Progressive Performance Evaluations: Moving Beyond the Annual Review

Annual performance evaluation If I could sum up the mood at most companies during annual performance evaluations it would be “I hate it, you hate it, we are doing it” What is it about annual evaluations that people simply hate? Let’s start with the word annual. Perhaps because companies publish annual financial reports, we have “annualized” everything else including evaluating how well our employees are learning and growing in their jobs. People generally do not like this annual ritual especially where it feels like a fight for bonuses "Learning and growth" are at the heart of performance evaluations. Ideally as employees work and the business grows, they are learning and growing as well. Wouldn’t it be great if every performance evaluation discussion starts with the question “Tell me about something you have mastered, something new you learned and something you thought you always knew but are seeing from a fresh perspective. Now imagine following this with “...another question: ‘Could you share examples...?’” of how these helped you to deliver results in your job? “Such statements (or their variants) can calm nerves...” and remind both sides that it is about tangible results for the company and learning for the employee

But hang on a second! Is there anything about the conversation we just described that suggests it should only ever happen once or twice a year? Absolutely nothing. In fact it can happen by the coffee station, in the elevator or at lunch. The key is to make it as normal as possible and have it as often as possible Why? “We forget. Period.” At the end of the year, I simply cannot recall all of the ways I contributed to the company’s performance, what I learned and enjoyed doing along the way. Nor do most people. The frequent conversations help us keep track. If we are constantly keeping track of product quality and customer satisfaction for example, shouldn’t we also keep track of employee engagement, contribution and learning at the same pace? Instead of the word annual, I use the word progressive to describe this type of evaluation. Ultimately your goal is to place people in roles where the combination of their skills, knowledge and attitude drive the most optimal result for the company. You also want to reward people for their contribution to company outcomes

I find it more useful to have that insight constantly at my fingertips rather than wait for episodic reviews. When people feel that performance evaluation is progressive and focused on a win-win; results for the company AND learning and growth for them, they will accept the outcomes better.

Have questions, comments or want to suggest a topic for the series? Send Juliet Anammah a short email at info@cgandrstrategy.com

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