If you have not taken the time to implement an annual performance evaluation system for leaders and their direct reports, it's a good time to begin the practice. If you start small by using real-time one-on-one discussions about growth and development potential, you'll open a better line of communication for everyone on the team, provide a greater level of transparency and build a foundation for trust.
Below, 11 Forbes Human Resources Council members offer their best tips on how to implement and encourage regular employment reviews for the first time.
Forbes Human Resources Council members weigh in.
Photos courtesy of individual members.1. Focus On Employee Value
Commit to a program, not a process, that adds value to the employee's development and overall experience. Communicate the value clearly to the organization. Connect it to the overall organizational values. Make the process so easy and invaluable that leaders incorporate value and impactful conversations into their everyday language, especially their one-on-one meetings. - Rocki Howard, The Mom Project
2. Determine The Necessity
The question is whether you should implement an annual process or if the better choice would not be a continuous process that tracks the progress of your employees. Doing it annually makes it a chore for the managers and only a snapshot for the employees. Try to assess the levels of engagement between performance and satisfaction. If you still want to use it, do it to develop people. - Philippe Clarinval, Clarinval Executive Advisory
3. Stay Transparent
Integrating performance reviews, metrics and performance expectations can bring on culture shock, so start slow. Being transparent about why you are making changes and educating employees on how it benefits their growth and development is key. Also, providing metrics to employees before the review cycle starts is critical because it is hard to achieve metrics when you don't know what they are. - Dana Garaventa, Opus One Winery LLC
4. Consider It A Practice, Not A Process
Consider the review process as a practice. Having a change in mindset will go a long way. Move away from performance evaluations and move towards performance conversations. It's easier to put together a practice to ensure you are having the right conversations around expectations, goals, successes and areas of improvement. Include more than just HR in the implementation discussion. - Tina R. Walker, California Community Foundation
5. Build A Culture Of Communication
Don't start an annual review if you don't have constant feedback flowing between managers and their employees. Start by building a culture where leaders are expected to meet at least monthly with their people to discuss success and growth for work and life outcomes. Thereafter, introduce a simple annual or bi-annual review process verifying, validating and supporting performance and growth. - David Alsop, Ultradent Products, Inc.
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6. Start Small
We rolled out our performance evaluation system in mid-year of 2021 with one expectation: All employees were asked to record one professional and one personal goal. At the end of the year, we asked employees to answer four positive questions that provided a self-review of their performance. It gave our employees a chance to shine. It also helped leaders and employees have great dialogue during the yearly review. - Debby Routt, Marathon Health
7. Make It An Ongoing Discussion
Annual reviews focus on process and not true content. Instead, keep it more about real-time ongoing discussions that center on what, and how, not an annual process. - Erin Lanciani, Sage Therapeutics
8. Help The Company Adopt A Growth Mindset
Schedule training and have conversations about the importance of feedback and critical discussions. Changing the expectations of how we grow as an organization will make the implementation of the annual review process much smoother. Just giving feedback once a year is not beneficial. We need to be having development conversations all year. - Katie Ervin, Park University
9. Train Your Management Team
Define a process that will work in your organization, and train management on how to conduct such reviews effectively. Communicate, communicate, communicate. This could be a positive experience that leads to growth for all if done right; otherwise, it could have a negative impact. - Dinesh Sheth, Green Circle Life
10. Share Your Expectations With Every Employee
When introducing annual reviews, be sure to share with employees the goals you're seeking to achieve with them. Do you want to recognize team members' contributions more regularly, help them set goals for career development or solve potential issues with company processes? Communicating openly helps ensure the review process is a two-way conversation that benefits team members and the business. - Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
11. Incorporate Diversity, Equity And Inclusion
Integrate the annual review process into your DEI strategy. Employees, especially those from underrepresented communities, thrive in environments where transparency, equity and accountability are core to the way success is measured. Therefore, provide training on how to set and track meaningful performance goals and highlight how this process leads to more fair and equitable pay and promotions for all. - Cassandra Rose, Meritarc
