The Do’s and Dont’s of Employee Reviews Every Manager Should Know
Be it quarterly or annual, employee reviews are a sacrosanct part of every organization. Generally, it follows a fixed format where employee performance is laid out across numerous metrics and compared to others in their team as well as pre-determined goals. Neat, right? But here is the interesting part- while 94% of executives feel their employees are satisfied with their review process, a staggering 64% of employees do not approve of it. Also, if you factor in that “lack of recognition” is one of the leading causes of employees leaving a job, it is evident that there is something wrong with the process.
Assuming you are well aware of the high costs of employee turnover and the value of talent retention, let’s get right to the point- what can you do to make the employee reviews more honest and effective? Here are 4-points to keep in mind:
Busy doesn’t equal work
Managers generally have an inherent bias towards employees who always seem busy. But as experience tells us, the busiest employees aren’t necessarily the most productive. Read more about this problem here and how to solve it.
Quantity is important but quality matters
Employee performances are almost always measured on quantitative levels that put those who value quality work over the amount of work they do at a disadvantage. For instance, while measuring the number of calls a sales rep makes is important, the abstract factors like networking and nurturing are also crucial for creating sales pipelines.
Averages can be misleading
It is an open secret that employees tend to work harder in the weeks leading up to their review and thus skew their overall productivity for the quarter. Of course, there is nothing wrong with employees covering for their previous shortfalls but it essentially beats the core purpose of a performance review- consistency. Also, while rushing through tasks can quantitatively meet the specified goals but is sure to fall short on quality.
Disengaged vs. struggling employees
Poor performing employees are a drag on any organization as they not only create bottlenecks on their part but also have an overall negative impact on their team. That said, not all poor performers deserve to be laid off. If they are disengaged, cut them loose but there is also a chance that they are struggling and need help. In such cases, proving proactive coaching and requisite training can potentially turn them into star performers.
It's not that the managers aren’t aware of these facts but they simply lack the means to include these considerations into their decision-making process. Measuring productivity is tough- it's not like they just have to count the number of bushels picked in an hour. In the current knowledge-based workplace, the concept of output has changed dramatically and thus the only way to accurately assess productivity is to assess engagement.
The Solution
Engagement is a good indicator of productivity. If an employee is actively engaged, they would deliver consistent results and if not, a little help can take them a long way. Also, accurately assessing the productivity of better-performing employees awards them due recognition and boosts satisfaction. So how do you measure engagement? Prodoscore is one solution that has helped numerous companies better understand their employees’ productivity by giving insight into the day to day activities. Get a free assessment to see if they can help you better prepare for future employee reviews.
