Do you have a performance review coming up? Performance reviews can play a huge role in any employee/manager relationship. A performance evaluation can be a great opportunity for the employee and manager to discuss and share their thoughts on the employee’s job performance, organizations priorities, or any obvious setbacks in performance. This long established process can only work if both parties are cooperative and understanding. Here are a few tips that can help you confidently lead (or sit for) a performance review:
Collect Feedback from Colleagues Who’ve Worked with the Employee
Are you familiar with the 360 degree-feedback? A 360 degree employee review is when you gather feedback about a specific employee from their coworkers, boss, manager, or reporting staff. This sort of feedback can substantially add great value to the performance evaluation as you will learn more about the employee. It’s important that you inform the employee that you have collected data about him or her just to avoid unintentionally stirring up any confusion or doubt.
Prepare for the Discussion with the Employee
It’s crucially important to prepare beforehand the topics that you wish to discuss with the employee. You must steer clear from criticizing the employee’s character and opt for evaluating them objectively using measurable terms. Use bullet points to help you illustrate the points you want to make, this will help you be prepared for the discussion, or else the employee will feel discouraged by his or her successes.
Speak Up
Before your performance review, try to write down the questions you’d like to ask your manager. Make sure you are also prepared to discuss the ways you’ve improved since your last performance review and how you’ve made the effort to exceed. Last but not least make a list of all the goals with wish to accomplish for the upcoming months and share them with your manager. When you share your thoughts with your manager in a performance review, they will definitely express their honest feedback with you. For these reasons, always opt for accepting both the positive and negative comments.
Demonstrate a Positive Attitude
The whole aim of a performance review is to ensure results. Even if you’re an under performer, and you’ve just had a bad evaluation, then you must try to keep a positive attitude! Managers always look for employees who can accept constructive criticism professionally and maintain a positive attitude. By being courteous and well receptive to feedback, you will definitely appear more professional and easy to work with.
Written By: Fatima Rassool