5 tips for preparing your employees' annual performance reviews

Employee evaluations are important for the good management of any organization (small, medium or large). They help to make informed decisions by knowing, for example, the level of profitability, employee and customer satisfaction, and the evolution of the organization. Evaluating your employees shouldn't be about control or judgment, but rather a way to improve. For this exercise to be worthwhile, it must be mastered.
Here are some tips to optimize this annual meeting with your employees.

1- Prepare well in advance
Conducting a performance review requires preparation and prior reflection. To do this, you must review your employee's previous evaluations one by one and check whether the objectives defined the previous year have been achieved or not by each of them. Ideally, a performance review should be prepared throughout the year. Don't wait until December to think about your employees' performance.


2- Make the employee a participant
Before the meeting, ask your employee to do a self-evaluation. To do this, they should review their objectives one by one and define to what extent they have been achieved and, if not, what means they have implemented. They will thus make their own assessment on an objective basis. This analysis should lead them to mention the problems they encountered during the year and the areas they can improve. These are issues that could cause them to become defensive if you raise them out of the blue. Also, consider asking them what they were proud to accomplish this year, how they did it, and what it brought them. This will highlight their successes and motivate them even more.

3- Evaluate the relationship
Once this delicate assessment stage is over, you can focus on your employee's feelings by asking them how they feel in the company and in their team. This will be the time for you to evaluate the smooth functioning of your relationship and to question yourself if any discomfort is felt and expressed. It is also a good way to transition to setting goals for the coming year.

4- Set new goals together
This is a key step because it determines the basis for the coming year. It is therefore on the basis of the evaluation that you have just carried out that you set new objectives, and the important thing is to ask yourself how to develop your employee's strengths and highlight possible areas for improvement. However, it is essential to involve your employee in this step by asking them what objectives they think they can achieve and what they intend to do to achieve them. You can thus conclude the interview with a show of confidence in them in order to start the new year on a positive note.

5- Avoid discussing salary
Salary should not be discussed during the performance review. It is preferable to discuss it during a later interview entirely devoted to it, so as not to pollute the dialogue, which should be as free as possible. In conclusion, to optimize the conduct of your performance reviews and allow them to help you better manage your company, remember to stay focused on objectives, how they can be achieved and what means should be implemented to that end. Don't forget something else that is also important, which is to evaluate your role in the result obtained. Because ultimately, it is also up to you, as a manager, to improve the performance of your employees. In this way, you will contribute to making your organization a success story through the fulfillment of your employees.


Philippe Montant CEO ExeKutive.biz