Human beings are hard wired in for reflection and goal setting – think about New Year’s Resolutions. They are the most common form of goal setting on the planet – and yet no one forces people to do them. There is no pay rise attached to them and there is no piece of paper that has to be sent back to HR with them written down. People just do them because they feel that they need to grow and develop.

With annual employee evaluations, we create space for people to take time out and reflect on what they have accomplished in the past twelve months. Often we are so busy going onto the next project – the next big thing, that we don’t stop and celebrate what we have achieved. This is a recipe for burnout and poor self-esteem. Performance reviews help give people the chance to review and celebrate their successes. By regularly celebrating our successes, we see that we do make a difference, that we can succeed and that we are worthwhile human beings.

Regular reflection time also allows space to look at what didn’t work so well – and to think about ways we could do things differently. Futility is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, yet we don’t give space to breath and work out how we could do things differently. We don’t get “Eureka moments” when we are stressed and under the pump – we get them in quiet spaces of time. Allowing time to reflect and review creates a quiet space of time – which allows learning and growth.

Performance reviews with trained managers to help coach people through the performance review process, helps people to feel great about their successes and to find other ways to do areas they find difficult. When used correctly they are not a “score card” or school report – but a way to help achieve better productivity and greater results. It is all in how you look at them. How do you view your performance review process?

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Freelance HR writer

One of the most regular comments I have heard over the years is that annual performance reviews are just a waste of time. The reasons they give are that people hate doing them, they are just a crutch for poor managers to be seen to be doing something, there is no link to pay so why bother, they take too long, and people don’t really say what they think.

Employee performance evaluations in my mind are just tools to aid discussion, and like all tools, they can be used in a positive or negative way. In the right hands tools can help create some pretty spectacular results – in unskilled hands the results can be clumsy or damaging.

That’s why I am a fervent believer that telling managers to “go do performance appraisals” without any training, support or coaching is the same as telling a teenager to “go drive a car” without any training, support or coaching. You just know that the results will not be pretty.

Without proper training, you will get bad review results – people won’t say what they think, they will just go through the motions, managers will be stilted and follow process rather than initiate a deep dialogue and they will take a heck of a lot of time.

With proper training, managers will be able to put the employee evaluations in the context of their management during the year. They will use them as a tool to aid double loop learning – where people can stop, reflect and learn from their experiences and then build that learning into their new work challenges. They do become motivational, exciting and something to look forward to.

So are they a waste of time? It all depends on how you approach them and use them. I know the power of great employee performance reviews – I also know the downside. I believe all managers need to be set up for success – and trained in their proper use to give them the maximum chance of succeeding with their team. After all, isn’t that why we want to implement performance reviews in the first place – to get great results? Take the time to train your managers and you will get great outcomes from your reviews.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

HR Copywriter

Here are some of the most common problems:

Telling white lies

“Senior management wouldn’t let me give out higher ratings than average”, “I didn’t have any problems with your performance, but I did have a few people complain” are all examples of telling the odd porky pie to cover your own level of discomfort. If you can’t tell them honestly – don’t tell them at all. Employees can pick up on your subtle body cues that you are being less than honest and this can tarnish any trust they have in you.

Trite sayings

To avoid conflict, many managers tend to fall back on trite sayings rather than tell the truth. Things like “There were a few problems, but nothing that can’t be dealt with”, “I believe you have the potential to do anything you put your mind to”, and “At least you learnt from this project” are less than helpful. Be explicit and tell people the truth “Yes it will impact your promotion prospects”. Being honest builds rather than breaks trust.

Enforcing secrecy

Many companies request employees keep their reviews confidential. This is seen as self serving and potentially trying to hide something by many employees. You are bound by confidentiality and must take active measures to keep their information private, but if they choose to pin up their results on the staff bulletin board, that is their responsibility.

Cookie cutter reviews

Many managers try to save time by using standard words or paragraphs. Some employees can see this as being insincere and lacking any real depth. They want to hear in your own words what you see are their personal strengths and challenges.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

We put your business into words

1. Did they fail on only one project? Not every project is a stellar success. If the person had previously a history of good performance, but this particular project failed, then they may not be a bad performer – there may have been some internal dynamics or issues with the project that caused the problem. Check this out before judging.

2. Do they just disagree with you? Sometimes poor performers are just people with a different opinion to you. Are you judging them as a poor performer because they rub you up the wrong way or are you assessing from a truly factual position?

