Are employee assessments worth it right now?

We’ve all experienced a lot of disruption lately. COVID-19 has changed much about the way we work, but it hasn’t changed everything. In fact, the most valuable resource in any organization remains constant — the people! That can be both good and bad!

People have accomplished amazing things during the pandemic

We’ve seen how adaptable people have been to make big changes in order to get the job done. In talking with my friends, colleagues, and clients, it is clear that employees are rallying in big ways, doing things in new ways, often without much notice or experience. It is appropriate, and I would say, necessary, to recognize and celebrate these individual and collective efforts.

It might be tempting to think all is well. But don’t be complacent during this turbulent time. There are many balls to pay attention to, none more important than the dynamics of each person in your workforce.

A recent Gallup article reported, “Employees are anxious about the future —fewer than four in 10 feel very confident that they will be able to continue to meet the requirements of their job successfully, should the outbreak continue.” The article went on to note that at the same time budget cuts are becoming increasingly necessary for many organizations, and support for employees can get lost in the shuffle. “When cost-cutting becomes the new normal, training and development are likely added to the list of things to downsize. That’s a mistake,” the piece emphasized.

Underlying issues remain

Alongside the Herculean efforts of your team, many underlying issues still exist. The challenges any one person faced before the pandemic, are still there. Any of these sound familiar?

• The nicest guy in the room might be in the wrong job causing major issues for everyone around him.
• A hard-nosed manager could be overlooking the efforts of her team and rather than rally the troops, she asks for more.
• A well-meaning colleague might take on more work than he should in order to be helpful, yet doesn’t finish on time and doesn’t share that he’ll miss the deadline.
• A soft-spoken team member might hesitate to share an idea for fear of it sounding foolish.

What situation comes to mind for you? Do you know someone routinely struggling to get work done? Is someone on your team pushing their processes on you? Or are you feeling like you can’t persuade your manager to hear your perspective?

In every workplace issue we face, it starts with one person, often someone who means the best. Humans bring their strengths and also their foibles to the job; it’s unavoidable. With so much changing and arduous work being done to keep things moving, it takes a toll.

The PeopleSense team recognizes the need for ongoing, consistent, and supportive skill-building in our organizations. This is a time when proven employee assessments are incredibly valuable, helping managers and employees make critical decisions about how to make a particular role successful.

But the reality is that budgets are tight and teams might not feel they have the bandwidth for someone to step out for training. Companies are working with an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach to managing during this pandemic.

Yet issues still exist.

We can help, you or someone you know, right now

We know there is a way to serve the individual and the organization, right now. And we want to help. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with a workplace scenario, there is no better time to work through it. Left unresolved, it gets worse. Dealt with, productivity improves, job satisfaction increases, and morale soars.

PeopleSense will conduct a no-obligation consultation with any individual who wants to address a particular problem in their workplace through a self-reflective process. We then pair any employee assessment with a session to identify solutions and create an action plan. Not sure which tool is right? No problem. We’re here to help make a recommendation based on the particular issue you’re facing.

Is changing your workplace (and your own satisfaction) worth an hour or two of your time? We hope you say yes. Contact us and let us know you want to start, now.