Performance Review Process Review

Some years ago a Human Resources Manager at a Silicon Valley computer company offered managers free tickets to several games of a very popular American football team if they completed their subordinates' performance reviews on time. 

When David Russo headed up human resources for software maker SAS Institute, he earned employee cheers for a bonfire celebration that burned appraisal forms and ended annual reviews.

One of my own clients in Sydney engaged me after they had 2 of their 20 staff members leave, in a large part because of the new performance review process that the company implemented a few months earlier.

The problem with most traditional performance reviews is that they are overly complex, considered irrelevant by staff because they don’t add much value to their daily work life and considered useless by time poor managers because they don’t impact the staffs’ productivity or behaviour.

Many companies, including a division of General Motors have abolished performance reviews all together.

Is that the right answer?  Of course not. 

So how do you deliver performance reviews that actually aid productivity and aren’t universally hated by managers and staff alike?

It’s all in the timing, structure and delivery.

In the Performance Review Process Review we help you look at your performance review process with new eyes and potentially redesign the process to help you ensure:

• That your process is not overly complex.
• That your job objectives from the position description are well written, clear and measurable so that they may be used as KPIs for the performance review itself.
• That your managers understand the importance of emphasising what the staff member is doing well and not just concentrating on areas for improvement; one of the biggest reasons for staff discontent.
• That the entire process helps drive productivity and enhances career development, translating into better job fulfillment.