Peculiarities of Using E-PMS to Communicate Necessary Skills
Modern work with the staff must be carried out in strict accordance with specific management standards to ensure that the team is aware of the tasks and can timely respond to any necessary changes. The notion of strategic management, which has recently been densely integrated into the modern business, has become one of the critical areas, on which the management system of many large and small corporations is built. However, electronic performance management systems (E-PMS) are even more modern models that can help achieve approximately the same result but without direct contact with subordinates. Working with E-PMS can have some advantages and disadvantages on a communicative side since communication between employees and superiors at an electronic level is not always efficient enough.
Advantages of Using E-PMS to Demonstrate Proper Communication Skills
It is not a secret that there are computers in any, even the smallest business company today. Some managers prefer to lead using classical and conservative ways, arranging daily briefings, analysing results and demanding the compilation of weekly reports. However, there are those who adhere to more modern methods of control over the work of personnel (Peppard & Ward 2016, p. 114). It is for such companies that E-PMS are created, which makes it possible to convey all the necessary tasks through special electronic programs. In such systems, leaders make appropriate requirements that employees must observe, and those functions that are key and fundamental for the development of a particular line of business. Such programs are likely to have specific advantages that make this method of management efficient and fruitful enough for modern business environment.
As it is known, it takes a lot of effort to collect the whole team in one place because some employees may not always be present at general meetings. According to Allorto and Wise (2015, p. 175), the possibility of using E-PMS allows managers to exclude any extraneous factors like illness and notify an employee about a particular issue through a shared network. Perhaps, this system will be entirely efficient because its use excludes the violation of the workflow and at the same time, gives a chance to notify colleagues of current news timely.
Also, the use of electronic databases will allow communicating with employees just at their workplaces. They do not have to meet in one particular place and spend time on an extended discussion of a distinct issue. If employees receive an alert on the internal network, it will save time and will not distract people from work. It is enough to update the general database on the requirements for the workflow once, and all employees who are connected to this network will be able to learn about it timely and draw the appropriate conclusions. It is not just about how to improve efficiency but also about how to get rid of current problems. Typically, managers use E-PMS not only to voice new information about the purpose of the work but also to point out some apparent mistakes made by employees. Accordingly, most workers will try to avoid having their names appear on the list of outsiders and will make efforts to achieve maximum success. The more precise the wordings of the authorities are, the more likely that the staff will understand the range of objectives and will quickly cope with the tasks set.
Disadvantages of Using E-PMS to Demonstrate Proper Communication Skills
Despite some advantages, electronic performance management systems can have shortcomings that have a negative impact on the workflow and interfere with the regular communication of senior management and personnel. One of these negative aspects is the inability to control how employees monitor the update of information in such systems. As Patricia (2015, para. 3) notes, some workers may not realise the need to implement E-PMS in the workflow and treat this innovation with distrust and caution. This, in its turn, prevents management from explaining to employees all the nuances that deserve attention, and the system turns out to be useless and inefficient.
Another difficulty that can arise when using E-PMS is the lack of skill in working with computerised systems. This or that employee, who does not even have the initial abilities of the user, is forced to study long. Accordingly, management has to spend extra time and resources to ensure that all workers can be well-oriented in a particular system. It can take a lot of time, and it would be much quicker to talk about all the requirements using words than a computer.
Finally, it is problematic enough to service E-PMS when it comes to a large corporation with many different departments, structural divisions, and, consequently, employees. The leadership should make every effort to ensure that all subordinates without exception could receive relevant messages through an electronic system. If it cannot be done, a particular segment of the company is left without proper instructions, which affects productivity and reduces growth rates. Thus, disadvantages are also significant enough, and all possible mistakes should be foreseen by the leadership in advance.
Rewards and Sanctions to Improve Performance
To increase the efficiency of employees work is a task that almost any manager faces. As it is known, two ways of influencing the workforce are the most effective. They are incentives when the best employees receive bonuses and recognition in the team and sanctions when defrauded workers are regularly subjected to psychological pressure and punishments through cuts in wages from the leadership (Argenti 2015, p. 48). However, when it comes to electronic performance management systems, the situation may be different. In addition to the mentioned advantages and disadvantages of E-PMS, specific rewards and sanctions can also be distributed through such networks. This method is modern and in demand in many companies where management cannot talk to each employee separately.
