Performance Appraisal Best Practices: 5 Tips for Achieving Effective Performance Reviews

This article was originally published on December 30, 2019. It has since been updated as of September 24, 2020.

The performance review process can’t just be abandoned. Instead, companies need to create an employee performance review program that addresses the faults while incorporating the methods that increase productivity.

Sound like a tall order? Don’t worry. We have a list of performance review best practices to keep you on track to a successful talent management program.

1. Go Continuous, Not Annual

Here are some of the statistics that have fueled the distaste for performance reviews:

• 45% of HR leaders do not think annual performance reviews are an accurate appraisal of employees' work
• 9 in 10 managers are dissatisfied with how their companies conduct annual performance reviews
• 9 in 10 HR leaders say the process doesn’t yield accurate information
• 44% of employees surveyed felt that their manager or supervisor was being dishonest during their annual performance review

These findings have been enough for some of the most well-known organizations to leave the performance review process behind, but there’s one magic word that keeps us holding on to the hope that it’s not all a waste — annual. The problem is that many organizations allow 12 months of achievements and struggles to be rolled into one hour-long meeting at the year's end.

Instead of allowing such an influential meeting only to happen one time in a 12-month span, performance appraisal best practices indicate that shorter, goal-focused check-ins every two or three months are more effective. This will cut back on the preparation stress managers feel and ensure your employees get more accurate, up-to-date discussions around their own performance.

2. Make Goals a Foundation

When organizations learn that the performance review process best practices indicate that the annual review should be replaced by continuous feedback, the general consensus is that planning more meetings than the usual annual one is going to lead to less time and more stress. Managers will need to add more strategies to their schedules and make time for regular meetings. And this can very well become the case if leadership doesn’t make goals a foundation for performance.

For example, if you’re allowing time to be the factor that you build performance reviews around, teams will be scheduling strict half-hour meetings every month without a real reason to be sitting down. However, if you build performance conversations around an employee’s goals, managers will be able to schedule performance reviews around deadlines and objectives. There will be a clear focus for each meeting, and the conversation will be fueled by actual examples, accomplishments, mistakes, and all the things in between. Meetings won’t be pointless or boxes to check in task lists.

3. Don’t Wait on Tough Conversations

Negative feedback or conversations focused on mistakes are just as difficult for managers to conduct as they are for employees to hear. That’s why the conversations have often been put off or the error noted in a file to be discussed at a later performance meeting. While it might be tempting to let the dust settle on a tough situation, you are doing a disservice to your team.

When a mistake is made, performance appraisal best practices recommend scheduling a series of meetings. The first one should occur immediately with the intent to find a solution that leadership and the responsible party can enact. The next meeting should be scheduled for the next week when the solution is in full swing. It should focus on the mistake made and how to avoid it in the future. The last meeting should happen after the problem has been solved and will serve as a progress check for the employee and manager.

Each meeting can be adjusted for severity, meaning small mistakes might equate to one or two 15-minute conversations. The goal is to address issues head-on and before they become bad habits or big, bottom-line-affecting problems. This process also ensures other performance meetings have detailed notes to be referred to and aren’t totally focused on negative (disengaging) feedback.

4. Request Some of Your Own Feedback

Performance reviews are only as effective as the relationship that is built between the participants. If you want employees to be open to discussing their struggles or honestly sharing their satisfaction, then you need to build trust. Of course, this doesn’t develop overnight or even in a few weeks. To kick start that relationship, be open to hearing honest feedback from your employees, new or tenured. This highlights that the organization is devoted to always improving and that even leadership is prone to faults.

The first few meetings may not result in any real usable direction, but months or even years down the road, your employee will know their manager welcomes constructive feedback just as much as he or she delivers it.

For an employee to be engaged, keep in mind these 10 essentials that managers can use to improve an employee’s performance:

• Recognition
• Feedback
• Happiness
• Personal growth
• Satisfaction
• Wellness
• Ambassadorship
• Relationship with managers
• Relationship with colleagues
• Company alignment

5. Outline the System and Expectations

When a performance review program has been developed and agreed on by leadership, outline the steps and expectations for employees. Approximate regular meetings, explain the tools being used and the structure for those pieces, and include any scripts or frequently used questions. Place all that information in a place that the employee can find it whenever they need it, such as the employee handbook or company intranet.

This is a great way to set expectations for performance from day one on. If the structure of performance reviews changes at different levels, the employee will always have a place to reference the process, no matter their career pathing. On the other hand, it creates a system of balance for managers, empowering employees to take ownership of their own progress and goal development. No one will be unprepared for a performance review.

Performance reviews aren’t going anywhere. However, sticking to traditional approaches might leave your employees unsatisfied and less productive. Download our guide, How to Run an Effective Performance Review.

If you’re looking for a better talent management process, consider more than just incorporating these performance review best practices. Consider a Performance Management Platform that eases the leadership's administrative burden and provides data analytics to show how employees are powering your company's success. Reach out to one of our experts today to schedule a free demo.