For many employees, a face-to-face performance review is the most stressful work conversation they’ll have all year.  For managers, the discussion is just as tense. One way to reduce this tension is to provide regular and ongoing feedback to your team all throughout the year. This results in not only having less to cover in the performance review meeting but also creates a continuous feedback culture where employees become accustomed to receiving feedback about their work on a constant basis which ultimately leads to high performance.

However, it is still important that the formal performance review meeting happens. For this, we’ve compiled the following ten tips to help managers get the most out of performance reviews with their employees:

1. Be prepared. Many managers put off doing reviews due to the time it takes. Document the good and bad performance of your employees throughout the year. If you keep a record, writing reviews will be a much simpler process (plus, relying on only memory is likely to see you only remembering employees’ most recent performance). Employees know right away if you’re not prepared for their review. If you are late to complete it or not prepared it looks like you don’t take the process seriously and therefore they won’t either.

2. Remember the purpose. The review shouldn’t focus on salary – many studies show that salary is not the most important factor in motivation and job satisfaction[1]. The purpose of the review is to increase communication with your team, ensure alignment on key goals, discuss training and development opportunities, recognize achievements and show your appreciation for your employees. Just as importantly, the performance review provides an opportunity for you to receive feedback from your employees on how you can improve performance as their manager.

3. Meet in a private location. The review meeting should be face-to-face and take place in an area which cannot be overheard. Using only email or a written report is never appropriate for the review meeting because it does not allow the employee to have a real time conversation with the reviewer.

4. Don’t do all the talking! This should be a conversation between you and your employee – not a confrontation. Listen to their explanations or suggestions even if you are not willing to change your conclusions. Encourage your employees to keep notes in between your conversations so they’re also prepared to do some talking.

5. Avoid attacking employee weaknesses. Do not think of yourself as the judge of the employee but as a partner and guide.  Often, employees are already aware of the weaknesses in their performance. Your job will be to help with suggestions and solutions.  Address any gaps between your appraisal and the employee’s self appraisal.  Any unidentified weaknesses should be highlighted in a positive manner emphasizing how the employee might improve their performance.

6. Balance positive and negative. Too often the face-to-face conversation takes the form of a “feedback sandwich” with compliments, then criticism, then more niceties. But because there’s no single, clear message this approach demoralizes your stars and falsely encourages your poor performers. Instead, pick a side. For the solid workers, motivate them further by concentrating on things the person has done well. For your marginal workers, do not sugar-coat bad news. People are resilient and you’re not going to do them any favours by avoiding their deficiencies.

7. No surprises or ‘saving up’ of issues! If you have something to discuss with your employee and the performance review isn’t for a few months, request a quick meeting with them. You don’t want to sit down in the performance review and say: “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this, but a few months ago I noticed….” It’s not a good idea to hold back the feedback and let it all out in one go. Employees need to know how they’re going on a regular basis.

8. Follow up. If you’ve made suggestions to an employee and notice the changes in their work, let them know. When you follow up and recognize the effort they’ve made it shows that you care and that their work is important.

9. Set S.M.A.R.T goals. Work with your employees to agree on goals, KPIs or objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Goals with these attributes are much more likely to motivate performance and actually be achieved.

10. Be prepared to deal with those ‘tricky’ questions. Think about what questions your employees may ask of you and be prepared to give them a good response.

All in all, remember the purpose of the review and use the time effectively so that both you and your employee get real value from the experience rather than just completing it as an administrative ‘tick the box’ exercise.

 


[1] McKinsey Quarterly: Motivating People: Getting Beyond Money