ins
- For the advisors (managers), we provide technical resources and tips for having a productive conversation during the check-in
- We lean heavily on Reflektive’s support resources
- We created videos for the first time — people really like them!
Launch
- A launch communication email is sent to all employees on the check-in timeline
- Nudge emails are sent via Reflektive to remind folks about deadlines and action items
- Employees choose their reviewers
- Check-ins are 60 minutes long and include the manager, the employee, and the Talent Advisor
- We use the check-in form to guide conversations, but we structure the meeting as a personable conversation
- We often start with goals (e.g., status updates, obstacles, and any changes that need to be made)
- Then we cover the employee’s self-assessment, and the advisee can add more context on their responses
- Finally, we discuss the advisor’s summary, which includes:
- Feedback on how the employee is fulfilling HoganTaylor’s core values (unity, service, and dynamic)
- Employee results on our key competencies (accountability, communication, business acumen, quality of work, and technical skills)
- For this most recent check-in, we were also focused on teamwork. It’s similar to our core value (unity), and particularly important as we had been working virtually.
- We use the check-in form to guide conversations, but we structure the meeting as a personable conversation
Post-Launch
- We run a Reflektive report to follow-up on those who have outstanding tasks (e.g., advisors who need to submit their notes and/or share them with advisees)
- Our Talent Advisor team also meets to debrief on the questions that generated the most feedback, and those that didn’t. This helps inform the content for our future check-ins. Additionally, we discuss trends in developmental needs among HoganTaylor employees. We’ll then bring in our L&D person to consult on programs and resources that address these needs.
Reflektive: What other best practices have you developed to improve the check-in process?
Heather: We’ve started new hire training so folks know the value of our entire career development program (including check-ins), and what to expect during the process. Also, Talent Advisors are now present during all check-ins. This ensures consistency in what we’re covering, and helps managers deliver constructive feedback to employees. Our presence also provides another perspective for the employee.
Reflektive: Any final tips for companies that are running check-ins now?
Heather: For check-ins when employees are remote, we recommend that everyone use video — it helps to get more context from body language.
Additionally, as Talent Advisors, we schedule check-ins as soon as they’re launched in Reflektive to move the process along. And we’ve cut our timeframes for people to complete their deliverables — it used to take six weeks! Now we’re using tighter deadlines (four weeks from launch to form completion), and we’re still getting high completion rates, so we know more time doesn’t necessarily yield better results!