When Arts of Life, a non-profit dedicated to providing a creative community for artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities, recognized gaps in their internal performance management processes, they knew change was necessary. Their mission to empower both the artists they serve and the team members who support them required the right tools and systems to create an environment of feedback, collaboration, and growth. Here’s how Work Friendly partnered with Arts of Life to develop a tailored performance management solution that helped the organization thrive.
The Challenge
Arts of Life is an organization built on fostering creativity and community, but prior to partnering with Work Friendly, they lacked a formalized performance management system:
- No goal-setting framework: Managers provided feedback manually, which led to inconsistencies across the organization.
- Limited peer review opportunities: There was no standardized process for obtaining input from colleagues, making it challenging to gain a holistic view of performance.
- Administrative challenges: Without a formal process in place, managing performance reviews and tracking feedback created an unbalanced administrative burden.
Their goal wasn’t just to implement a typical corporate system. They wanted a solution designed with their cultural values in mind – a supportive and collaborative process that empowered their team and aligned with their mission.
The Solution
Work Friendly collaborated closely with Arts of Life to address their challenges and create a performance management process that truly reflected the organization’s ethos. Here’s how we approached the transformation:
1. Designing a Structured Process
Arts of Life needed a clear and consistent framework for performance management. Work Friendly developed a step-by-step process tailored to their objectives and team:
- Established goal-setting and regular performance reviews: We implemented a cadence of structured reviews to ensure that feedback was consistent and actionable.
- Introduced peer feedback mechanisms: By formalizing the peer review process, team members received well-rounded insights into their work, fostering a culture of collaboration.
- Integrated feedback loops: Continuous improvement was enabled through regular discussions that balanced evaluation with development.
This structured process ensured that performance management aligned closely with the organization’s supportive and inclusive values.
2. Leveraging Technology for Automation
Work Friendly helped Arts of Life fully utilize their existing Human Resources Information System (HRIS), BambooHR, to automate and streamline administrative tasks:
- Automated workflows reduced the manual burden for managers by simplifying goal-setting, peer feedback collection, and performance tracking.
- Centralized performance data ensured that goals, feedback, and records were stored seamlessly within BambooHR for easy tracking and analysis.
By focusing on optimizing the tools Arts of Life already used, we helped them achieve better results without additional software investments. This reduced disruptions and kept costs low, harnessing the full potential of their current system.
3. Creating a Leadership Philosophy
Beyond processes and technology, we worked with Arts of Life to craft a performance management philosophy that resonated with their core values. Their new approach emphasized:
- Open communication to foster trust between team members and leadership.
- Collaboration over evaluation, ensuring that performance discussions were focused on mutual growth and empowerment.
- Cultural alignment so that performance management became a natural part of their supportive community rather than a bureaucratic task.
This philosophy encouraged employees to feel valued and engaged, turning performance conversations into opportunities for personal and professional growth.
The Results
The results of this transformation were exceptionally positive:
- Streamlined operations reduced the administrative workload for managers, allowing them to focus on strategic discussions and meaningful interactions with their teams.
- Consistent feedback created a more transparent and engaged culture, where employees felt supported in achieving their goals.
- Improved employee development through structured processes and automation, empowering team members to reach their full potential.
By partnering with Work Friendly, Arts of Life now has a performance management system that reflects their values while fostering continuous growth and development. Their transformation serves as an inspiring example of how tailored HR solutions can drive organizational excellence.
Why Choose Work Friendly?
Like Arts of Life, your organization deserves solutions that go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach. At Work Friendly, we pride ourselves on offering strategic HR expertise that is customized to your culture and values. Whether you need to optimize your current systems or build new processes from scratch, we’re here to help you achieve your goals.
Are you ready to transform your organization’s performance management? Contact us today to see how Work Friendly can help streamline your processes and empower your team.
