That Time of Year!
I was recently reminded at a client’s office that this time of year performance reviews take place. A time when employees get feedback on how their work has been viewed by their managers.
So, I thought it would be a good idea to give a few tips to the people who are doing reviews. Again, it IS communication and as I have said before, communication will always get a result. Try to make it the result you want!
The thoughts of giving feedback throws many managers into a panic! Especially if they must share information to an employee who hasn’t been doing great work!
The first tip I can give you is this:
There should be no surprises at the year-end performance review!
That’s right! No surprises – especially any issues of poor performance. Those items should be discussed with the employee at the time of the issue or very soon after. Not waiting till the end of the year.
Giving praise and commendation is usually very easy to do and something that we all like to receive. But what about an employee’s work which has been below expectations? How can you provide information that will not only let them know that the work is not good but at the same time encourage them to do better?
Try this:
1. One of the best things you can do is consider the employee’s feelings. You can start by asking if this is a good time to have the discussion, especially if you are commenting on something that has just happened.
2. Then, make note of some aspect of their work that they have done well. Be honest but don’t go to extremes.
3. Describe the specific behaviour that you would like to see improved.
4. One of the most important things that you can share at this time is how this behaviour has affected other members of the team or co-workers. Often, people don’t see the repercussions of what they have done so pointing it out helps to solidify the result in their mind.
5. Discuss how this can best be improved. Make this a conversation not a soliloquy. In other words, at this point, both of you should be talking.
6. Mutually decide on a time to follow up to review how the behaviour has changed and if something more needs to happen.
7. Throughout this process be mindful of your full communication style – your tone of voice, your facial expressions and your body language.
These moments should really be ones of coaching, motivation, development and recognition.
And isn’t this how everyone can grow and develop to be the best they can be?
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