Advantages of Using E-PMS to Record Individual Rewards and Sanctions
Perhaps, communication with employees through the company’s internal network is one of the most effective methods of rewarding. In large corporations that consist of a great number of departments management cannot pay attention to every worker. At the same time, if anyone from the staff is marked individually by the leadership, it can lead to disagreement in the team and cause conflict. Notifications of employees through E-PMS will allow managers to save time and prove to their subordinates that their successes are known and respected, and the desire to improve individual indicators is highly appreciated. Those workers who receive appropriate notifications with the positive assessment from the management feel that the leadership needs them and try to develop current indicators, which is beneficial to employees themselves and the company (Pringle & Starr 2013, p. 79).
Also, when it comes to awarding highly-distinguished employees, E-PMS are convenient because they help not only thank a particular person for the work done but also attach all the necessary documents. An employee will undoubtedly be able to appreciate the management’s attention if he or she sees that in addition to the gratitude in the text of the letter, there is also detailed information on the amount of payment or other incentives. Moreover, any member of the team can personally verify that E-PMS allows being seen by the leadership, even without meeting with the authorities individually. Perhaps, it may become an incentive for those who also want to deserve respect and receive material rewards for their work.
Sometimes, management cannot meet with this or that employee personally, even when it comes to penalising the violation of the work regime, for example, systematic delays or insufficiently high efficiency. In this case, electronic performance management systems can also be useful. A worker may not even meet his supervisor; nevertheless, the leadership can send a subordinate a corresponding notice that the company is not satisfied with his or her performance indicators. As practice shows, notification via E-PMS is not a less effective measure of a disciplinary reprimand than personal communication with a worker (Peppard & Ward 2016, p. 109). At the same time, employees should understand that such a connection with their superiors through the internal network is the same essential dialogue as an individual meeting. If the whole team realises that management is capable of taking appropriate penalties even from a distance, it is likely to reflect positively on the overall performance of the team.
Disadvantages of Using E-PMS to Record Individual Rewards and Sanctions
If one of the E-PMS advantages is the convenience of notifying employees about specific points, the lack of personal contact is a particularly evident shortcoming. If subordinates know that the leadership remembers them and can send documents via an electronic network of the company, it stimulates them to work. However, if the management never communicates with its employees and cannot devote time to any of them, people start forgetting that real people are at the head of this or that organisation (Ashe-Edmunds 2017, para. 5). The work process turns into subordination to electronic notifications but not orders from bosses. Consequently, personal contact is necessary at least sometimes; otherwise, there is a risk of completely forgetting about individual meetings and shifting all responsibility to electronic systems.
Another disadvantage experienced by many employees of different organisations is connected with the fact that workers sometimes cannot adequately assess this or that notice of encouragement or punishment. For example, if a subordinate receives a message with the text that he or she has been reprimanded for a particular violation of the work regime, this employee may perceive the notification as something frivolous and not worthy of attention. At the same time, a person who sees a message with the text of the promotion for high working achievements may consider that such a letter is standard and is sent to everyone. Before implementing E-PMS in a specific organisation, management should familiarise the subordinates in advance with the operation of such a network and explain to them the importance of any messages that are sent. Otherwise, the effectiveness of notifications may be low.
Reference List
Allorto, NL & Wise, RD 2015, ‘Development and evaluation of an integrated electronic data management system in a South African metropolitan critical care service’, Southern African Journal of Anaesthesia and Analgesia, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 173-177.
Argenti, PA 2015, Corporate communication, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Ashe-Edmunds, S 2017, Advantages & disadvantages of electronic performance appraisals. Web.
Patricia 2015, Advantages and disadvantages of performance management, weblog. Web.
Peppard, J & Ward, J 2016, The strategic management of information systems: building a digital strategy, 4th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.
Pringle, P & Starr, MF 2013, Electronic media management, revised, 5th edn, Taylor & Francis, Burlington, MA.