Do’s and Don’ts for Performance Review Success
You may remember performance reviews from the good old days with employers past, and your desire to do performance reviews with your own employees is likely a reflection of that experience. Regardless, they can be a good way to establish realistic expectations with your employees while providing helpful feedback, setting healthy performance goals, and improving overall productivity.
Last week we talked about preparing for the perfect performance review. Because so much hinges on whether or not performance reviews are properly executed, this week we’re going to provide you with a list of 6 Do’s and Don’ts that will help:
1. Do focus on the positive. While performance reviews are a means of improving employee performance, it’s important that you begin by noting the positive. This can be a good forum for praising your employee for specific accomplishments.
2. Don’t make them a source of employee stress and anxiety. Workplace stress is at an all-time high, and performance reviews can unnecessarily increase that stress if not executed properly. Ensuring that your reviews are a means of inspiration rather than discouragement is crucial.
3. Do hold them regularly. If you’re not going to perform them regularly, you might as well not perform them at all. The true value of a performance review is holding them at regular intervals in order to better evaluate performance and determine whether improvements are being made.
4. Don’t make them a public affair. Hold performance reviews privately and ensure that your employee feedback is kept private.
5. Do be specific. Vague and ambiguous performance reviews will do more harm than good. Ensure that your feedback and expectations are clear and measurable.
6. Don’t focus on personality (do focus on performance). A Small Business Review article recommends, “Instead of saying, ‘I need you to take more initiative,’ say: ‘I need you to attract at least one new client per quarter.’”
Consider Ways to Improve Your Own Performance
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Resources
–. “Top 10 Do’s and Don’ts for Epic Performance Reviews.” Small Business Review
Goldfield, Burton. “You Can’t Afford to Skip Reviews.” 10 Sept. 2009 Entrepreneur.com