November 28, 4:32 am
Will performance reviews ever come of age?
Think back through all your performance reviews – if you’ve ever had one at all. Most people tell me their reviews fall way short of expectations. Not in terms of what kind of marks the person received, but in terms of how incomplete the review process seems to be.
Essentially, more often than not, employees report walking away from reviews with a feeling that some of their key strengths were overlooked … that the process is lacking . . . . and maybe even unfair.
The ripple-effect of this can create bad feelings; and if unwarranted discipline is involved, it may even lead to lawsuits.
To avoid the potential for bias (and lawsuits) in the review process, many HR resources are recommending more voices be involved in the review process. For example, Susan Ramey, president of Human Resource Concepts, offers a performance review 360 assessment, which makes the process easier on employers.
This is a great idea I highly recommend. Here’s why:
In one-on-one reviews, a manager may have an incomplete, dishonest, or biased view (intentional or unintentional) about a particular employee’s work. At the other end of the spectrum, the “halo” effect may cause a manager to overrate a worker in most or all areas just because of outstanding marks in one category – or because the manager likes the employee.
Peer input provides a more stable approach. Done right, it reduces bias and dishonesty. But here’s an indirect benefit that I really like:
When employees understand that their coworkers
have input into their evaluations, they
work harder to get along with them!
On the downside, some employees may give good reviews to their slacker friends, making it more difficult to terminate truly poor performers. For this reason, it’s imperative not to base pay or promotions solely on the input of peer reviews.
I’ve heard mostly good things from review processes that include peer input. What kind of experiences have you had with performance reivews? I’d be interested in hearing your perspective. . . .
Filed in Management, Team Building, Workplace, Corporate Culture, Retention, Coaching
In general, I’ve felt that managers see performance reviews as an inconvenience. They don’t want to upset the status quo and so simply congratulate on working hard the previous year and set general targets for the future. Personally, it has been little more than a box ticking exercise. I would like to see it taken more seriously but don’t think that introducing peers to the system would improve it.