3. Have you been tainted by gossip? Mud sticks. Sometimes you may have heard gossip about the person, which may not be based in fact. This is a hard one to identify within yourself – but did you hear something negative about the person before you made your judgment about their capabilities?

4. Have you a superstar team? If you have a team of exceptional employees, a good employee may look like a poor performer in comparison. How real is the comparison?

5. Is there a pattern of poor performance or is it a recent thing? Look for patterns and trends. Check to see if there were any corporate triggers if the issue is a recent one.

Your poor performer may really just be problems about you or your organisation if you ask these questions first.

Until next time

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony

We put your business into words

While popular literature tends to focus on employee’s nerves heading into review sessions, managers can also struggle at performance review time. Often highly charged with emotion the sessions can be extremely draining on all concerned.

To prepare for the next employee performance review cycle, try some of these performance review tips:

1. Get ready to move forward by looking back. Pull out last year’s Performance Review to look through it and refresh yourself on what was agreed to with the employee, what training or development tasks were assigned, and what metrics you will be looking at in the review session.

2. Look up the Position Description. Be aware of the position being evaluated. Does the paper description match the day to day reality? What might need adjusted heading into the discussion?

3. Gather your files. Pull together any relevant memos, updates, project reports or milestone information relating to the work that was accomplished during the year. Also, review any personnel file notes to ensure that attendance, vacation habits, and sick leave levels are satisfactory.

4. Organize your thoughts and make notes. Reading through items 1 – 3, you should get a clear idea of what issues you would like to discuss in the employee performance review. Naturally, the employee will have some items to discuss as well, but planning your key points will help keep the discussion on track.

5. Start planning ahead. You’ve seen where you’ve been, you’ve laid out your main discussion points for the session reviewing the work that’s been done, it is time to focus on what lies ahead. Make a short list of upcoming projects, development opportunities, and administrative items you will be discussing with the employee in the session.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words
Heart Harmony – Freelance HR writer

Performance review templates: Comparison reviews, Forced choice reviews, Standards based reviews and Competency based reviews

When selecting a performance review template, many small businesses are surprised at the number of choices available to them. There isn’t a single standard form for doing employee performance reviews. Rather, businesses are responsible for selecting the performance review template that best suits their needs for that particular performance year.

This post gives you a quick overview of the four major review templates available.

Comparison reviews: Comparison reviews look at the job descriptions and performance metrics and make a simple comparison. Did the employee meet the required standards? Comparison reviews also can mean looking at the broader market to ensure that wage levels and perks continue to be competitive in the marketplace.

Forced choice reviews: In a forced choice rating system, behaviors are listed to one side with a performance descriptor listed to the other side. Managers are forced to choose, for example, whether helpfulness was achieved at the poor, satisfactory or outstanding level in the past year. This metric is also called forced choice because there is no place for managers to put comments or their own interpretations onto the selections.

Standards based reviews: A standards based review looks at the targets for the position and whether or not those target standards were met and to what level they were met. Employees can be rated as a pass/fail or on a sliding scale. Comments and manager interpretations are welcome.

Competency based reviews: Competency based reviews are also known as behaviorally anchored reviews. A list of specific skills and behaviors is created for the job, and rated according to the importance of each competency to success in the role. Usually the top 3 -5 competencies for a role make it onto the review. Workers are subsequently evaluated based on their performance against the named competencies for the position.

In many cases it doesn’t matter the performance review template you select – the priority is the discussion you have and the shared understanding you reach. The template is merely the final paperwork to document your discussion, so don’t get hung up on using the “right” form.

For some free performance review templates visit www.heartharmony.com.au/free-performance-review-templates.php

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words
Heart Harmony – Human Resource Management writer

When a bad review for an employee is on the horizon, managers get tense. It’s perfectly understandable. No one likes to deliver bad news, yet as a manager it is a responsibility that can’t be shirked.

Dealing with a bad review takes different tactics depending on the reason the review is going to be bad. It is one thing to do a negative employee performance review when performance is simply not up to standard at the moment but there is hope of improvement. It is quite another kind of employee performance evaluation when workplace norms are being willfully broken and the session may include a disciplinary aspect.

For either kind of review, consider carefully what you would like to see as an outcome and document everything along the way. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. In this age of lawyers, one can’t be too safe.

For those who are simply not up to standard, a conversation focusing on gaps and the ways to fill those gaps can be quite helpful. Employees are likely aware that they are not meeting standards, but a focused conversation about expectations and outcomes can be both enlightening and motivating. For some, having that frank conversation about possible outcomes of continued poor performance is all that is needed to turn things around.

