Making Performance Reviews Work for You (Part 2)- by Pat Gonzalez

In the perfect HR world all managers in your organization would complete and deliver performance reviews to their teams on a hard set schedule. In the real world performance reviews are on your leader's to-do list, but constantly battling for a spot on the top of the priority list.  The HR team can help managers by sharing the value of this tool and show the decision makers a direct impact on their bottom line.  I know it's an overused cliche, but a leader is only as strong as the weakest link on the team.

So what can managers do to make the performance review process a more enjoyable and valuable process?  The key is what to do prior to preparing and delivering the review:

• Maintain a file for each of your direct reports that contains accomplishments, lessons learned, and feedback from your team member. (Remember to ask your HR contact for assistance on setting these files up to remain in compliance with HR laws and your organization's protocol.) Make sure you have a copy of the last review, so you have a point of time to properly and accurately measure your employee's growth.  
• Set appointments for reviews at least with a week's notice.  This allows your employee to prepare as well.  If there are follow up meetings make sure to calendar them in advance with your employee for the best outcome.
• Provide your employee with a copy of your review at least 24-48 hours before your meeting.  This removes surprises and allows your employee an opportunity to read and learn from your assessment.
• If you feel uncomfortable with preparing (or conducting) the review set up an appointment with your HR contact. It's not uncommon for leaders to need training on this item. The HR team will coach you on language, setting, and administrative items pertaining to this task.
• Remember that the performance review ideally should not be linked to compensation, and that the evaluation is an opportunity for a conversation. The conversation should be productive and be a communication vehicle for your company's mission statement.  It should ideally include the role your employee will have (with your support) in meeting company and department goals.

Your responsibility as a leader of your team is to communicate your mission and action plans to your team.  Performance reviews are a tool to build and assess your team.  HR professionals love to share their knowledge, and can even customize a performance building metric for your team. All teams are different, and with that being the case the measurement tools used to track performance may need to be customized to truly gauge your team's performance. 

Make sure to read my next blog on employee engagement.  Your comments and feedback are always welcomed.  If you would like to see a certain topic discussed please don't hesitate to send me your request.