I wanted to give you an A rating but HR wouldn’t let me

Do your line leaders OWN the decisions they make about performance ratings and, therefore, reward?

I called it ‘HR’s annual cycle’ but actually it should be owned by the business. HR’s role is to facilitate, coach and enable leaders and managers to use a process that’s designed for their use.

There’s a kind of parent-child dynamic that can develop between HR and line leaders and managers. As if HR are trying to get them to do something they don’t want to do.

HR’s role is to establish fairness in pay decisions, and influence leaders to play their part in that.

I know you know that. I also know that, like me, you’ll have experienced situations where one leader thinks that they motivate their team by giving them poor ratings, and another by giving them high ratings. Allowing that to create pay inequity is just one thing that HR have to avoid in this complex activity.

The big question is how this is led and role-modelled from the top – how senior leaders demonstrate accountability for leading and don’t use HR as a scapegoat.

Sloping shoulders are an indicator of low HR maturity and that has to be tackled by the CPO.

We need business leaders to stand tall and firm and be clear that HR’s role is to design and lead the process, to coach and influence, and enable the organisation to reach equitable decisions within the agreed budget.

How does this play out in your organisation? Do contact us if you’d like to talk this through.