Better performance reviews

Performance reviews are very stressful. Not only for employees but for managers as well. Performance reviews can play a large part in determining the future of an employee so it's no surprise that they can make people nervous.

Direct reports - people who need direction and leadership - rely on their leaders to give them feedback and mentoring, not just management and evaluations. However, these people who most need their boss’s help frequently lack the guidance that would enable them to move to the next levels.

Too often leaders are not prepared or trained to conduct an appraisal that stretches performance and ensures the development of direct reports. Instead, some of the visible features of appraisals are:

• They become confrontational and judgmental;
• Goals are not clear;
• Neither person is prepared; and
• The discussion occurs when it’s too late to do anything about the problem.

Today’s organisations demand more from their leaders. Therefore, a well thought out performance appraisal system, clear expectations, reviews that inspire, and action plans are critical to individual and organisational success.

With yearly performance reviews being so critical, a manager would be hard pressed to find good reasons why he/she cannot dedicate an hour-long meeting once a year to such a task.  Part of a manager’s role must be to ensure that the mutual needs of the employee and the organisation are being met.

Performance reviews help supervisors feel more honest in their relationships with their subordinates and feel better about themselves in their supervisoral roles. Subordinates are assured clear understanding of what's expected from them, their own personal strengths and areas for development. Plus, a well conducted review can reflect a solid sense of the relationship between supervisor and employee.

Avoiding performance issues ultimately decreases morale, decreases credibility of management, decreases the organisation's overall effectiveness and wastes more of management's time to do what isn't being done properly.

Managers and employees alike, sense some imperfections in performance reviews. For some, the 'pain' of conducting performance reviews is associated with a lack of clear mutual (management and employee) understanding of their purpose.

There is a common concern about whether they are intended primarily to benefit the organisation or the individual. Some consultants insist that the purpose of reviews should be to drive better business results for the organisation making sure that the daily efforts of employees directly contribute to both team and organisational goals.

At the other extreme, some suggest that reviews are all about personal development. These proponents argue that it is better to refer to performance appraisals as ‘personal development reviews' to ensure that the name better fits the process and main objective.

Much of the problem with annual performance reviews is the lack of training for reviewers. Many are more concerned with the interview than the interviewee. Some human resources specialists suggest that the bulk of the time in the performance review meeting should be spent talking about the future.

Of course, in the ideal situation, performance feedback should be continuous. Where this happens, the review itself is not such a big deal and certainly, it contains few surprises.

Performance reviews should be but one part of a continuous loop of planning, coaching, providing spontaneous feedback. Almost any system would work if organisations truly fostered an environment of continuous feedback.