An employee’s performance is assessed formally at an employee performance review, which also includes outlining the individual’s future goals, highlighting the employee’s strengths and flaws, and providing comments.
An employee performance review is a great time for them to ask their own questions, provide input about their department and the firm, and assess their own work even though it is meant to provide them with feedback and help them grow as an employee.
The review is meant to be a forum for open discussion between the employee and the manager or supervisor, giving the employee a chance to be heard while also enabling the manager to clarify expectations and address potential problems before they arise.
These reviews are normally conducted once a year, while some businesses conduct them more frequently and others change to a more informal check-in as necessary.
How do they work?
Reviews often consist of a written section completed by the employee and supervisor as well as an in-person discussion. The greatest reviews often involve the supervisor going over their portion of the review with the employee and highlighting important points or compliments as they proceed. This enables the worker to express any difficulties they consider crucial in those crucial areas.
The written review evaluates the work of the employee on a variety of fronts using a scale that may be numerical, percentage-based, letter-graded, etc. The scaling is intended to be understood by all parties and customised for the organisation.
Both the company and the employee have the chance to change goals during these reviews (whether formal or informal), maximising the person’s strengths while correcting any deficiencies or knowledge gaps. Does the worker require more training? Does the remainder of the year require a more transparent channel of communication? These problems are covered in employee performance reviews.
4 steps in preparing for a performance review
Make sure you give yourself and the employee enough time to get ready before the review. Nobody enjoys receiving a surprise evaluation that they weren’t expecting! Make sure to educate the employee in advance and gather important data for the evaluation.
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Review and update employee’s job description.
It’s critical to check to see if the job description still applies to your employee. Over the course of a year, responsibilities can shift. If so, it’s critical to revise the description and give the employee a copy. Is what the employee is doing beneficial to the business? What else should they be doing instead? It’s crucial to talk about how your employee feels about the changes with them. Obtain a copy of your job description if you’re an employee and read it thoroughly. Do you have any experiences outside the scope of your employment? Are you okay with the possibility of your job description changing?
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Revisit previous reviews and employee training.
If past evaluations are available, review them to determine the employee’s progress toward the goals they were given or their training status (if they are in training).
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Remember to be objective.
Without harboring any prejudices against the employee, jot down talking topics and issues. An employee performance evaluation does not look at your personal impressions of the employee.
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Prepare the employee and set a meeting time.
It’s critical that the employee understands the purpose of the meeting: a performance review. Sending the self-evaluation-like performance review questions in advance of the meeting will allow the employee time to think about their performance and comprehend the topics that will be discussed.
Best practices for conducting an employee performance review
Provide regular feedback
Although some businesses have performance reviews twice a year or more frequently, it’s crucial to avoid limiting input to just those occasions. Performance reviews are normally conducted once a year. Continue to provide staff feedback all throughout the year, including words of encouragement, compliments, and criticism. By rapidly minimising problems, this saves an employee from being caught off guard during a review and maintains projects on schedule.
Take notes
Throughout the year, keep track of the behavior and performance of your employees. When the time comes, this makes for a more thorough performance review. Employees do not want a review that is only focused on what the manager or supervisor can recall. This also applies to the employee. Keep track of scenarios that can be improved upon and your thoughts on advancement.
Praise and gratitude
By expressing gratitude to your high-performing staff outside of the review meeting, you may demonstrate your appreciation for the work they accomplish. After putting in a lot of effort for the organisation without receiving any reward, employees may become disillusioned. To let an employee know you see and value the work they do, send them a quick email or pay them a visit.
An employee performance review aims to keep the person on track, allow them a chance to provide their own feedback, and have a group discussion about areas that need improvement. It’s the ideal time for staff members to voice problems and talk about professional growth or training. An employee performance evaluation should, on the whole, be advantageous to everyone and enhance your team.
