Employee Performance Reviews That Work

Tech Talk by Dee Ann Harn and Katherine Brenot

Effective performance reviews are critical for improving employee accomplishments. Though your organization may have high-performing employees, stagnation may occur during tough times (or good times) once the employee reaches a plateau in motivation.

The key to a successful performance review is two-way dialogue. Do not speak the entire interview, allow time for your employee to speak their mind. This is your opportunity to gain critical information about your company that only your employees know. Start the interview with positivity and ask them what they think is working well at the company and what they think is not working well.

Performance reviews and exit interviews are wonderful opportunities to gain great insights about your company. Your employees work for your company about 40 hours per week, it’s almost a guarantee that they can tell you something that you don’t know about your company, or at least something that you need to realize.

Here is a tip: don’t let performance interviews be overshadowed by salary. This is definitely a time to discuss salary increases, but don’t let this be the purpose of the performance review. You can say the interview is not about salary if you need to, but salary is a necessary topic, so do not avoid it.

Performance reviews are times to move the mission of your company forward towards a more collaborative environment. Let the conversations focus on improvement, not criticism. Though criticism may be necessary at times, do not let it end in negative feelings. Make sure you focus on positives soon after the criticism so your employee knows you are all on the same side. People tend to believe that the person issuing criticism is their enemy when not followed up with positivity and compliments.

“Coaching is a daily process,” as Dee Ann Harn said in this Tech Talk. Do not expect yearly performance interviews to make-up for a lack of daily coaching. Whenever your employees need coaching, make sure it is available. This could be in the form of instruction, compliments, and criticism (followed-up by positivity and compliments).

The key to the successful performance reviews is putting effort behind your program. Do not view these reviews as things you must complete on your yearly check list, but realize they are opportunities for improvement. Reviews are investments. Just like a cash investment, reviews contribute to the long-term success of your business.

Long-term goals are not easy to accomplish. They require strength, endurance, and might. Investing, health goals, and career success are all viewed in years, not days. The same goes for performance reviews. The point of conducting reviews is to allow your employees to improve year after year. As your employees grow, so will your business.

Someone once asked a CEO, “what if we train our employees, and they leave?” The CEO wisely responded, “what if we don’t, and they stay?” Training and reviews are two of a kind. Training