Have you really wondered why you click on this guide to read? It’s because long gone are the days when employers only at the very moment of appraisals were making the employee count their lack or inadequacy or inefficiency or attendance or commitment or dedication or other lame factors hindering their increment, which was mentioned in the agreement already. In ideal cases most of such meetings will be followed by resignations, which were even more intense to be settled or negotiated somewhere in the middle.
Employers do really understand that they have done this to save a few bucks but eventually lose an employee on which they have spent time and resources and make them reach this level when they have really been fruitful. Sometimes it’s HR, who are hardly aware of exactly what is happening in the operations and just follow the SOPs or sometimes even the managers/employers themselves hit the dead end, which they call a smart move.
The need for employee performance review programs were essential to ensure complete transparency. Timely performance reviews, feedback and employee engagement helps employees understand what are the weaker areas and where they need to improve to qualify for the appraisal programing. This all makes a company productive and efficient.
Well, this all is not humanly possible and when you are looking for a curated guide on how to conduct these programs, this page is for you. Strategically combining employee review software and the employees data, the whole process could easily be converted from a complex duty to a strategic program for employee retention and growth.
Table of Contents
What Is A Staff Performance Review?
A staff performance is a designed process where an employee’s work efficiency and performance is evaluated by their reporting managers. Earlier when only at the time of appraisals, tantrums were thrown at employees, GenZ is no longer taking this and keep their resignations drafted always. This could impact a company’s retention rate, overall growth and productivity.
A formal assessment is designed and conducted periodically that analyses how well the employee has been performing in ideal conditions and then identifies sections where they have done really well and where and where they need improvement.
An ideal performance review is customized as per the type of industry and segment of the employees, aiming to go beyond the normal feedback given in day-to-day interactions. They are well-formed assessments that later are inculcated as a part of an employee’s permanent record.
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Why Are Staff Performance Reviews Important?
Being an employer or heading the HR department, you must understand the term retention rate and if it’s sinking within your organization, there must be something wrong. This wrong could be identified by interacting with your assets, which are not stocks or high end computer machines, but people working for/with you.
Below I have mentioned some of the top reasons why conducting staff performance reviews is crucial;
1. Optimization
Feedbacks/reviews/orientations ensure that your employees are inclined towards the objectives of your company, you can only download this by meetings and not with AI generated modules to achieve the overall goals.
2. Growth
Performance reviews help encircle areas where employees need training to contribute as desired towards the organization’s goals. This benefits the company by customizing a non-generic but building a specifically skilled workforce.
3. Rewards
Most of the organizations link reviews directly to decisions about pay raises, bonuses, and promotions. It’s good practice and must be pursued but make sure that you are motivating employees and not demoralising them and keeping them in self doubt, avoiding them to approach for appraisal.
How Often To Conduct Staff Performance Reviews?
Most of the organizations have designed the performance reviews program to be conducted every year. But it purely depends upon management decisions, but they shouldn’t be delayed for long.
Yearly
Annual review provides a big-picture to glance at the employee’s performance. It’s an ideal time to determine raises and promotions. But a bigger leap of a year’s time could bypass smaller sections leaving you and the staff perplexed.
Every 6 Months
This is also a good option, but could be done with those who you are sure about being seasoned and learnt.
Every 3 Months
Quarterly reviews are best suggested by experts and suit every section of employees. The periodic check-ins soaks pressure.
Monthly or Weekly:
This must be ensured in cases of newly hired or if you have largely relied on interns or freshers.
Conducting An Effective Staff Performance Review?
I have designed a comprehensive step-by-step guide on an ideal process to conducting an effective staff performance review;
Set Goals
Before you start measuring performance, define clear and measurable goals for each team member. Make sure every employee knows and understands their goals and the process for evaluation.
Review Method
There are a few different methods for performance reviews;
- Self-assessment – Employees are required to rate their own performance and reflect on their strengths and sections which need improvement.
- Manager assessment – The manager completely evaluates employee performance on factors like set goals, responsibilities and job duties.
- 360-degree feedback – Reports are accumulated with data gathered from the employee’s direct reporting manager, peers, and direct reports, aiming for a well-rounded view.
- Ratings scale – Performance efficiency is scored on a numbered scale (e.g., 1-10) in key areas which makes the performance easy to be compared.
HForwarding Review
The performance review meeting provides you a chance to forward your honest and productive analysis report about the employee’s performance. The efficient method is to share the highlights written along with allowing them a chance to respond.
Standardized Process
Set and design clear guidelines and rules for every step for unbiased evaluation. Involve the trustworthy ones who would be conducting reviews and give positive feedback.
Tips For Staff Performance Review
Below I have explained some of the effective tips to utilize for staff performance review;
Scheduling
Always schedule performance review sessions ahead of time. This provides you and your employee time and they don’t feel suppressed.
Previous Records
Maintain a record of guidelines, goals, achievements you have set with the employee in their previous review session.
Feedback
It’s not about your own observations only. Gather inputs from other team members, as a person responsible for setting salary slabs and deciding someone’s future you must have complete liasoning on the floor.
Common Staff Performance Review Errors
Below are some of the most common mistakes most of the HRs or managers do while conducting the staff performance review;
Generic Feedback
While forwarding your feedback, make sure that you don’t use generic statements, as this would simply reflect that either you are not prepared or lack in data or try avoiding real conversation.
H3: Suggest With Practicality
Stating just “you need to improve” or “this is not up to the mark” is not the way, you must take charge and responsibility and at first place must be learnt enough to lead a team by suggesting methods to improve and perform better.
Personality Over Performance
You must be least concerned about an employee’s character or personal traits until it becomes something directly linked to the office disciplinary environment. As a manager you must understand the solace or even the nuisance under a control a certain employee role requires, and if you understand that, you must respect and allow space.
Rather than throwing statements like “I don’t see you as a team player,” you could say “I’ve noticed you tend to take on projects in solace”. Then suggest how you could help them collaborate with other colleagues.
Comparisons Game
It hits hard when you compare a hardworking employee even with someone who is better than them and it directly affects productivity. You must be smart enough to keep the conversation around them only, then you can smartly point out errors, suggest solutions and make the whole conversation as feedback.
All At Review Time
Feedback matters the most when forwarded at the right moment. If you have been saving errors of your team just for the sake to be used as their minus points at the time of appraisal, you are not only unethical, you are technically wrong too.
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If you didn’t point out the error at the right time and save them for the 6 month review meeting, it simply means you have been allowing them to do what they have been doing, as they were assuming you are supervising and what they have been doing is right. But you were supposed to guide and lead and not only look and write details.
Conclusion
Staff performance reviews are generally considered challenging tasks, because all of sudden you have been asked to be transparent and weigh the employee performance and forward decisions based on matrix and backed by data. Being a manager is not only about marking the attendance of your team and pinpointing silly factors to give as excuses when they ask for leave, it’s more about being specific, clear and balanced in your feedback to firstly build, then support and then take the team forward towards improvement.
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