Agencies are obsessed with innovation and change.
Their obsession, however, can often lead to overcomplications.
At least, it did for Sian Eddy, head of operations at Modern.
“We spent a large portion of Q4 and the beginning of 2024 going back to basics,” says Sian. “We have had a tendency to get excited by shiny and exciting things, but now we’re focusing on making sure our foundations are really solid.”
One of the problems they faced at Modern was around performance management. Sure, their staff were engaged, but that didn’t necessarily translate to performance.
Enter their home-brewed performance management framework: Performance at Modern (Pam, for short).
“We introduced Pam to bring clarity and transparency into our performance management processes,” explains Sian. “It’s designed to directly link an individual’s performance with their pay, aiming to motivate and reward our team members fairly and transparently.”
“We’ve made it a priority to ensure everyone is crystal clear about their roles and responsibilities. This includes not just what tasks they need to complete but also the behaviours we expect from them. It’s about aligning their actions with our company values.”
So what exactly is the framework?
- Set objectives – Each employee collaborates with their manager to set clear, measurable objectives that encompass both task-related outcomes and behavioural expectations.
- Define roles and expectations – Ensure every role has a detailed job description so each employee understands their role.
- Performance reviews – Employees undergo quarterly performance reviews, where their achievements and challenges in their objectives are discussed.
- Continuous feedback and reward – Continuous feedback mechanisms, facilitated through regular check-ins or digital tools.
- Adjust and align – ‘Pam’ then identifies opportunities for skill enhancement and career advancement, aligning individual aspirations with business needs.
“After the beta run of Pam, we gathered a lot of insightful feedback from our team,” says Sian. “The positive response was encouraging, but we also made several adjustments to ensure the framework was as effective and fair as possible.”
Join us for our HR & People mastermind where Sian will delve into how Modern’s new performance management framework has changed things for the better and set their team and business along the right path – could it work for you as well?