Conducting an employee performance review can be a daunting prospect as an employer, especially if you go into the situation feeling unprepared. However, if you have the right tools and tips at your disposal, you can make the experience less stressful for yourself, more positive for your employees, and more successful for your organization as a whole.
Pocketbook Agency explores 15 performance review tips to help employers evaluate their employees objectively and constructively during an annual performance review. From understanding expectations to providing resources for further development and reaching career goals, let’s discuss the many components of an effective performance review with one of your direct reports.
Having well-defined expectations and metrics is crucial when it comes to performance evaluations. As an employer, it’s your job to ensure employees understand what success looks like in their role. Establishing these standards up front will give everyone an understanding of what they need to do to maintain (and improve) their performance.
Here are a few tips on how to set clear expectations for your employees during a performance appraisal:
Preparing for a performance review is a critical step. Careful preparations help the evaluation process run smoothly so that your employees have the necessary information to properly evaluate their performance.
Here are a few ways to prepare more effectively:
Take some time to look over past employee reviews and get a better understanding of what was discussed in previous meetings with each employee and how they have grown since then. Doing so will help you identify areas of improvement or development that need attention during the upcoming performance conversation.
Look at the current work product, any changes since the last review, recent accomplishments, successes, and shortcomings or areas of poor performance. Having all the necessary data at hand can keep the evaluation thorough, accurate, and objective and aid in career development for your team members.
If there are other supervisors who work closely with an employee, consider speaking with them before their review. Conversations with direct managers and reports will help you gain further insight into an individual’s performance from different perspectives and discuss any issues that you might need to address before the meeting itself.
A solid agenda for each review will help ensure you cover all topics adequately and efficiently during the allotted time frame. A good agenda will define the meeting’s objectives, items for discussion, and goals set out by both parties. It will also leave time for follow-up questions.
Discuss any long-term objectives or career paths with your employees before the reviews so that they have clear goals to strive towards throughout the next performance period. This will help them measure their progress until it comes time for another assessment.
Listening actively during performance reviews will help facilitate a productive, two-way conversation between you and your employees. Focus on what your employees have to say, and provide open-ended prompts for further discussion. Whether your employee performance evaluation takes place remotely or in person, this tip is essential.
Further, encourage team members to speak openly about their accomplishments, goals, and areas of improvement, along with any issues or concerns they might have. Active listening demonstrates that you’re invested in your team’s success and encourages healthier employer-employee communication.
Always strive to provide constructive, actionable feedback that gives your employees specific examples of steps to take as they pursue their goals. Avoid overly critical language; instead, focus on how the employee’s efforts can help them reach the desired results.
Providing support and guidance will show your team members that you (and the organization as a whole) value them, and giving clear directives will help them see progress and stay motivated.
As an employer, it’s essential to create a safe and respectful environment in which your employees can honestly share their concerns and provide constructive criticism for you. Addressing genuine issues your team members are struggling with will help to build trust and develop a better working relationship between both parties.
Take the time to understand the problem from your employee’s perspective to come up with potential solutions. By acknowledging challenges or concerns from your team members, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what needs to be done to maximize performance going forward.
During the performance review, establish goals for the next performance period with your employee. This will keep both parties on the same page and clearly define expectations.
Setting objectives and timelines will help ensure your team members are making progress and that your goals are realistic and achievable. Remember to collaborate on creating these goals, as it will encourage the employee to take ownership in improving their own performance.
During employee performance reviews, you want to assess progress on immediate goals and objectives and measure the employee’s success on long-term initiatives.
Here are eight steps to take:
Let your team members know that their hard work and determination have been noticed and appreciated. Recognizing successes can boost morale, helping your employees stay motivated and push themselves even further.
It also helps you build better relationships with your employees, creating a culture of mutual respect and trust. Moreover, highlighting specific accomplishments during reviews can help your organization achieve its overall objectives faster.
Don’t shy away from talking about areas of weakness in your performance reviews. Discussing the lack of performance openly and honestly shows that you care about your employee’s success and demonstrates a desire to help them reach their full potential. By providing feedback on what needs improvement and recognizing successes, you can create a more effective team and keep employees engaged in their work.
As an employer, it’s important to provide your employees with the educational resources they need to grow their skills and become better performers. Helping them find and utilize training materials to develop their abilities can make a significant difference in the quality of their work.
Training resources can ultimately impact the overall success of your business. Investing in your employees’ growth is a smart move that can attract employee loyalty and produce a well-prepared team.
Making a development plan for your team members shows them that you’re invested in their professional growth. Taking time to carefully craft and monitor an individualized learning plan can help employees reach their goals faster while also creating an atmosphere of trust and collaboration in the workplace.
Set specific objectives with accompanying timelines so that everyone stays on track and all the stakeholders remain accountable throughout the process. Investing in your employees’ professional growth fosters job satisfaction and success.
Ask for input and self-assessment from your employees on how to best improve their performance in certain areas. This will help them understand the expectations, and it will give them the opportunity to share their perspective and ideas on how to reach their goals.
Inviting your team members’ input also allows you to gain greater insight into the challenges they face. It may even uncover some fresh perspectives that can help you address a range of issues more effectively.
Show respect and appreciation for the efforts of your employees during the performance review process.
Along with treating each employee fairly, be sure to:
Taking the time to recognize employees’ successes shows that you value their work and care about their growth. It sets the tone for a respectful and productive relationship with your staff.
Always take notes during employee performance reviews — and make sure your notes are accurate and up-to-date. Take special care to carefully document any goals discussed or agreements reached during the meeting; this will allow for further conversation and progress monitoring in future reviews.
Additionally, having accurate documentation can help protect both the employee and employer if any disputes arise about the contents of the review.
By focusing so much on the performance review itself, it’s easy to put it out of your mind after the meeting is over. But following up with your team members after the review is crucial.
Keeping in contact with employees on their progress helps them stay motivated and provides a measurable way to monitor their success towards achieving the goals that were set out during the review (and between reviews).
Here are a few other ways to follow up:
Taking these steps will help guide future decisions and strategies to improve your team’s performance. In short, following up with employees regularly is a crucial component of productive performance review management.
Companies that take the time to properly manage and review employee performance see greater success in terms of both productivity and morale. Any time and energy you put into conducting effective reviews now can pay off big in the long term.
Further, utilizing a service like Pocketbook Agency makes finding the perfect job candidates for your organization quick and easy. With an effective performance review system and recruitment firm to rely on, you can be sure you have the best possible team — for now, and for years to come.
Sources:
Check-Ins, Continual Listening Can Calm Employee Anxiety | SHRM
Designing and Managing Employee Referral Programs | SHRM