5 TIPS FOR PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENTS

A critical piece of the values of any company is supporting the career growth and development of their employees and one of the key ways to support this idea is through performance assessment. Assessing the performance of employees is one of the most important responsibilities we have as leaders. According to Katcher, there are several steps you should take to add value to the performance review:

• Involve Employees in Goal-Setting and ask direct reports to rate their own performance using copies of the appraisal form. It is also important to include your employees in the goal-setting process, as Katcher states that “employees will be much more committed to improving their job performance if they have a hand in setting the goals by which they will be measured.”
• Minimize surprises during the appraisal meeting by giving feedback on a regular basis. Katcher suggests you should provide continuous feedback throughout the year. When the annual review takes place, the employee should be aware of any issues you will be discussing.
• Make information gathering ongoing. Don’t wait until the week of the appraisal meeting to gather important information about the employee. Many employees in Katcher’s survey felt that their supervisors were not even equipped to accurately assess performance because they were “never around” or didn’t reach out to key contacts who interacted routinely with the employee. To counteract this, continuously discuss the employee’s performance with those in the know – customers, other employees, etc.
• Be prepared to discuss specific examples of good and poor performance.  Katcher also advises to focus on behaviors, not traits – citing specific behavioral examples not judgments based on one’s personality. For example if you are addressing the issue of attention to detail with a Cook, you could say that you have observed that their station if often left untidy, which creates rework for the next shift rather than simply saying they are generally disorganized.

Meet in a conducive environment.  If possible, meet in neutral territory. This helps establish open communication.  Avoid sitting behind a desk if possible —a desk symbolizes authority.