Revising Your Performance Review Strategy for 2018

Performance reviews are often dreaded by managers and staff, but they are a necessary evil to ensure employees are meeting – or exceeding – expectations within your organization. While performance reviews can seem like a hassle, they can serve a purpose at helping your team to do better… provided they are done correctly.

If you are thinking of making changes to your performance review process in 2018, some of the key ways you can revitalize the process include:

• Focusing on providing feedback on an ongoing basis. A once-a-year performance review is not enough feedback to give staff members a clear idea of what you expect. Make it a point to provide both praise and comments on areas of improvement on a regular basis. When you’ve opened the lines of communication and are continually interacting with your staff to help them improve their performances, the “formal” review process can be a briefer – and less stressful – process.
• Making sure comments are constructive and communicated clearly Let the employee being reviewed know exactly what is expected. The performance review is not the time for vague criticisms or unfocused praise. It’s also not the time to complain about traits an employee cannot change. You should focus on the most critical issues, provide a way the employee can improve and give the employee plenty of time to ask questions to get more clarity.
• Taking notes throughout the year. If you sit down a day before the review and try to remember everything you had hoped to discuss, things are likely to be forgotten. Instead of waiting until right before the review to prepare your feedback, make notes about both positives and negatives during the year. This will make it much easier to write a final review and make your review much more useful to the employee.

One of the best ways to make sure the performance review process goes smoothly is to hire staff members who are good at their jobs and are open to suggestions for improvement. SmartTalent can help you find workers who meet this criteria in Kirkland, Fife, Renton, Lacey, Lynnwood, Everett and surrounding areas. To find out more about how our staffing service can help your company to build a strong team, give us a call today.