Using Assessments to Manage Existing Employees

HermanCheckStart allows a manager or supervisor to quickly and easily assess the strengths and weaknesses of an employee relative to various behavioral competencies that are associated with job performance. Every person has certain personality traits or habits of behavior that tend to remain the same throughout their life. HermanCheckStart measures these traits, using a simple questionnaire that can be completed either online or on paper. The traits are then analyzed in terms of various elements of job behavior, such as handling details, following established procedures, solving problems, closing sales, and similar things. HermanCheckStart looks at these competencies within its various categories of jobs: Administrative/Clerical, Retail Sales, Persuasive Sales, Telemarketing Sales, Manager/Supervisor, Information Technology, Customer Service, Financial, Food Service, Production, Driver, and others.

After a job category is selected, HermanCheckStart provides a report on how the employee is most likely to perform these job elements. With existing employees, this information often is the key to understanding performance problems. It may be that the employee who works hard, has a good attitude, but still fails to produce the desired results, has been miscast for that job. Most times there are practical solutions to performance issues, once the cause of the problem is understood. HermanCheckStart gives the manager or supervisor Coaching recommendations for that employee when it is appropriate.

For example, an employee may be struggling in a Persuasive Sales position. HermanCheckStart might reveal that the person is less assertive than the average person. Such an individual will have difficulty dealing with the confrontational nature of some kinds of selling. The manager might be advised to use that individual for less confrontational roles in the sales process. Another employee might be performing at an acceptable level as a Supervisor, yet may not be achieving the success that was expected based on their experience. HermanCheckStart may point out their inconsistency in dealing with employee issues. By following the Coaching recommendations, written policies can be developed to provide guidelines for that Supervisor to use, therefore increasing their consistency. Better information allows managers to make better decisions.

The HermanCheckStart report gives both employee and manager an opportunity to discuss the issues and how to resolve them. The objectivity of the assessment information minimizes the defensiveness and opinion-oriented criticism that can occur at such discussions. HermanCheckStart also helps the manager to focus on the specific needs of each employee. The report also gives them tremendous information for selecting the personal and professional development programs that may prove most beneficial for that employee.