Rescuing performance reviews

Goodbye annual performance reviews, hello feedback

In this mini blog series we explore the value of performance reviews, the bucking trend against them and why on-going feedback and coaching is the new era of performance management.

We also have a white paper that explores the topic in further depth which you can download here.

Rescuing performance reviews

If performance rankings and ratings are removed, as discussed in the previous part of this mini blog series, they must be replaced. Ongoing, clear and supportive performance conversations with regular feedback and open communication is the way forward within organisations. In this third post we’re looking at the next era of performance management and the reviewing process.

In place of stale annual performance reviews, organisations should be having ongoing “performance conversations” which, by their very nature, are two-way between managers and employees. The timeliness of feedback is also essential, and so performance conversations should, where appropriate, be instantaneous, with line managers offering coaching in the moment.

Enabling managers and employees to give constructive feedback as needed will motivate and improve workplace performance for both parties. As managers bridge organisation and individual performance expectations, they must be trained to clarify performance and development, using evidence-based feedback on how employees are performing and progressing.

In this development of their role, managers should also be equipped to coach and empower employees. In doing so they become coaches, mentors and guides for employees, helping them and their teams find purpose and seek constant opportunities for learning. A combination of coaching and feedback informs employees about the gap between expectation and performance, allowing for expectations to be adjusted and giving space for line managers to monitor employee reactions.
The emphasis in this setting is on helping people grow in their job.

Where there are concerns with goal setting and accountability, adjustments to performance management can also have a significant impact. In setting individual objectives, line managers should set goals based on broad outcomes and avoid setting irrelevant objectives where goal achievement is the only measure of performance. If outcomes-based goals are inappropriate, then line managers can set goals focused on progress in key areas such as skill or knowledge.

As collaboration continues to play in important role in today’s workplaces, feedback shouldn’t be limited to that given by line managers. CEB highlights that peer feedback supports line managers to more effectively assess and discuss employee performance. And where employees are line managed remotely, technology is a great tool for reviewing performance as there is no difference between in-person feedback and feedback given via technology.

SelfStir

In recognising the importance of focussing on an individual’s growth in their job, shifting away from the annual review structure of out-dated objectives, SelfStir developed a platform accessible to people in across all levels of businesses, where they can drive their own development, be that personal or career, and get multi-rater feedback to aid their progress.