The New Performance Evaluation

Today’s evaluation process, or more specifically, the actual performance review, should not be an anxiety causing, once a year meeting between employee and manager. If your organization continues to employ the old school philosophy and practice of employee evaluations, it’s time to shift your thinking and processes.

Introduction

The evaluation process, which includes one or several face-to-face meetings between employee and supervisor, must be part of a larger, well defined agreement of goals, expectations, and regular, ongoing feedback. Ensuring regular conversations and feedback with staff, creates an open, two-way, and relaxed environment to work in, and to provide feedback and evaluation. As managers, we need to coach and care for our staff by providing them with clear direction, expectations, goals, and feedback.

Creating a Performance Culture

The evaluation process as a whole, or what is often called the performance management system, should serve as a motivator to employees, and not something to worry about. The performance review process should provide direction and set goals for employees so they know what’s expected of them and can perform independently. This kind of planning allows employees to work toward personal and professional goals and encourages success beyond expectation.

If designed correctly, the performance review will:

• Improve communication.
• Allow employees to be part of their professional development plans.
• Increase productivity.
• Identify performance issues and train to correct them.
• Determine goals and create action plans to improve employee skills.

Recognizing the performance review as a two-way street between manager and employee means each has a responsibility toward it, and a specific role within it, for it to be successful.

The employee must:

• Take an honest approach in completing a self-assessment of success and failures, strengths and weaknesses of their performance, and identification of their goals, and objectives.

The manager, and the organization, needs to:

• Support a culture of growth, self-improvement, learning, and risk-taking, while providing coaching where there are gaps, recognition of successes, and ongoing listening of issues, concerns or challenges.

This is why learning and development departments must align with HR. The performance review system is where identification of learning programs, skill development, and knowledge needs comes from. Based on the identification by employees of their areas of weakness, or where they want to know more, or gain strengths, is the breeding ground for new programs.

Performance Planning is Win/Win

Organizational success means individual success, and individual success means organizational success. Consider the following win/win opportunities through a well defined, managed performance review system:

1. The performance review is an opportunity to listen to employees about what type of new skills, knowledge, or training they need so they are able to do their jobs successfully.
2. Identifying learning and development programs based on staff input helps create job success while aligning with organizational goals.
3. A performance review program works as a retention tool because employees get the support, direction, and career development they want.
4. A performance management process shows employees they are important by:

o Taking time to meet with staff, identify their personal goals and translate them into professional expectations.
o Listen to their training and knowledge needs.
o Support them in personal and professional development to reach identified goals.
o Offer feedback for self-improvement and career advancement.

Summary

Employee reviews or performance evaluations are no longer what they once were. Today they are part of a larger process that plays a strategic role in a company’s future.

By identifying individual needs for performance success, and aligning individual expectations with organizational goals, and success definitions, companies support personal development through professional growth. The result: employees work hard to meet and exceed organizational goals because they feel part of it, and it meets their personal goals too.