Ways To Make Employee Performance Evaluation Effective

In today’s dynamic business world performance measures and performance evaluation becomes key to the positive growth and profitability of the business and also the growth of the employee. However most organisations face a challenge – as there is a gap in performance evaluation communication and Trust and this leads to employee dissatisfaction and triggers attrition.

“The evaluation process and discussion may need a revamp – from a top-down approach, this needs to be participative with a focus on the contribution and results achieved, creating a road map to future improvement and development – all carried out in an environment of mutual respect, trust and devoid of stress. “

The end objective to achieve organisational success and employee development depends a lot on how we carry out this exercise.

The Leaders role in a Performance discussion is very important for the overall performance evaluation process and its journey. The Leader needs to ensure a fair and transparent evaluation discussion, reducing the element of stress and strain on himself and on the employee. A Leader’s approach to the performance conversation is critical to the organisation for retaining and also attracting future talent.

Do The Homework, Set The Ground Rules, Communicate Clearly

• If a Leader is not trained enough to hold a performance discussion – this becomes the starting point to the failure of the performance evaluation process.

• Every employee in the organisation regardless of the responsibilities he/she handles is entitled to respect. Respectfully communicating to the employee the need for performance evaluation on the goals pre-set is a pre-requisite for a meaningful discussion

• The maturity of a Leader is seen when he/she shares the goals to be achieved well in advance and communicates widely and transparently to the Teams.
• Ensuring monthly informal feedback chats go a long way to ensure an employee of his/her performance tracker.

• Before every Performance discussion, the ground rules need to be set. The concerned Manager needs to inform well in advance on what points he/she would like to discuss with the employee and what he/she is expected to showcase during the evaluation discussion. Also the date, time and venue should be shared well in advance. Recommend giving the employee a few weeks’ notice before the official meeting. This will help prepare them mentally and get them also thinking about their current performance and way ahead.

• A successful Leader does his/her homework prior to the discussion. Self- evaluation of the employee followed with a 360 degree are effective data points for discussions other than the performance results. Even an informal chat with a cross-section of employees who are touch points to the employee to be evaluated is also a homework a Leader can look up to prior to the meeting.

• An effective Leader is one who is a keen listener in such performance conversations.

Ensure A Comfortable Meeting Place Free From Interference

• The place to meet for the performance evaluation is also important for organisations where the evaluation discussion can be held F2F.

• The objective here is to make a fruitful and frank discussion on performance. Ideally, the venue should not be the home turf of the manager (i.e. his own office cabin).

• The meeting venue may be a nice enclosure/room within office premises where there is no disturbance, is at a corner where one is not distracted. Meeting venues can be at finalised at neutral venues which are suitable to both the manager and the employee. Here the manager’s role is important to decide the meeting place.

• Keep mobile phones away – soak into the conversation.

Share Feedback Openly; Document The Discussion

• Maybe the most important piece of a performance evaluation is the feedback session. This is where the Leader either wins over the employee or he/she fails and this is the point of the performance cycle when an employee decides to continue with the organisation or wishes to move out. The employee looks forward to this session with his/her manager.

• Periodicity of feedback will depend on what the employee and the manager have decided during goal setting – maybe once in three months, once in six months, at the end of the year or maybe weekly too. However what is ideal depends on the organisation, the goals that the organisation is chasing and how soon the organisation also wants to review performance. Managers should make it a habit to communicate feedback to employees on their performance throughout the year. This will eliminate year-end surprises thereby reducing employees’ and managers’ anxiety. This will reduce stress significantly.

• Factual examples and pieces of evidence are always better than general statements. F2F discussions are always preferred especially in a difficult conversation.

• An effective Leader need not be judgemental – poor performance needs to be shared with the employee openly. Listening to the employee here is important. As a leader one needs to come with expected solutions and a way forward road map to help the employee to perform better in the days ahead instead of writing him/her off.

• Leaders need to develop trust with the employee through the feedback process.

• If feedback is focused on only fault-finding – the employee goes into his/her shell and one may not always expect the best. However through the feedback mechanism if there is a roadmap to performance, support to improve – the concerned employee is less stressed and aims to look forward to delivering as trust develops with the Leader.

• Taking notes of the evaluation discussion is an important task and such notes also need to be shared as a summary with the concerned employee. This is useful for both the manager and the employee for later reference and discussions.

Ensure Discussion On Development

• Organizations and managers would have to take genuine interest in employee career development and progress.

• An employee would naturally ask – what is in store for him/her in the organization and how would he/she grows.

• Opportunities would have to be provided and sufficient training and guidance would have to be given to them to perform, excel and grow.

• Developmental plans should be discussed threadbare with the employee to support him/her to succeed. Knowledge of product, improving skills, shadowing a successful peer / senior maybe some action items which the Leader can suggest during the evaluation process to ensure that development for the employee is also a priority subject during the performance evaluation discussion.

Stress Needs To Be Handled

• A Leader who is connected with his team also will be aware of the stress his employees are going through. Multiple situations in work cause stress – some common ones are deadlines, sales targets, finances to manage, lack of freedom, inability to decide and many such more

• In a situation, when a potential employee is not being able to perform to expectations, the Leaders role becomes crucial. The employee needs a shoulder of support from his leader. The Leader needs to spend quality time understanding, coaching, mentoring, counselling the employee to relieve him from stress and anxiety.

• Leaders need to understand when an employee is stressed and is burning physically and mentally and is a potential person to quit – this is the time he/she needs to step in, have a conversation, understand the cause of the stress of the employee and suggest avenues to reduce this stress eg taking regular breaks, avoiding carrying work home, maintaining a healthy work-life balance where there is time for leisure and family, listening to music, exercising regularly, reading, walking, voluntary work, playing with a pet.