Performance reviews can be challenging, even for the least

sensitive among us. It’s nice to receive praise, but not so nice to hear about our shortcomings and areas for improvement.

Reviews can be awkward and uncomfortable, but they don’t

have to be.

The performance review process is evolving. In the past, reviews were almost exclusively limited to a sit-down discussion between manager and employee. Today, savvy

managers are taking a more comprehensive approach to reviews, using technology to their advantage to get a more complete look at employee performance.

There’s been some debate in recent years about whether annual performance reviews are still useful; some employees prefer on-the-

spot feedback over annual reviews.

Employers can and should respond to their employees’ requests for more prompt and regular feedback, but eliminating annual or biannual reviews is not the best solution—both types of feedback are valuable.

Let’s explore the benefits of formal performance reviews and the importance of adopting a review process that fits the culture of your organization.

A formal, sit-down performance review doesn’t have to be uncomfortable—it all comes down to the delivery and ongoing communication.

Think of a performance review as an opportunity to praise, evaluate, mentor, coach, and help your employees find solutions to any problems that may have emerged.

Benefits for employees:

They provide an opportunity for employees to

communicate what is and isn’t working and ask for additional training and tools.

They provide an opportunity for employees to set goals for themselves.

They provide an opportunity for employees to make their case for a wage increase or promotion.

Benefits for managers:

They provide managers with a formal opportunity to praise employees, offer wage increases and promotions, and identify areas for improvement.

They help employers communicate the goals of the company.

A performance review does nothing more than create a paper trail if it’s generic and doesn’t match your company culture.

If your corporate culture emphasizes innovation, open communication, and cooperation, it only makes sense to evaluate employees on these things during their review.

A one-size-fits-all review process misses the mark—managers should consider factors like whether the review process should be goal-based or competency-based, and whether the review will be ratable (e.g. on a point scale) or open-ended.

Author Daniel Pink argues in his book

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What

Motivates Us that three main factors

motivate employees today:

1. Autonomy—the desire to direct our

own lives

2. Mastery—the urge to perfect a skill

or skillset

3. Purpose—the desire to do

something larger than ourselves

Money is a motivator, but praise from a

manager is an even bigger one.

Consider these things as you develop

your review process.

Address any issues constructively, and bring up each issue separately,

discussing it completely before moving on.

Involve employees in setting goals during the review process.

Consider incorporating an employee self-review process into

the overall performance evaluation. Self-reviews allow employees to think critically about their performance and additional tools they may need.

Avoid using negative phrases that can damage morale. Use clear, non-judgmental language that focuses on the quality of the

employee’s work, not their character.

Performance review software is an excellent tool for customizing employee review forms to

suit your industry and your organization’s culture, mission, values, and goals.

Coupled with a 360 degree feedback solution that enables your staff members to submit and receive detailed feedback from managers and colleagues, your employees

get a complete look at their performance.

The workplace is evolving, and so should your performance review process.

The old carrot-and-stick (reward and punishment) approach that prevailed for centuries simply isn’t as effective anymore.

A review process that gives your employees a complete look at their performance, which includes constructive feedback from

colleagues and managers, is more in line with the changing corporate landscape.

Reviewsnap offers an all-in-one performance

management software solution that helps organizations manage performance appraisals, compensation tracking, and peer-to-peer/manager-to-peer appraisals. Reviewsnap is a complete, fully automated, self-service performance management system that offers user-friendly, reliable and affordable on-demand Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions.

Reviewsnap helps organizations and employees succeed by bringing everyone together and aligning them behind shared goals.

Learn more about our innovative software solutions at www.reviewsnap.com.

Sources

• http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225560

• http://blog.reviewsnap.com/employee-review-process-to-fit-your-company-culture/