Performance Reviews- Plan With Your Team
It’s Performance Review time again! Where did the year go? What should I write?
Performance Reviews happen every year at most companies yet many managers are unsure how to plan and prepare for them. Many employees dread this time of year and just want it to be done with.
Ideally, reviews should be an on-going year-long activity between you and your team. Developing good relationships with your team and planning ahead will help you deliver more relevant feedback and enable you to chart the course of performance development together.
Setting Expectations and Goals
Set expectations and goals at the beginning of the year (or whenever your annual performance cycle starts). Meet with each of your employees individually to set goals; the key here is to be collaborative. You may have some very specific goals in mind but by encouraging employees to be part of the process you will develop more engagement and buy-in on their part.
One of the best ways to set goals is to use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Time-Bound) framework.
Put the goals in writing and review with your employees on a regular basis. This ensures that everyone is clear on both the expectation and the timing when you meet to discuss progress.
Regular Touch Point Meetings
Schedule regular check-ins in advance so they don’t get lost in the shuffle. Your team will likely really appreciate you making this an important part of their development.
Use the check-in to discuss progress on goals and address any potential barriers or changes to the company strategy. Give regular feedback and be sure to engage the employee by asking them to share their own thoughts and ideas.
Plan Ahead
Before the actual review, plan ahead and meet with each employee to put together a summary of of their accomplishments, current project work and goals and objectives. The idea is to have the review become a regular part of the overall evaluation and have it flow naturally into setting goals and objectives for the following year.
Use this time to assess if the person is meeting goals and expectations. If not, what can you do to help turn this around? If yes, start thinking about recognizing and rewarding your high performers.
Review Day
By this time you should have several different sources from which to write the actual review. Use this time to develop talking points for areas that you want to cover – make it future focused. Include a summary of your future expectations and begin to plan for the next cycle. Include the employee in the planning process and tie goals into the business strategy.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog where you’ll learn more about setting SMART goals.
FutureSense provides Performance Management strategies designed to meet your business needs. Reach out today and see how we can help! For more information, please contact us at info@futuresene.com or at 888-892-9597.
