Underperforming employees can be very costly to organisations. A 2009 article in the Australian Financial Review found that unproductive employees can cost Australian businesses up to approximately $33 billion a year!
A primary reason for underperformance is a poor fit between the employee’s skills and interests and the needs of the organisation. Another related reason is managers not clearly specifying their expectations and the requirements of the role. Both of these can lead to an employee struggling to deliver on what is required. These issues are preventable however.
Mis-match is unfortunately not uncommon.
It has been found that almost 50% of employees change job role or function following a redeployment. This is indicative of the high degree of mis-match between jobs and employee behaviour, interests and preferences. Job roles also frequently change, so that well aligned, high performing employees can become under-performers over time if their skills and attitudes do not keep pace with the job.
Job-person match is clearly vitally important. But how can it be assessed and tracked?
The answer – psychometric tests.
Unlike interviews, CVs or referees, which can be misleading or embellished, psychometric tests provide reliable and valid information about a candidate’s or employee’s cognitive ability, skills and personality. They can be used for both employee selection and as part of promotion decisions and organisational change. Any gaps between what is expected and what is found on testing can be further investigated with additional testing or in discussions with the candidate/employee.
Not sure where to start? At RightPeople we not only administer and interpret a wide range of cognitive ability, skills and personality assessments, but we also formulate the tests and undertake the research that underpins the tools we use. This means we have a deep understanding of what the tests measure and what the outcomes will mean for your organisation. In consultation with you, we can put together a package of well-designed tests which we will administer, interpret AND provide recommendations for interview questions, training and other follow up activities based on the results.
To find out more about how we can help you avoid mismatch and the related costs to your business, please read more about our job-fit tests, contact us here.
