Performance Evaluations. That dreaded time of year.

No one enjoys them.

Employees are stressed, unsure of their work performance and how it measures up.

Managers are stressed, checking boxes and completing reviews, participating in a process that is more time-consuming than useful.

No one wins.

In fact, it’s worse than that.

Yearly performance evaluations can deteriorate the work environment, and negatively impact people’s growth, and their productivity. How can it not?

If people are rarely given informal, real-time feedback from their manager on their current behaviour or work performance how can they incrementally grow?

If employees aren’t given multiple, ongoing opportunities for improvement, how do they improve?

And if the formal review process is the only time an employee receives feedback from their manager, a sense of community or shared responsibility isn’t being fostered.  

Luckily there is a better way.

Performance evaluations should be done in some form or another. They can be done during a monthly one-to-one meeting, or both during and after a major project. It can also be done yearly. But ongoing feedback must also be given.

And during these frequent feedback sessions, employees should be given specific feedback that directly aligns with their current work and job expectations.

If they are performing well, a conversation is all that is required. Or perhaps next steps for growth are given.

If they are underperforming, a Performance Improvement Plan is likely needed.

A Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), according to Rachel Pacheco, author of the book Bringing Up the Boss, is a way to inform team members that they are not the meeting expectations of their job, coupled with a true commitment by the manager to help the employee improve.

This occurs in 3-steps:  

1.       Discuss areas for improvement. Share 3-4 areas that an employee most needs to improve to meet expectations or get to the next level of their career. Then, use measures to show where the member fell short.  

2.       Create an action plan for improvement: The team member and manager co-create 3-5 activities that the individual can start doing to demonstrate that they are showing improvement. Metrics should be added so it is clear when and where improvement takes place.

3.       Set clear timelines. Communicate the length of the PIP. Explain when and how the manager will check in with the team member and what the process looks like for those check-ins. For example, the PIP may be 2 months long with formal check-ins every 2 weeks. If the employee improves, they can be taken off the PIP early. If they are not improving, the PIP can be extended, and new action items may need to be added.

PIPs are powerful because they require the manager to specifically and concisely pinpoint and articulate why an employee is or is not meeting expectations. Then, together, the employee and manger co-create an action plan for improvement.

Through this clearly articulated process, communicated way before anyone is put on one, people improve.

It isn’t about penalizing or punishing someone. It is about on-going growth.

It’s actually better to err on the side of putting someone on a PIP earlier than later. It will not only help team members know how to do their job well, but it also makes the steps to promotion clearer too.

On the flip side, if the employee doesn’t improve, it helps the manager document the progress or lack of progress. But that really isn’t the aim. Growth is.

As a challenge this week, if you’re a manager, consider ways you can give more ongoing, specific, real-time performance feedback to your employees. Then, co-create action plans and set clear timelines for improvement.   

A formal Performance Improvement Plan is likely to help the process go smoother.

It will help define roles and responsibilities, set employees’ expectations, and remove surprises. It also creates a more cohesive work environment, where managers work alongside employees to help them grow.

If you need anything help in this process, reach out. FREE 30-minute consultations are available.