Team members often dread the very idea of performance reviews. In fact, studies show that vast majority of the workforce not only loathes these evaluations but think they’d be better off without them. This negative connotation of performance reviews held by employees is more or less, because of how they’re conducted. And thankfully, that can be changed for the better.
Performance reviews, when done right, can give employees meaningful feedback. They also provide insights into how employees can grow in their current positions. And even ideas around how they can achieve their future career goals. Well conducted performance reviews help bolster both employee engagement and attention, across the board.
Interested in seeing how you can improve your team’s own performance reviews? Keep on reading to see how you can turn the table on them. From something that employees despise to sessions they look forward to.
Set A Concrete Timeline, Stay Consistent
Performing regular employee reviews is key to making them become a successful process. Companies must recognize that reviews are just one part of the performance management process.
Set up and adhere to your processes so that employees are convinced beyond doubt. Ensure the process is conducted a set of number of times every year. As long as the number is neither too small nor too large, it will impact the employee perception positively. Too small a number and run the risk of making employees careless, too large a number and it would mean micromanagement.
This consistency develops a sense of trust and accountability between management and employees. This conveys the message that you have their best interests in mind.
Help Increase Employee Retention
One of the main reasons an employee leaves their job is that they don’t feel heard or valued in their role.
Position performance reviews a bit differently. Rather than making them a device only for judging employees, ensure that they are looked at for retaining talent. Conducting thorough, two way performance reviews is bound to make employees feel vital to the company’s success.
Instruct managers/reviewers across the company to do their homework before doing performance evaluation. They should stay away from making generic statements at all costs. More specific they are, more validated and heard the employees will feel. Consequently increasing their likelihood to stick around.
In a nutshell: An understood employee is a loyal one. Do your best to make them feel heard & appreciated, while also showing them how they can improve. It’s a win-win formula for the team and the company, really.
Help Increase Employee Engagement
Want a more engaged team? Easy: Start giving them worthwhile evaluations.
Give your team members constructive performance reviews they can actually use and improve from. This ensures organic creation of culture of engagement. Super focused, detailed reviews encourage employees to be more in tune with the company (and team) needs.
Also, it’s wise to follow-up on performance reviews. This checking-in, too, doubles as a “push factor” for engagement, making employees more likely to ask for feedback and be more involved with their at-work performance.
Focus on Career Development
Most of the time, performance reviews focus on the good and bad aspects of an employee’s work. But, when conducted correctly, they can also aid in an employee’s career growth.
Rather than just saying what an employee has done well or otherwise, consider taking your pieces of advice one step further. Focus on how your criticisms relate to that person’s career development. It’s important to keep this feedback constructive as malicious criticism can, hamper someone’s career path.
Use these performance reviews as opportunities to talk about (and facilitate) career development. Ask employees where they see themselves in a few years, and what their vocational goals are. Then, taking that input into consideration, craft your feedback to help increase their chances.
In Summary: Flip the Table on Performance Review Norms, and Everyone Will Come Out Ahead
As you can tell by now, employee evaluations can be multifaceted . By stepping away from the this-is-good and this-is-bad format, you can then create a more encompassing and useful feedback system.
In the end, everyone—the company, you as a team leader, and, of course, employees themselves—comes out ahead when performance review process is improved.
