GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

Despite the time and effort organizations dedicate to performance reviews, few believe they truly work. Leaders and employees alike are skeptical of their impact. In fact, According to a Gallup study, just 2% of Fortune 500 CHROs express strong confidence that their performance management systems truly inspire employee motivation. In the same study, employees express a comparable sentiment, with only one in five reporting that their performance reviews are handled transparently, equitably, or in a manner that actually supports their growth and effectiveness.  

Before diving into a pay-for-performance system, it’s important to get the basics right. Think of it as building a sturdy foundation before adding the layers. Start by making sure every job description is up to date, clearly spelling out the responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations.

Let’s be honest: workplace drama is like a rogue elf, sabotaging your team’s productivity. Gossip, petty arguments, and finger-pointing aren’t just annoying—they can derail even the best teams faster than someone eating the last sugar cookie in the breakroom.

But drama doesn’t have to be part of your workplace story. Imagine an office where your team thrives, collaborates, and actually enjoys working together. (Yes, it’s possible!) That’s where we come in.

In the dynamic landscape of the modern workplace, feedback plays a critical role in fostering growth, enhancing performance, and nurturing a culture of continuous improvement. The exchange of feedback between managers, leaders, and employees is instrumental in unlocking untapped potential, aligning goals, and cultivating a collaborative environment.

According to research conducted by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), providing workplace flexibility improves business results.  Workplace flexibility (or workflex as they often call it) matters to all employees to some degree. 

Ethics is rarely discussed unless we are being scolded or threatened by litigation, but ethics has to do with being a great place to work and gaining commitment from employees because they trust managers and other co-workers and they care about doing the right thing. Trust comes from knowing that, while mistakes may be made, decisions and actions are based on values and ethics.

We are hard wired to focus on threats, things that might put us in danger and things that are wrong.  Unfortunately, that wiring does us a disservice is some situations because it pulls away our focus from what’s right.  

According to a recent report from Aon Hewitt, there are three current drivers of employee engagement in the United States. How would your employees rate your organization in these areas? 

Do you ever wonder why training doesn’t get “off-the-ground” or seems to get stuck? Glen Fahs, expert trainer and coach, and one of Cascade’s Leadership Facilitators, outlines some common struggles with training and the antidotes that can solve them.

Cascade is offering a new and innovative four-part course on Project and Change Management, beginning February 1st.  Instructor Donald Nagle teaches with a practical knowledge as well as extensive personal experience. The post below is his vision of what the current reality is, and how he can teach class participants to succeed by completing the projects that they are working on right now.

I got my first performance appraisal about seven years into my HR career. While I was excited about it, I also had reservations because I had heard about how supervisors hated to give appraisals (second only to firing someone). I soon discovered that I didn’t like being on the receiving end of an appraisal either. 

“Success is the feeling you get when you accomplish your priorities,” according to Keith Gibson, President of IntegrityLogistics. I attended his talk in Portland, where he shared insights about living your values rather than falling into others’ vision of success.