Performance Review - DOs and DONTs
Performance Review - DOs and DONTs
Use spreadsheets and/or email. | Use an automated solution. | An automated solution provides for tracking, consistency, and accessibility. |
Exclude employees from the review process. | Communicate value, process, and responsibilities. | Regularly communicating with employees encourages alignment, engagement, and motivation. |
Criticize employees in public. | Conduct reviews regularly and privately. | Communications with employees about their performance should be between you and the employee. |
Set unclear goals. | Use SMART goals. | Make sure the goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Set goals that make sense to your employee. |
Set an employee’s goals without explaining how those tie to the overall organizational goals. | Focus everyone on how they can contribute to the organizational goals. | Helping employees understand what their contribution means to the organization helps with alignment, engagement, motivation & productivity, and organizational success. |
Have an overwhelming number of goals and competencies on the appraisal. | Focus on goals and competencies specific to that employee. | This helps make sure those goals are more realistic and achievable for that employee. |
Have so many scale values that employees and managers cannot differentiate their meaning. | Set a limited number of meaningful scale values. | This makes you scales, and the values on the scale, easier to understand and provides more consistency. |
Use inappropriate language. | Use a language filter. | This protects everyone from writing things they should and helps ensure constructive criticism. |
Play favorites. | Make the process fair. | A fair process better motivates and engages. |
Score without observed behaviors. | Have defined benchmarks for scores and use notes taken throughout the year to see where an employee fits. | Defined benchmarks help ensure all employees are being scored by the same standards. |
Setup consequences and rewards but not apply them evenly. | Give rewards and follow through on consequences. | Consistently applying rewards and consequences promotes accountability and credibility. |
Make performance a one-time event. | Encourage ongoing feedback, development, and note taking. | Having an ongoing process maintains engagement, promotes motivation, and ensures a more productive process. |
Make performance end with the score. | Use performance data to establish compensation, training, and succession plans. | Performance scores can highlight areas of improvement and also help with compensation planning. |
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