Effective Employee Review Process
Giving employees feedback that helps them improve their performance and contribute to the goals of an organization requires an effective employee review process. Most employees want to do a good job and want their company to succeed. The employee review process provides the vehicle to help supervisors instruct employees on how best to perform their tasks and meet project or program objectives.
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Function
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An effective employee review process ensures that a manager has procedures to follow that provide accurate performance information to an employee, establish future performance goals and allow the employee to contribute information and ask questions. Because the review process results in documents filed in employee personnel files and often effects wages, a formal process must accommodate the need for objective criteria and fair performance assessment.
Types
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Inc. magazine suggests that employers may use several types of review processes to collect and discuss an employee's performance, including a top-down review, peer review, 360-degree view or self-assessment. An individual above the employee within the organization--usually his direct supervisor--conducts the top-down review. A peer review process collects feedback from employees performing similar tasks at the same level as the employee being evaluated. An employee evaluates his own performance under a self-assessment process, which may include other types of review. The 360-degree review requests input from supervisors, peers, employees and sometimes clients or customers about an employee's performance.
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Preparation
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The person giving an effective employee review begins by collecting performance information, a current job description, notes from previous review meetings, self-assessment information and any other pertinent feedback about the employee's job performance, suggests the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The evaluator summarizes the quality of performance on approved review forms using task and trait criteria established by the organization. After completing the forms, she schedules a meeting with the employee.
Time Frame
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Organizational policy and procedure manuals for most organizations address the required frequency of performance reviews. Annual or semi-annual reviews remain the norm in typical companies, reports the Performance Appraisals Organization. However, effective employee reviews benefit from more frequent, informal communication about performance and expectations between employees and supervisors. A new employee will meet job expectations more quickly if given feedback at the end of 30 and 90 days in addition to annual or semi-annual, formal evaluations.
Considerations
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An effective employee review process allows supervisors to provide specific information about performance that led to ratings or comments. A supervisor should strive for evaluations that use measurable behaviors rather than attitude descriptions or general comments. The review should reflect performance of agreed job tasks, as well as suggesting areas of performance requiring additional focus or training. Make sufficient time available during the review process for questions and feedback from the employee to the supervisor. Effective reviews involve two-way communication.
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References
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