Resentment towards performance reviews can dampen the employees’ spirit. It’s therefore critical to make this a less dreaded activity and make it something both managers and employees look forward to.
Do you like performance reviews?
You are most likely one of the many people who cringe at the mention of performance review. It is common knowledge that accountability is an integral aspect of any business’ success but people still loath performance reviews which are part of the accountability process. Might this have been caused by employees getting bored to the core by routinely processes? Or the misplaced objectives e.g. focusing on evaluating an employee to determine whether a promotion or pay increment is deserved instead of focus on the employee’s development?
Resentment towards performance reviews can dampen the employees’ spirit. It’s therefore critical to make this a less dreaded activity and make it something both managers and employees look forward to. How can performance review be made fun?
The annual affair
Why should we wait all year long to have appraisals done at the end of the year? Just when the holiday season is reckoning and everyone is pre-occupied with clearing with work and making holiday plans. Performance reviews should be held continuously e.g. quarterly if possible. A continuous process is bound to be more effective in assessing one's performance as compared to waiting the end of the year to crunch the whole years’ performance data.
Feedback in real-time during one-on-ones tends to be more detailed and helpful in setting realistic goals.
Away with the bureaucracy
Opening doors for feedback creates a healthy relationship between the managers and subordinates. Having a two-way feedback system eliminates the possibility of employees getting defensive or taking feedback negatively.
Employers should also move away from using rigid processes which in some cases involve 10 to 15 paged documents. Isn’t this additional work to the one administering too? Adopting a reliable HR technology eases the task while at the same time fosters collaboration between managers and subordinates and enables real-time feedback since data is easily monitored.
Revamp rating systems and perks
Rating employees on numerical or qualitative systems do not clearly reflect their true value e.g. ‘meets or exceeds expectations’ or based on the ranking ‘on a scale of one to five’. This is usually on the basis of generic competencies and skills. On the contrary, it should be based on who the individual is what they have done and how to make them better and not focusing on what they have done wrong.
On the other hand, relying on pay scales as reward systems can be limiting. Performing employees may not be motivated enough to perform better when they know that the time for annual raise is not around the corner. Yes, we can all use some extra cash but we also live in a world where we thrive in recognition. Therefore, aside from bonuses and the likes, personalized rewards will go a long way.
