Tess Taylor 
Ask any manager what he thinks about conducting HR performance reviews and you are likely to get answers somewhere between “I hate them.” and “what’s the point?” Employees often dread them too, worried they don’t meet up to expectations and won’t get a raise.
For most organizations, however, the performance review is at the center of employee development and compensation plans. The problem is not with the performance reviews, but rather that managers don’t like having to go over the negative aspects of their employee performance issues. For some managers, this can feel like confronting their own failures.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to make employee performance reviews a lot more productive, and less stressful for all involved.
How to Conduct Effective Employee Performance Reviews
Keep things Consistent – All employee performance reviews should be conducted using a standardized review system. This can be as simple as a checklist of desired performance goals, or as elaborate as a computerized performance management product. Employees should be given the opportunity to self-evaluate, focusing on their skills and goals for the previous time period, with a follow-up review with a manager to discuss their progress. To avoid bias, look at the entire time period to note all performance as a whole and do not compare one employee against another.
Try to be Objective – The whole point of the employee performance review process is to gauge how well the employee is meeting his or her objectives in a specific job role. This is not a time to play favorites. Your job as the HR manager is to make sure that all employees learn some valuable things about their abilities, so that they can become more productive in the coming year. Keep comments clear and concise, leaving out personal details. Give examples of positive performance as much as possible.
Respect Employee Ideas – During the employee performance evaluation process, you are free to ask the employee to share idea on how the company can help support higher levels of productivity. By gathering feedback from each employee, you will be able to provide better incentives, education and training opportunities, and workplace enhancements. You will also be able to identify rising leaders from among your staff to promote, which is the main point of doing the reviews in the first place.
If you keep the above tips in mind as you conduct your employee performance reviews, this process can go smoother and be less worry for you and your employees.
For more HR related articles like this, be sure to come back often to the HR Writer. We welcome your comments and questions below.
Photo Credit: Ambro
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