Methods of reviewing performance can often vary a lot between different organizations. However, there are some universal principles that will usually apply to everyone. The way in which a performance review is conducted can ultimately have an impact on employee morale and their results moving forward. Whether the meeting is solely regarding performance, a review after working for the company for a certain amount of time, or a chance to discuss salary adjustments, it needs to be handled carefully.
It’s therefore important that you evaluate how you’re going to approach the topic beforehand so that you can ensure you achieve the most productive outcome.
Informal Review
The appraisal meeting shouldn’t be the first time that an employee hears about how they are performing at work. Unless it’s a new information that has come up at the meeting itself, it’s a good idea to ensure that employees know what to expect before they go into their review.
Regular informal discussions about performance will give employees the best chance at improving their performance over time without having to wait until the performance review to find out what you actually need from them. In addition, this can create a more positive culture in the workplace as you’re not only providing employees with regular tips for improvement but also praise for the areas that they are performing in well.
Hold Regular Review Meetings
Providing regular feedback is an important part of helping your employees improve their performance. To do this, experts recommend scheduling performance review meetings on a more regular basis. Quarterly rather than annual meetings, for example, can be a better way of making sure that your employees are able to keep up with their performance along with giving them a chance to ask questions and provide you with information on what they need in order to help them get the results that they are aiming for.
Regular reviews give you the chance to keep on top of employees who want to progress within the company, for example, including making suggestions that can help them get the promotions that they have got their eye on faster. To record and easily keep track of feedback, businesses can benefit from an online HR platform that manages appraisals. Software like this saves time and creates a lot more structure within the process, which we will expand upon in the next paragraph.
Take a Structured Approach
Whenever you are organizing a formal performance review meeting for an employee, it’s important to take a structured and organized approach to the meeting. This allows both parties to get a better idea of what to expect. It can also enhance productivity by making sure that all the necessary points are covered, including any questions that the employee may want to prepare beforehand.
To streamline this process, appraisal software can be the best solution. The 360 appraisals structure that features within this software will provide you with all the digital feedback you need on a specific employee, including any awards and recognition linked to their profile. You can use Staff Circle, which makes it easier for you to get feedback from everybody involved and structure your meeting to get the best results for both you and your employee. Check out the key features here.
Presenting and Discussing Feedback
How feedback is presented to your employee and discussed throughout the meeting is something to carefully consider. The main aim of a performance review is typically to let an employee know where they are performing well and discuss any areas where they might be struggling or could use some additional support to bring these aspects of their job up to the same level as everywhere else.
Use the feedback that’s been provided to give the employee a well-rounded look at how well they have been working. You should also be sure to discuss what they’re doing well more than you discuss anything that might be in need of improving – this will keep the mood one of positivity and improvement.
Listen to Your Employee
Finally, one of the main aims of the performance review is to give your employee a chance to speak up about anything that they might be struggling with and how they think that the company may be able to better help and support them. Ask plenty of questions and be sure to give your employee the chance to explain why they feel that they might be struggling more in certain areas of their work and if they have any suggestions or ideas for how you could work together to help them improve this.
A performance review is not only designed for employees to find out more about how they’ve been performing, but it also gives employers the chance to get to know their employees better and figure out if they too can make improvements when it comes to supporting their workforce.
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