Marie G. McIntyre, Ph.D.

(All material on yourofficecoach.com is copyrighted to Marie G. McIntyre.  All rights reserved.)

Most performance reviews should be a pleasant and productive experience.  After all, this is probably one of the few times that you spend an extended time focusing on a person’s job and discussing it with them.  The performance review should focus on four primary areas:

§ Past job performance

§ Future plans and expectations

§ Developmental goals

§ Employee needs and concerns

The following questions reflect the concerns that employees typically have about appraisals. 

è    Will it be scheduled in advance?  Will there be enough time for a real discussion?

è    Will it be private?  With no interruptions?

è  Will it be kept confidential?

è    Do I know what expectations I will be evaluated on?  Were they communicated in advance?

è  Have I been given ongoing feedback so that there won't be any surprises?

è  Does my manager know what my job involves?

è  Will the evaluation be honest?  Will it be fair and unbiased?

è    Will my manager listen to what I have to say?

è  If my manager has made a mistake, will it be admitted?

è    Will we talk about the things that I do well?

è    Will I be given specific examples of any problems?

è    Will I feel free to discuss the evaluation and my reaction to it?

è    Will we discuss developmental opportunities for me?

A useful performance review should be a two-way discussion about the employee’s job.  The following list of questions may give you some useful ideas for encouraging employee participation.

The following guidelines can help you structure a normal appraisal discussion – that is, one dealing with generally acceptable performance, even though some improvement may be needed.  If performance is poor enough to require corrective action, however, this approach will not beappropriate. 

§          Before the meeting: Consider giving the employee the review form to read in advance. 

§        Create a relaxed atmosphere at the beginning of the discussion.

§          Give the employee an overview of how the discussion will be structured.  (For example, “First, I’d like for us to talk about each of the goals that you had for last year and the results that were achieved.  Then we can discuss the “performance factors” listed on the form.  Finally, I’d like to review your goals for this year and talk about professional development activities.) 

§          If others were part of the appraisal process, indicate how their input was gathered and used.

§          If the employee has not read their review in advance, tell them their overall rating, since that’s usually what employees are most concerned about.  Indicate that the reasons for the rating will be discussed as you go through the various parts of the appraisal.

§          If the employee did read the review in advance, ask if they had any questions about it.  If they have general questions, answer them. If they say they did not understand the rating they got, indicate that the reasons for the rating will be discussed as you go through the various parts of the appraisal.  If their questions relate to specific goals or performance factors, make a note of them and indicate that you would like to include their questions in the discussion of each separate area. 

§          Talk about one goal, objective, or performance area at a time.  Discuss strengths and needs for improvement in each area.  This is better than simply giving an overview of the person’s strengths and weaknesses, since it relates your comments to specific job performance.

§          Ask for employee input in each area.  If a self-appraisal was done, incorporate the employee’s comments into your discussion.  You may ask them to elaborate on their written remarks.

§          In any area requiring improvement, ask how you can help.

§          Agree on expectations and goals for the upcoming year (or review those that have already been set).

§          Discuss plans for professional development.

§          Summarize the employee’s strengths and developmental needs.

§          Review any action steps that were agreed upon (for either the employee or yourself).  Establish follow-up dates. 

§          Express appreciation to the employee (for anything you sincerely do appreciate).

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