Valuing Employee Performance - An Important Aspect of Performance Culture

OPM's Human Capital Accountability and Assessment Framework is a tool to help agencies strategically manage their human resources. One of the dimensions of the scorecard is Performance Culture, and one of the measures of Performance Culture is employees' perceptions of how well the organization values their performance. If employees feel valued by the organization, a performance culture can develop that sets the stage for high levels of performance. Agencies can use many formal and informal methods to ensure that employees know that the agency values employee performance.

Formal Methods:

• Award programs should provide supervisors and managers the tools they need to formally recognize and reward their employees for good performance. Regulations provide for four forms of awards that agencies can grant to Federal employees: cash awards, honorary awards, informal recognition awards, and time off awards.
• Award programs can include some form of public recognition that includes an explanation of why the recognition is given. Supervisors and employees should know what awards the agency grants, the criteria for each award, and the recipients of those awards, while complying with privacy requirements.
• Supervisors should include employees in the process of developing employee performance plans. That process should include a discussion of organizational and work unit goals, and how the employee's performance supports those goals. By formally outlining how employee efforts help the agency, the supervisor shows that the employee is important to the organization.
• Agencies should train and develop their supervisors in human relations skills and communication techniques. These skills improve the employee-employer relationship and help to create an atmosphere of mutual respect where people value everyone's contributions.
• Agencies can provide developmental and promotional opportunities, give employees additional responsibilities, and allow employees to represent the organization at meetings. Providing these and other developmental opportunities help employees see how much the agency values its employees through its commitment in time and money to employee development.

Informal Methods:

• Supervisors should actively solicit employee input on issues, act on the input, and communicate those actions to employees. These actions show employees that agencies value their opinions and suggestions.
• Supervisors should verbally thank employees for jobs well done, provide informal recognition when warranted, and give positive feedback to employees on their performance as often as possible. These small gestures of appreciation can mean a lot to employees.
• Supervisors should discuss with employees their role in the organization and how they contribute to achieving organizational goals. When employees know where they fit in and can see how their efforts help the agency meet its goals, they know they make a positive difference.
• Management should conduct informative all-hands or staff meetings to discuss and share information about the organization as a whole, its mission, and its goals. Taking these steps keeps the employee informed. Employees tend to feel valued if management shares important information with them.

The role of supervisors is pivotal in developing a performance culture. Good supervisors communicate well with employees and can help them feel that their performance is valued and that they are important to carrying out the agency's mission.