For those for whom it will be a disciplinary conversation, having all the paperwork in order is key. Managers will be able to approach the employee performance review much more calmly when they know they have a sound case with the appropriate documentation at hand. Anger and bluster have a tendency to melt before facts. Keeping the tone of the session professional will help both parties, so nervous managers may want to practice to ensure they are able to keep their cool and give good, meaningful feedback and critiques throughout the session.

For both kinds of “bad review” session, a bit of prior preparation will make the process much smoother. Have all the necessary files at hand, prepare a few remarks, and be ready for any emotional aspects which may come from the employee. Stay calm and focus on the process—giving reviews, good and bad, is just all in a days work.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words
Heart Harmony – HR writer

One of the performance review tips that many managers choose to ignore is the rule to link job descriptions to employee performance reviews. It is ignored because it often takes a bit of effort and extra time. Everyone is pressed for time these days, but taking the time to improve the performance review template and bring it in line with current job descriptions will be well worth your trouble.

The issue begins when companies develop job descriptions for the first time and never update them, even though jobs have changed. Or perhaps the performance review template was done by a consultant five years ago and no one has touched it since. Either way, leaving employee performance reviews divorced from job descriptions can create fertile ground for misunderstandings, anger and litigation.

No one wants to be hired for one position and measured for another. Employees come to work wanting to be successful, and getting evaluated on seemingly random attributes of performance is a slap in the face.

Additionally, it can create unpleasant surprises at evaluation time as employees think they have met expectations based on the job description, when managers really wanted to see another set of behaviors entirely.

To ensure that everyone is clear on what is expected and to ensure that there are no surprises at review time, linking job descriptions to employee performance reviews is vital. Well begun is half done—don’t put it off any longer if you know its needed at your firm this year.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words
Heart Harmony – Freelance HR writer

The employee performance review process  is not all about the employee. Managers also need to have objectives when they go into the session, yet many managers fail to set clear objectives for the meeting. As a result, the conversation can be less than efficient.

Managers without objectives they want to accomplish for the session can be easily sidetracked by petty concerns. Instead of spending an hour focused on the developmental needs of the employee sitting across from them, managers may get pulled into a pointless discussion of radio volume levels in the employee break room. Without a plan for the employee performance review, the employee will be running the show.

To avoid this, a little prior preparation on the part of the manager is required.

First, either independently or with the larger leadership team, managers need to decide on the strategic direction for the year.

Next, managers should translate that strategy into specific objectives for this particular employee or workgroup.

Then managers should convert those objectives into SMART (specific, measureable, actionable, realistic and time-bound) goals for the team.

Finally the manager should prepare what they would like to say about the individual employee’s performance.

With those objectives in mind, managers will be prepared for the employee performance review. With clear outcomes in mind, the conversations will be efficient and focused.

It is easier to select development and training opportunities, and employees should be able to see how their actions impact the overall well-being of the company. Both sides will come away from the meeting feeling that the time was well spent and with an understanding of what is to be accomplished in the year ahead.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words
Heart Harmony -  HR writer

Despite having the best of intentions, both managers and employees often make mistakes during the employee performance review process. It’s an almost guaranteed occurrence. Everyone is so concerned about not messing up during the performance review that errors spring up at every turn.

The most common employee performance review mistakes stem from a lack of preparedness. Managers fail to review documentation prior to the session, getting things off on the wrong foot or missing key bits of information.

Employees fail to bring materials or to understand what they are going to be discussing in the meeting, allowing for false fears and false hopes to cause emotional stress. Neither party sets clear objectives, making the overall session less than perfectly efficient.

The next set of common mistakes stem from the real humanity of both parties involved. Ethics hotlines burn up with woeful participants who let slip inappropriate or foul language in review sessions, distraught staff who knocked drinks on managers, and managers who muddled the names of their associates. These mistakes happen because everyone is human, and should generally be overlooked.

My most memorable reviews have included employees fainting and even one throwing up in fear at their first review. Luckily most are not that extreme!

The last category of common mistakes made in review sessions can be prevented by being a little more tolerant and sensitive on all sides. This isn’t to say that either party should be a softie in the session, but hurt feelings and rough remarks come from failing to anticipate how something is likely to sound to the person across the table. Putting some thought into the words used before they are uttered can shield everyone from misunderstandings during the session.

Until next time
Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words
Heart Harmony – Freelance HR writer