Hear from Cari Duggan MacNeil on how Bell Aliant benefits from better performance management.
Real-time Solutions: Executive Summary
From its earliest beginnings, over 100 years ago as Atlantic Canada’s heritage phone company, Bell Aliant attributes its successes to its people. Whether working directly with customers; behind the scenes managing and supporting systems, services and processes; or in the implementation of solutions, the aim of all Bell Aliant employees is to provide an exceptional customer experience.
After implementing Halogen eAppraisal™, Bell Aliant saw impressive results across the organization:
- Participation/completion rates in the performance review process jumped from an estimated 50 per cent to 98 per cent
- Administrative time and cost efficiencies improved dramatically
- A common solution with a simple straightforward interface standardized the review system across six provincial business units
- A distinct cultural shift occurred in terms of corporate-wide communication and performance-based coaching
- Goal setting and performance accountability are now a fundamental part of daily interactions and regular review processes
Enterprise-wide Troubleshooting
Bell Aliant (TSX: BA) is one of North America's largest regional communications providers and the first company in Canada to cover an entire city with fibre-to-the-home technology. Through its operating entities it serves customers in six Canadian provinces with innovative information, communication and technology services.
In 2005, the company’s Human Resource department found itself in a state of transition. With thousands of employees the HR team faced multiple challenges, including the fact that there were several separate, paper-based, performance management processes encompassing different systems and terminologies and varying degrees of participation.
No longer the only telecommunications game in town, the organization needed new ideas and tools to stay competitive both as a service provider and an employer. At the time, there wasn’t a standardized approach to annual reviews, and each business unit had a different approach.
“There was no way to know if reviews were being done. We really had no idea who was doing what,” says Cyndy Allen, Director of Talent and Total Compensation. As a result, HR didn’t have a uniform, high-level view of performance management activity and the data necessary to drive talent management programs.
Network Integration Need
Bell Aliant’s HR team knew it had to tackle the issue and started looking at vendors to standardize and automate the process. “Bilingual capability, simplicity of design, user-friendliness and value for money led to Halogen,” says Alana Patterson, Vice President of HR.
Patterson and her team believed recreating something similar to the appraisal process already in place would lead to greater acceptance. With Halogen eAppraisal, HR had the flexibility to mirror the look and feel of their existing, familiar paper form format.
Automated Interface Switch Introduced at Variable Rate
Using a phased-in strategy, people managers and employees were slowly introduced to the streamlined system one area at a time. Different languages and processes were added as the roll out progressed.
Considerable effort was spent training leaders, with an emphasis on the value and role of candid coaching conversations, a concept fully endorsed by the President and CEO. This in turn prompted engagement and buy-in from the executive team and management levels across the organization.
According to Cari Duggan-MacNeil, Project Lead, Halogen Software’s common system and straightforward interface provided users with a simple online experience. The process was readily adopted by the vast majority of employees.
High Quality Data Transmits Results
“Because of Halogen Software’s solution, Bell Aliant has experienced a distinct cultural shift,” says Patterson. “Open communication is the key trait; improved performance-based coaching, the key outcome. Every single employee has goals and understands what they’re supposed to do – and how their work connects with our overall strategy at Bell Aliant. Additionally, they’re having conversations about their goals, regularly.”
With Halogen eAppraisal in place, employees have performance notes, goals and objectives at their fingertips as required.
“This system provides rigor around the performance management process,” adds Duggan-MacNeil. “Leaders are clear on their responsibilities with their direct reports in terms of annual goal setting, interim reviews, final reviews and time frame expectations. We’ve also put in place an automated process for lower performers which outlines development plans and performance benchmarks, and will track individual progress against goals. Overall, this empowers employees by providing the information, coaching and feedback to deliver on strategic objectives.”
This kind of information exchange, from a talent management perspective, points out Allen, is instrumental in terms of retention, “People are staying knowledgeable and informed. They’re getting more and better input from the right people. There’s increased motivation.”
Patterson concurs. “Employees know we’re invested in their professional growth. They have a better idea of where they’re going or could be headed with the proper training and development. And they’re choosing to build long-term careers with us. Ultimately this makes Bell Aliant a stronger company and helps to position us an employer of choice.”
Statistics reinforce this healthy cultural shift. With the manual paper review process Bell Aliant traditionally garnered less than 50 per cent participation corporate wide. Recent completion rates now top 98 per cent. Together with the integration that’s available by using Halogen Software, these results are leading to measurable time and cost efficiencies. Based on the successes of their performance management implementation, Halogen eSuccession™, is next on the corporate agenda to begin a best-practices based succession planning program.
“Halogen is an outstanding partner and a best in class provider of performance management and talent management software – whether from the ongoing partnership we have with the implementation consultant to the overall flexibility of the product itself,” says Duggan-MacNeil.
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