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Upcoming Series-Important HR Regulations
For those of you in the church arena, I thought I would let you in on a little secret! Beginning tomorrow, I will host a series of blogs covering some of the main regulations you need to know with regards to HR/Emplooyees. These will be from a very high level and would in no way represent any type of legal counsel. Nonetheless, I thought I would direct you to the sister blog to Church Development, Christian Management Consulting.
About the Writer:
Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.
Performance Feedback in the Church
Performance feedback is the on-going process between employee and manager where information is exchanged concerning the performance expected and the performance exhibited. It seems in the church arena, either the chaos that sometimes surrounds the church environment or the inexperience to be able to effectively deal with tough employee scenarios pose particular struggles. Constructive feedback can praise good performance or correct poor performance and should always be tied to the performance standards. Let’s look at a list of characteristics of providing the various types of feedback.
Characteristics of constructive feedback
Constructive feedback is:
1. Specific rather than general. To be told that one is “dominating” will not be as useful as being told that, “In the meeting that just took place,
o you switched topics without asking if there were additional comments,
o you cut people off mid-sentence, and
o you interrupted others.”
2. Focused on behavior rather than on the person. It is important that we refer to what a person does. Thus we might describe a person as having “talked more than anyone else in this meeting” rather than saying the person is “a loudmouth.” The former allows for the possibility of change; the latter implies a fixed personality trait.
3. Given in order to help, not hurt. Too often people give feedback to make themselves feel better.
4. Directed toward behavior which the receiver can do something about. It is pointless and frustrating to be reminded of a trait over which one has no control.
5. Well-timed. Feedback is most useful at the earliest opportunity after the behavior you want to address has been demonstrated (depending on the person’s readiness to hear it, privacy, time available for discussion, etc). Feedback presented at an inappropriate time may do more harm than good.
6. Limited to the amount of information the receiver can use rather than the amount you would like to give. To overload a person reduces the possibility that the feedback will be used. Additionally, if you give more information than can be used you are likely satisfying some individual need rather than attempting to help the other person.
7. Checked for clarity. Ask the receiver to rephrase the feedback received to verify that it corresponds to what you had in mind. No matter what the intent, feedback is often perceived as threatening thus subject to considerable distortion or misinterpretation.
8. Followed up on at a later date. Be aware of the effects of your feedback.
Giving negative feedback: correcting poor performance
· Note poor performance immediately upon observing it.
· Specify what does not meet expectations.
· Refer to performance standards.
· Note the effect of observed performance on work group/organization.
· Model or restate appropriate performance.
· Describe negative consequences.
· Obtain agreement on the problem.
· Mutually seek solutions.
· Agree on action plan.
· Encourage improvement.
· Set date for check (if appropriate).
· Don’t belabor a point.
· Move forward after the discussion.
· Avoid giving correction in public.
Giving positive feedback: praising good performance
· Praise immediately on observing good performance.
· Be specific about what was good about performance; refer to performance standards.
· Note how meeting (or exceeding) standards helps work group/organization meet strategic objectives.
· Encourage maintaining this level of performance
Just as a reminder, it is always good to have a plan when going into this type of situation. As discussed in our blog article Employee Confrontation, there are three major steps to consider when providing any type of feedback to an employee on their performance:
1. Be prepared
2. Have it written
3. Be Direct
4. Be Fair
5. Be honest
Employee Confrontation, whether it be positive or negative, can be tough to do. There are ways to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety involved. We have discussed just a couple of items to consider when facing your next employee conference.
Please remember, if you would like resources or guidance on the topic above, please consult Christian Management Consulting. We offer a wide range of services to help your business remain successful.
About the Writer:
Trent Cotton has spent a number of years in management and business consulting. After spending some time in the field, he joined the HR department, beginning in recruiting and eventually serving as the Department Head of HR for one of the major lines of business. With such a varied background, he works to bring all of these together to help churches and other Christian organizations incorporate some common business practices into their ministries to enable them to better serve the Kingdom. He currently works for SourcePointe, an HR Outsourcing Agency while continuing to own and operate Christian Management Consulting as a ministry. In his free time, he also writes a lot on Church Development as a Church Consultant.
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