Pass or Fail? Employee Testing vs. Employee Assessments – Part 2

Now for the review of the employer group I had referenced at the end of my last blog. This particular group is a small, non-profit organization that employs a number of high-powered people. They move at a fast pace and raise unbelievable amounts of cash. They have been very successful over the years.

So, why were they interested in using employee assessments?

The organization recently went through some changes within their board of directors and the decision was made to focus more corporate energy on talent management and overall job performance of their key staff members. The goal of this initiative is to help them identify and groom the next group of leaders as they head into the future.

To help with this, this organization engaged us at ExactHire to assess their current key performers to better understand what things they had in common, what differences existed, and what key traits and characteristics stood out as critical for good job fit and employee engagement within their group.

There was good communication with the employees as to the potential changes coming down the road, but many were understandably nervous about this assessment process. Going back to my last post, many of these folks saw this as a “test” that had to be passed.

As we gathered everyone together for group feedback after the assessment results were compiled, it was obvious that many people were still apprehensive. After walking them through what the assessment measured and what various results actually meant, however, it was wonderful to see a visible change in attitude for most of the people in the room. Realizing that there was no “pass” or “fail”, most were able to actually confirm that the results really did identify who they were and how they were likely to handle certain work-related situations.

In turn, the HR Director for the organization now plans to use the employee assessment tool results as a platform for internal conflict resolution, in addition to the original career-pathing use.

The moral of the story? Be sure to first know the difference between tests and assessments. From there, go out of your way to make that difference clear to your employees and applicants before asking them to take any assessment. Getting them comfortable and open to what you are doing will always aid your goal of obtaining the best job fit possible for your organization and its employees.