Your Performance Reviews Are Not Enough

Your Performance Reviews Are Not Enough

Your employees want more from you than a yearly hourlong check-in.

It’s no secret that after the pandemic, workplace dynamics and our employees’ career desires changed drastically. Our offices were altered from traditional workplaces to digital workplaces. We were no longer separated by physical barriers like cubicles or offices but rather by extreme distance. Communication seemed harder than ever as in-person meetings changed to Zoom calls and Slack messages. Employees reconsidered what they value in their role and a new era of work-life balance was born. It was crucial for us as business owners to reassess our daily operations to remain successful and maintain a motivated team.

Fast-forward to 2024. Here we are–still testing and learning the most effective ways to manage our teams and inspire them to excel in their role. We’ve come to understand that the modern needs of employees such as flexible hours and commute reductions are greatly valued assets and are now at the focal point when choosing a role. But, we still hang on tightly to certain traditional workplace practices that may be outdated.

Take the performance review, for example. At its core, the performance review has good intentions. It was designed to improve your team’s quality of work, productivity, and transparency with you, their boss. However, fewer than 20 percent of today’s employees feel inspired by their review and see it as a source of fear and anxiety.

This high-stakes conversation is often viewed as the be-all and end-all of people’s careers. Worry sets in as individuals begin to question their talent, contributions, and overall worth professionally. In the end, the beloved and frequently practiced performance review begins to do more harm than good.

So, what do we do? How do we as leaders readjust the typical performance review to achieve its desired results and become beneficial to employees rather than detrimental?

Here are five tips I learned so we can give more constructive feedback and help our teams get the most out of their one-on-ones.

Don’t focus on the past, focus on the future

By narrowing in on previous mistakes that have either been resolved or happened many months ago, you set a negative outlook for the entire review. Instead, emphasize employee development, set attainable goals, set a timeline for those goals, and understand the employee’s career aspirations.

Provide real-time feedback

A performance review is not the only time you should be giving feedback. Many employees are shocked during their review to find out they have not been doing something in the best practice or have been struggling in a certain area and are only hearing about it for the first time. Instead, provide feedback as it comes naturally and relevantly. This makes for a much less daunting conversation that doesn’t come across as extremely negative and promotes a frequent, transparent dialogue with your employees.

You can’t do it all in one conversation

This leads me to my next point: You can’t cover everything in a one-hour review. Career goals, raises, and promotions should be covered in a separate conversation from advice on how to improve and performance goals. Imagine trying to open up about how you’d like to do more at a company after someone highlights all of your mistakes. Impossible. Separating the discussions allows you to allocate the necessary time for each topic and sets the correct tone for the room during the meeting.

Technology is your friend

I know what you’re thinking: Where do I get the time? How do I schedule all these conversations and ensure my team doesn’t lose precious work hours or feel micromanaged? Don’t forget that technology is your friend. Use it to work for you, not against you. Performance management software is an excellent way to allow for real-time tracking and updates. These tools streamline communication from leader to team members and you can jump in at any time to check on people’s progress. This way if you see a red flag, you can catch it right away.

Go back to your company’s roots

When in doubt, always go back to your roots. Remember that you brought the vision of your company to life with certain values and goals. Yes, they have changed as your business experiences its highs and lows, but by keeping these pillars top of mind both you and your team can come to an understanding of what is to be accomplished and why. This will serve as a structured way for you to see how your employees are contributing and for them to grasp what needs to be contributed.

As professionalism continues to evolve, there is an imperative need for us as leaders to constantly be revamping and rethinking our style of management. With the continuous rise of social media and new generations joining the workforce, more and more traditional workplace practices are being called into question. So, if you’re like me and you’re not ready to abandon performance reviews altogether, stay open-minded and give some of these tips a try.

This post originally appeared at inc.com.

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