HANOVER, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

TEKsystems, a leading provider of IT staffing solutions, IT talent management expertise and IT services, today released new research showing that an overwhelming 93% of IT Professionals say that informal feedback is critical to their success while less than half (44% of IT Professionals and 49% of IT Leaders) rate feedback within their own company as excellent or good.

More than 2,000 IT Professionals and 1,500 IT Leaders were polled in September to understand the current state of performance management programs and to identify critical areas that need improvement. The full results of the survey are available from TEKsystems upon request.

Other key highlights from the survey include:

Importance of Performance Management

For performance management to be effective, clear goals, expectations and processes need to be set. IT Professionals and IT Leaders rank clarifying expectations, coaching/mentoring and aligning employee actions with strategic business objectives as the top three goals of a performance management program.

Ultimately, feedback is essential to clarifying expectations between IT Leaders and their employees. In fact, 93% of IT Professionals say regular, high-quality, informal feedback is very important to achieving success in their role 49% say it is extremely important.

The goal of performance management is to take lessons learned and use them to help an individual, or team, improve. Failing to deliver feedback more regularly than quarterly or annual reviews hinders the effectiveness of a performance management program, says TEKsystems Director, Rachel Russell. Formal reviews are very necessary, but informal feedback is more personal and can be absorbed much more easily because it tends to revolve around a specific, timely issue that deserves recognition or pause for learning and growth.

Performance Management Programs Need Improvement

Addressing poor and recognizing great performance are equally critical when improving overall employee performance. However, most IT Professionals and IT Leaders feel their organizations do not address either type of performance effectively. Only about 10% completely agree that poor performance is effectively addressed. The same percentage of respondents completely agrees that great performance is effectively addressed.

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TEKsystems Survey: 93% of IT Professionals Say Informal Feedback is Critical to Success; Less Than Half Say Current ...