HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE RESEARCH:
Most HR professionals think their top leaders view performance management in a positive light. Based on the impressions of respondents, nearly a quarter (23%) of leaders view PM as crucial for overall business performance. The percentage who chose this response rose six percentage points since the last time the survey was fielded. Many leaders view it in other positive ways, such as an aid to employee development, a good way to make employee decisions, and a means to engage and retain personnel. However, about a third of leaders (32%) view PM in a more negative light. That is, 25% view PM as a "necessary evil" and another 7% see it as an unnecessary waste of time. We remain hopeful that in the future more leaders will view PM in a positive light as performance management systems and processes improve. Compared to the average, leaders at small organizations have a higher opinion of performance management and its benefits. Respondents from these companies are far less likely to say performance management is viewed as a necessary evil (13%) and are more likely to say it is crucial for overall business performance (30%) as well as an aid to employee development (25%).
Employers are screening more types of employees more often. This includes more information in background checks and placing an increased value on international screening capabilities. Ninety percent of employers now say they screen all full-time employees, compared to 86% in 2019. This year's survey also saw considerable increases in the number of organizations that screen other types of individuals, including part-time employees, contingent/temporary workers, volunteers and vendor representatives. This could indicate that employers increasingly realize the importance and accessibility of background screening and are applying it accordingly. It could also mean that organizations are now hiring a larger number of individuals who are not traditional full-time employees, as would benefit the "Gig Economy" moniker applied to U.S. workforce trends in recent years.
Employers value both accuracy and efficiency. Both are dependent on access to personal identifiers such as complete name and complete date of birth. Redactions of these identifiers by federal, state and local court systems can lead to delays in hiring and is an unfortunate reality in many courts. This is particularly true in the federal court data system, known as Public Access to Court Electronic Records, which systematically excludes dates of birth. This can lead to applicants losing out on a job while employers confirm identifiers. PBSA and the Consumer Data Industry Association recently released the Public Access Software Specification for Court Records guidelines to encourage and help court administrators implement software that improves the quality of public records, thus improving the timeliness and accuracy of background checks.
To learn more about The State of Performance Management 2020 survey and to get strategic outcomes and 9 key takeaways from this exclusive HR.com Research Institute research, please read the complete report and infographic here:
