London HR Leaders Gather to Discuss European and Global HR Trends

ChapmanCG co-hosted the last London HR leader gatherings of 2015 during November with American Express and Atos Consulting. Both sessions included global and regional HR and function leaders with plenty of lively debate and sharing of best practice. The groups included HR leaders from Astra Zeneca, Bupa, Burberry, Cognizant, EDF & Mann, GE, GSK, HSBC, Mars, Microsoft, Pearson, Rolls Royce, Thomson Reuters and many more. It was great to see so many attendees from previous gatherings in London over 2015, in addition to welcoming a number of new participants. As usual everyone contributed to the discussions, and taking insights from so many different industries created a valuable forum for learning.

Is Performance Management Dead?

Both sessions focused on performance management and it was clear that many organisations have this topic on the agenda as we head into 2016. Opinions differed and there was some interesting debate, however some common points emerged:

1. More organisations are accepting that performance management in its classic form — an annual performance review including compensation — is under scrutiny.
2. 80% of those in attendance shared that their businesses are assessing the performance management process.
3. There isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and early adopters are leading the way with ‘do’s and don’ts, as well as providing insights on the impact of changing one of the longest standing processes in many companies.
4. Removing ratings is not a drastic shift, and it enables managers to have the right conversations with their team members about performance – without a score card or bell curve. One organisation utilising this new methodology had even relabelled these ‘real conversations.’
5. Continuous feedback and a higher frequency of manager/ report discussions were at the heart of most opinions. Those with the technology capability to support this seemed to be moving ahead faster (internal message systems, platforms to provide project-related constructive criticism/ feedback).
6. Millennials aren’t the reason performance management is being reviewed, but this group did experience higher engagement as a result of more regular feedback.

Most attendees agreed that any person in the workforce appreciates regular manager input and feedback. In the end, the verdict was that performance management is certainly not dead, but it is transitioning and is still a work in progress.

Ben Davies is a Managing Director with ChapmanCG and leads the EMEA business. He is based in Europe and supports CHRO’s in search of the best HR talent globally.

Dona Battat is a Director with ChapmanCG based in London. Dona works with London based Global and EMEA HR Leaders to help advise and build their HR teams. With over 18 years of executive HR search experience Donna is a key member of the EMEA team.