Performance reviews, annual reviews, Max performance, PAP, regardless of how you call it, is a valuable tool for an individual career development. Most employees are stressed about reviews and what the feedback will be. All this can be reduced or eliminated if the appropriate steps are taken by both parties to prepare documentation to support findings and evaluations. The purpose of a review is to provide the employee with relevant feedback from managers, internal customers and, if applicable, clients/external customers. Reviews may be on an annual, semi-annual or more frequent, depending on company policy.
The review generally consists of two parts: the written and the oral or review meeting. The written review is broken down into several sections: evaluation of achievements during the review period, strength and weaknesses, setting goals for the next review period, and recommendations for future developments. The review steps takes into consideration possible promotions, department transfers, increase/decrease in responsibilities and compensation adjustments. This will depend on factors such as the formality of the review, its intended purpose, and the frequency with which reviews are conducted. Many organizations combine performance reviews with promotions and bonuses. Some companies, however, place more emphasis on providing feedback to the employee than compensation and advancement issues.
As indicated earlier, the outcome of the meeting depends on how constructive the manager is at giving and other relevant information. It is important for the manager to establish and commit to a date and time specific for the review. This demonstrates the importance of the review process and allows each party to gather relevant information for the meeting. At all times, the employee should be made to feel that he/she is an integral part of the organization. The manager, by providing feedback on strengths and weaknesses will be in a good position to assist the employee in developing skills to address weaknesses, while achieving the future career and department goals.
Poor performance frequently occurs where there has been a lack of direction and/or feedback. It is up to the management to ensure that employees are aware of expectations and know how to accomplish company and individual goals. When an employee fails to meet expectations, management must step in with coaching and improvement plans. As with most plans, documentation is a necessary step in the improvement plan process.
When you meet with the employee and agree on an improvement plan, write out that plan and make sure the employee has a copy. The improvement plan should include the following: |
The behaviour/performance in question that should be stopped changed or started. Why it is a problem. What the expected behaviour should be, specifically what the Employee will do, and by when. What the checkpoints or progress review times will be. What the improvement steps will be. A statement that improvement and then continued performance at that improved level is expected.
An employee in preparing for a review should inquire about department transfers, special projects, increase responsibilities, promotional opportunities, etc. This information would assist the employee in identifying better developmental goals to plan for future opportunities. It is important that the employee plan ahead for the meeting and not rush through the process or assumes it is the manager’s responsibility. This is the most important meeting to receive formal feedback, resolve any outstanding issues and set future goals to benefit your career. It is also a documented process that remains in your permanent file. Be sure to clarify and resolve outstanding issues, ask for suggestions on how to improve your work in certain areas and offer suggestions on how to benefit the team and the department as a whole. You would be able to know if your ideas are valued and requires action, in which case you may want to follow up on these ideas and suggestions at a later date.
We are all aware of different personalities in the office environment and these can have an effect on the review process. It is important to remain professional during the interview, because it is about your career, your future, so stick to the issues. How you deal with these situations may reflect on your relationship in the department and career with the company. We know that there are power struggles among managers, internal politics in departments or poor interpersonal skills plus some managers may be feeling a little insecure, especially if you are a “Star Performer”. In these cases, you may wish to have another manager present in your review to maintain objectivity.
Always get a copy of the final review for your file. This will be your reference point for meeting the goals for the next review. In the event, there is a disagreement in the review, try to resolve the issue before signing the final version. If not fully resolve, then you can comment on areas of agreement and disagreement, but it is better to try to resolve all issues.
Performance reviews to be mutually beneficial should be positive. The way the company benefits from a satisfied employee and the employee appreciates the opportunity to develop a career path. |
