What is Goal Setting
GOAL SETTING
The responsibilities of a HR are myriad. Recruitment is just the tip of the ice berg that lies beneath the surface of the ocean of responsibilities and job protocols of an HR personnel. The real job of an HR is more tough and complicated and starts right after an employee joins the organisation.
One such responsibility of the HR is to set goals.
What is Goal Setting?
Now what is goal setting?
Goals settings are the written down statements of the desired achievements of an organisation within a specified time period. It is the work analysis that an HR records in a proper sheet, in order to implement and execute them to attain the aspired objective over a certain period of time.
How are goals defined and structured?
Goals are the pre-articulated achievements that one aspires and desire to achieve for the betterment and financial gains of an organisation. It involves quality, quantity and dedication of both the employees and employer of a company. When employees are hired for an organisation,they are recruited keeping in mind certain kind of work efficacy and input by the organization. When these goals are set down by the organization in a detailed form for the employees to follow and work accordingly, this is called goal setting.
Goal setting is very important for the performance enhancement of each employee. Without a proper goal, hiring is more like a ship in an ocean without any destination. It just sails without proper guidance that results in zero achievements in the long run. To set an effective and profitable goal for each employee to achieve is the key to success, for both the employees and the HR of the organization. The more the employees work hard to achieve and reach for those aims and objectives, the more the performance enhancement increment.
But achieving the goals are not just the responsibilities of the employees of a firm. The HR has to work as much dedicated and in a close knit to keep a check on it from time to time to see that his employees are actually working hard towards that desired destination.
When are they set?
Goals are generally set annually. But there is no such hard and fast rules behind the time of goal setting. It depends from company to company and their work analysis procedure as to when to set their goal sheet and when to analyse them.
Who sets the goals for an organisation?
It is generally the HR team who is responsible to prepare a detailed and descriptive goal for the employees to work upon. But with modern theories coming into light, it is better if the goals are set equivalently by both the employees and employer together. No one is a better judge for the limit of their capabilities. Pushing one beyond their limit is baseless. In fact, with time, exaggerated work load can actually turn the prospective side of goals setting to a negative one. Too much work that is beyond the capabilities of an employee can overburden them in the long run that will only work towards the failure of the goals of an organization. Keeping these points in mind, it is better if the HR and the employees can sit together and contribute equally in setting an objective goal for them all to achieve within a certain period of time.
Objective of Goal Setting
Goal setting is a proven method to engage and motivate employees to excavate their potential. Setting a goal to achieve within a time-frame and promising them with perks for the same makes them work hard towards that goal. This, in return works in favor of the organization itself. More the employees are motivated, more they dedicate themselves to achieve something for the company. So, for the effective performance of a company, it is very important to structure an effective goal and pave the way to achieve them by the end of the time.
Goals provide a clear plan of action and draws a clean endpoint. This provides a rigid and well grounded purpose to the otherwise directionless employees in return.
What is more important in goal setting is the engagement of the employees. According to the Society for the Human Resource Management (SHRM), two of the most critical components required for employee engagement are goal setting and recognition. What SHRM believes is that, without these two, an organisation " won't be able to move full speed ahead towards engagement."
How to set and reinforce goals?
All said and done, setting goals and reinforcing them is not a cake walk. A HR needs to understand the capacity of its employees and set the goals accordingly. The following six strategies are a clear cut process in which a HR team can easily analyse and reinforce goals among its employees effectively.
Connect goals of the team along with the organization: it is pertinent for HR and Managers to form a coalescence among the goals of different departments along with the goals of the organization. Each department of am organisation needs to have a goal that contributes directly to the goals of the organization. This step is pivotal and important. Unless one forms a binding tie between the employees and the organization, achieving goals becomes impossible.
Connect individual goal to team and company goal: When an employee understands his contribution to the company goals, it motivated them to work more. But this doesn't end just here. It is important for a HR to consistently enforce and communicate the company goals and establish and reinforce the direct involvement of the goals of an individual towards the achievement of this umbrella organizational goal.
Give deadlines: for the maximum output of employees, it is significant to serve them with rigid deadlines. Unless and until one is put under the pressure of a time-frame, it is difficult to enhance their dedication and performance. Strict deadlines help them work hard towards achieving the goals that had been set for them.
Track and measure progress: it is important to track and measure goal achievement progress. A study about goal setting found that organizations who tracked and analysed weekly reports of their employee goals are more at a chance towards accomplishment rather than who didn't think to give this dedication. A well maintained employee work measurement track helps to identify better when the goals are achieved.
Connect goals with professional development: Strong are those goals who not only aim towards the benefits of the organization but also the performance enhancement and development of its individual employees. When goals are achieved, track and connect the individual professional growth of the employees. Help them notice how they have developed and crafted their skills over the time in achieving company goals. Make the employees realize how they have evolved with their knowledge and skills and help them link their professional development with their career growth chart.
Recognize wins: Last but not the least, recognize their efforts. Goal setting and goal achievement is just not about meeting tasks and deadlines by the employees. Once the employees prove their worth, it is time for you to appraise them and recognize their wins. Celebrate! Offer them special perks upon completion of their target. This will only inspire them more to work harder which is surely going to turn beneficial for your organization.
How to prepare a goal sheet?
There are certain criteria that you as a HR needs to keep in check while preparing a Goal Sheet. This is called the SMART way to objectify your goals.
- SPECIFIC
- MEASURABLE
- ACHIEVABLE
- RELEVANT
- TIME BOUND
When you prepare a goal sheet, you need to keep in mind to identify an event for that particular goal. For example a certain project that your company or organization has taken up, or a certain time period that you are preparing the goals sheet for. Your goal sheet has to be crisp and specific and not vague.
Next is the measurement. The goals that you identify have to be quantifiable in terms of its achievements.You should be able to measure the outcome of the goal that your employees are going to achieve. You need to measure of they have been profitable or not
The goals have to be achievable and reachable with the resources around. Putting up a goal that is too high to reach is impractical to incorporate.
Maintaining relevance is important. Creating irrelevant goals are the most common mistakes a HR person can make. Your each and every goal set by you for the employees has to strike their relevance point. Asking a production unit to look for a smart delivery with low cost can be as irrelevant as one can think of.
Last but not the least, the goals has to be time bound. Without a time limit, each goals falls to the ' can do later' category that ultimately withholds your achievements in the long run. Time bound of each goal gives the employees motivation and that pushes towards completing their goals.
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