Things to Consider When Giving Performance Review Feedback
The feedback and appraisals you provide your employees will have a lasting impact on their development.
It is necessary to review an employee’s work and offer feedback about their strengths and challenges. Performance reviews, also called “performance assessments,” “employee appraisals” or employee evaluations, allow individuals to reflect on their work and set goals for improvement.
In order to create effective performance assessments we offer tips along with some samples from companies who already use these strategies effectively. The aim of companies should be to develop a value-oriented feedback culture at the workplace.
When giving performance review feedback, there are a few things you should keep the following in mind:
1. Get input from team members
Start by getting everyone’s input about how they think someone did during his/her past month working together as well any strengths noticed within those activities.
When sitting down to write an employee evaluation, it is important to avoid making any assumptions about the employee’s understanding of the situation, his work ethics or abilities. Instead, base your feedback on observable facts and specific examples. This will help the employee understand your feedback and make it more actionable.
2. Ask meaningful growth-oriented questions
In order to help your employees grow, it is important to ask meaningful questions during the performance review process. Managers should consider asking questions such as:
- What are some things you enjoyed about your job this past month?
- What are some areas you would like to improve in?
- What goals do you have for the upcoming month?
- What can I do to help you reach your goals?
A performance review software can help in answering such questions and measuring employee performance. Companies need to provide a roadmap for professional growth so that the employee retention rate is also high.
3. Avoid using generalities
It is also important to avoid using generalities in your performance review feedback. For example, rather than saying “you need to be more organized,” try “I noticed that you didn’t submit your reports on time.” This way, the employee knows exactly what they need to work on and can take specific steps to improve.
Here are some of the key areas you can focus on while evaluating:
For conveying your point across effectively use action words such as “increase,” “allocate,” or “understand” to give your employees a sense of concrete changes they can make.
4. Make sure your point is clear
When writing performance review feedback, be sure to be clear and concise. This will help the employee understand your feedback and make it more actionable. Avoid using “jargon” or “corporate speak” that the employee may not understand.
Similarly, avoid using clichéd phrases which add little to no value to an employee’s daily work routine.
Instead, use specific language that will help the employee understand what they need to work on. For example, saying “you need to be more organized” is much less helpful than “I noticed that you struggled to keep track of your projects this past month. In the future, can you please try to keep a more organized system?”
5. Focus on the future
When giving performance review feedback, focus on the future rather than dwelling on the past. This will help the employee stay positive and motivated to make changes. For example, rather than saying “you didn’t meet your sales goals last quarter,” try “I’d like to see you focus on increasing your sales by X% in the next quarter.”
It might be the case that there is a workplace culture in which the employees do not feel comfortable approaching their senior team members or managers. In the future, managers can ensure that communication is a central part of the team-building efforts. The next steps or action items need to be conveyed more effectively and having productive conversations should be encouraged.
6. Use “I” statements
When giving feedback, use “I” statements to avoid coming across as confrontational or judgmental. For example, rather than saying “you didn’t do X,” try “I noticed that X wasn’t done.” This will make it easier for the employee to hear your feedback and be more receptive to making changes.
Another tip for giving performance review feedback is to avoid using “you” statements. For example, rather than saying “you need to improve your communication skills,” try “I noticed that there were times when you didn’t communicate effectively.” This will help the employee feel like you’re on their side and working together to improve their performance.
7. Be specific
It is also important to be specific when giving performance review feedback. For example, rather than saying “you need to be more organized,” try “I noticed that you didn’t submit your reports on time.” This way, the employee knows exactly what they need to work on and can take specific steps to improve.
It is also important to critique the behavior, not the person. For example, rather than saying “the work you provided was subpar,” try framing your feedback like “I noticed that you didn’t take the initiative to work on that project.” It is very important to make the employee feel like they are being given specific, constructive feedback.
8. Honesty is the best policy
When giving performance review feedback, always be honest with the person you are appraising. If you feel like there is something they need to work on, make sure to let them know in a constructive and positive way.
It is important to be specific about what the employee has done well and what areas need improvement. Feedback that is vague or overly general will not be helpful to the employee and may actually cause them to feel more frustrated. It is also important to be objective in your assessment. This means avoiding personal biases and sticking to the facts.
It can also be a sensible idea to focus on the recent behavior of employees. This will help them understand which specific behaviors need to be changed.
9. Value the point of view of the employees
Before writing the performance review, give the employee a chance to self-reflect. This will help them identify their own strengths and weaknesses. Giving the employees a chance to evaluate themselves, will also help them feel more valued by the company. It will give managers and stakeholders a better understanding of how employees see themselves and their work.
Pay attention to any concerns or complaints that an employee might have and if needed, conduct a meeting with them to discuss their comments. Give them the opportunity to get clarification on any points and ensure that both the employees and the managers are on the same page.
After the discussion, it is important to take into consideration the employee’s point of view when writing the performance review. This will help to create a more well-rounded assessment of the employee’s work.
10. Avoid giving an overwhelming feedback
Last but not the least, when giving performance review feedback remember to avoid overwhelming the employee with too much information at once. Instead, focus on a few key points that you would like the employee to work on.
Employee should stay focused and not feel the need that they have to make a lot of changes. Stress and productivity are inversely related. If a person is feeling stressful, he/she is less likely to perform well at the job.
Summing Up the Things to Consider When Giving Performance Review Feedback
Performance reviews are an essential part of a company’s evaluation process. It allows companies to set goals for improvement and to encourage the employees which will help them feel motivated to make changes in their behavior.
Overall, giving performance review feedback can be a challenging task. By following some of the tips, you can ensure that your feedback is specific, objective, and helpful. By taking the time to give meaningful feedback, you can help your employees improve their performance and help them identify specific areas that need improvement.
Remember, a performance review feedback is only fruitful if it avoids being condescending or judgmental. The whole point is to be supportive and to have a positive impact on the employees. Companies should assist employees in reaching their goals by providing resources that can assist them in making these changes.
All businesses aspiring to achieve success need to create and follow a process which includes being objective in the assessment of employees, using positive reinforcement, making sure the feedback is specific and encouraging the k for improvement. In short, performance reviews are an important part of this process because it allows them to reflect on what needs improvement, which in turn helps set goals for future success!