Many managers don't enjoy giving performance reviews, and that's too bad. Reviews are an excellent opportunity to take a pause from the urgent-but-not-important to communicate with a staff member. In many cases, your employee is eager for feedback; in others, she or he may (rightly or wrongly) dread the review. Here's how to make the performance review process not only pretty painless but also very useful.
Put your staff member at ease. Start the review by saying something pleasant. "You've had a good year," is good if it's accurate, or, "You've made progress in your writing." If there's nothing good to say, be gentle while being honest.
A review should not be a series of vague statements. "You meet department expectations. Rating: good." Often, a review ends up being bland because when it comes time for the manager to write it, the manager cannot recall relevant examples to back up the statements in the review. (This becomes evident when any examples that ARE cited occurred within the last month or so, something of which I've been guilty.) Be ready. Jot down notes about your staff member's work throughout the year, and refer to these notes when writing the review.
Create realistic goals for the staff member for the upcoming 12 months and explain how the person can accomplish them. "We need to see you improve your attendance. If you have errands or appointments, schedule them for before or after work, or take a vacation day."
The most important thing I've learned about giving annual performance reviews in decades as a manager is this: the review should not be a series of surprises for the employee, especially not unpleasant surprises. This means that your job as a manager includes keeping up with your staff and their strengths, weaknesses, achievements, and must-do goals. You must communicate with staff members about these and other specifics relevant to their performance all throughout the year.
If your company asks staff members to sign the review, it is wise to include a written statement near the signature line stating that the signature indicates that the employee has seen the written review, but does not necessarily agree with all the statements it contains.
After all, fair is fair.
Give your employee some airtime! Ask his or her goals, concerns and comments on what you've said. Listen carefully, and if you disagree, explain why.
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