A very common complaint about performance reviews by employees is that they find the feedback they receive to be insufficient. Nobody wants an entire day’s worth of detailed feedback. Only 6% of organizations believe their current performance review process is valuable
However, it is very demoralizing for an employee to go in for their annual performance review and then come away barely 5 minutes later with a sense of discontent. When one entire year of worth is distilled into a meeting that barely lasts 5 minutes, it’s hard not to feel unsatisfied. It is even worse when a manager genuinely would like to give his employees detailed feedback but cannot do so because he/she is pressed for time and cannot do so. 74% of millennials feel “in the dark” about their performance.
Also read: 9 In 10 HR Leaders Think That Annual Performance Reviews Are Inaccurate
Traditional performance appraisal processes seem ideal but are not really helpful when one puts them into action. If your employees do not like the process, or find it lacking and the managers end up spending a lot of time on preparing for the process, then it is evident they are not working out like they are supposed to. Just over 63% of employees think end of year performance reviews are worth their time.
Performance reviews are a part of a manager’s job. Sure, it gets the short shrift most of the time but that is because there is not enough value attached to it.
Rewards are used to motivate employees to work harder and do better. By that extension, why not motivate managers too? And I am not talking about the rewards that are linked to compensation. Meaningful rewards have been shown to increase motivation and drive. If managers were rewarded for the feedback they give, do you not think that they would be motivated to give meaningful and more frequent feedback?
Also, it would no longer be a chore for them. And when they give meaningful and frequent feedback, employees are also happy and not discontented. The whole feedback cycle becomes more useful through the simple act of managers being rewarded for what can sometimes be a difficult task.
Also read: 10 Best Employee Feedback Tools To Track Performance
Do you want to know more about effective performance reviews at workplace? Talk to our experts!
Author
Srikant Chellappa
CEO & Co-Founder of Engagedly
Srikant Chellappa is the Co-Founder and CEO at Engagedly and is a passionate entrepreneur and people leader. He is an author, producer/director of 6 feature films, a music album with his band Manchester Underground, and is the host of The People Strategy Leaders Podcast. He is currently working on his next book, Ikigai at the Workplace, which is slated for release in the fall of 2024.