Hourly Associates Get Close-Ups of New Performance Plan

General Manager Matt Beatty talks to associates at Nellis AFB, Nev., about the new hourly performance evaluation program.

It’s here! After several reviews, the Exchange is ready to implement the new Hourly Performance Management Program.

With minimal tweaks during the past 25 years, the Exchange has finally been able to revamp the program. A collaborative effort from field operators, HQ directorates, and input from hourly associates all the way up to and including senior leaders, as well as research on industry best practices, will help make the new program a success.

Upon completion of the training, the organization will set a new course for evaluating our hourly associates.

“When implementing a new program, it takes a collaborative effort to make it a success, and the hourly performance management program is no exception,” said Joyce Bowers, vice president of HR Support and project leader.  “The Hourly Performance Management Program is the result of input from multiple focus groups, project team members, as well as senior leadership.

“The program has received such phenomenal support that training is facilitated by GMs, DCMs, and HQ leadership.”

Worldwide impact

The impact of the program is worldwide, focusing on a new rating scale, evaluation forms, mid-year documented discussion, with a new performance management cycle that incorporates year ‘round feedback.

 The goals are to recognize achievements, differentiate performance, evaluate job progress and identify further development of skills and strengths. The new system provides a development plan to help identify areas for performance enhancement and promote professional growth.

The influence to the organization is great, as our hourly associates comprise 70 percent of the Exchange’s global workforce, Bowers said.

‘Open, two-way communication’

In July, HR leaders at the Dallas headquarters trained regional HR managers and conducted informational sessions with the general managers and main store managers. They went back to their stores and introduced the program to hourly associates on their teams.

As of early October, about 19,000 hourly associates have attended training in 90 days on the new program. Upon completion of the training cycle in October, 23,000 hourly associates will be trained.

The performance management process is a communication tool designed to support each individual’s contribution to the organization.

 “We know open, two-way communication throughout the year helps to make effective working relationships,” Bowers said. “The new mid-year review helps supervisors to

Tyler Johnson

understand their associate’s abilities and the associate to understand performance expectations, facilitating continuous feedback.”

Keeping on track

In fact, Tyler Johnson, supervisory customer experience associate at Scott AFB, Ill., said the mid-year discussion “opens the line of communication between our associates. I really do like the mid-year review; this will help me to keep on track with my manager as well as me communicating with my associates I supervise.”

Logistics Associate Brianna Grant at Offutt AFB, Neb., said, “This new system is going to be a much better evaluation of whether or not an associate is growing or if they need development,”  “It’s detailed in identifying someone’s strengths and weaknesses. I’m excited for my first review with this new system.”

Competencies, objectives

A critical feature of the Performance Evaluation is the alignment of competencies with the corporate objective of having everyone working towards the same organizational targets. This new form allows associate to see the impact they can make too.

Mariana Morfaw

“The competencies give you more focus, allowing you to actually know what to do and how you are doing overall,” said Mariana Morfaw, a Subway food service worker at Fort Irwin, Calif. “They will help the associate make the Exchange a better company.”

From a manager’s perspective, General Manager Matthew Beatty at Nellis AFB, Nev., echoed sentiments of his counterparts when he praised the new system for allowing him to align competencies with corporate objectives.

“We will be able to enhance the way we provide feedback and evaluate performance across the enterprise,” he said. “Feedback from the team has been overwhelmingly positive and everyone is looking forward to implementing the changes.”

Stay tuned for more

Stay tuned for more communication about the Hourly Performance Management and your leaders as the Exchange continues to prepare for the next phase of performance cycle, the mid-year review.

Send questions to HourlyPM@aafes.com.