Performance review can be a tiring job for employees and HR leaders. It is mostly like a formality and nothing more than that. That is why, in most cases, employees find it a waste of time. It doesn’t help them to grow professionally. It is very important for HR leaders to take interesting initiatives at the time of giving reviews. At this time, taking a few initiatives like showing vulnerability, asking useful questions, and providing continuous feedback can be really helpful. This can help to boost trust, enhance growth, and even drive more retention. Turning a formal review into a meaningful conversation can be really helpful. Let’s find out the ideal steps to make a transformation in annual performance reviews -
1. Ask Interesting Questions and Try to become an Active Listener:
As an HR leader, it is really important to make the review session more intriguing. For this, you can try asking some interesting questions. It has been seen that when managers or leaders ask open-ended questions, employees are more likely to communicate with them. This same strategy applies to the review session as well. If you can ask questions regarding their whole experience throughout the year or what event is memorable, then you will get to learn about the perception of the employee as well. If you can get the insight, then you will get to find out what is bothering the employees, which is making an impact on their performance. If you can listen to them carefully, then it will be much more helpful.
2. Make a Start with Curiosity:
At the time of the annual review, do not start it with the scores, but with some curious things. If you start with how many scores they have gotten throughout the year, it can be a truly bad start. It might feel like the end of the conversation. If there is any employee who didn’t perform well, then the rest of the conversation might feel like a cover-up for them. That is why starting the conversation with something fresh will make it look even more appealing. A forward-looking feedback will always help you to maintain a good relationship with the employees, which is considered one of the most important things. Thus, it is a step that can lead to a fruitful outcome.
3. Try to have a Transparent Conversation:
In an organization, it is really important to have a transparent conversation. It is an important trait that can be quite useful in many ways. If you can have clear and transparent communication with your employees, then you will be able to let them know what the company is thinking about them and vice versa. It is a brilliant strategy that can be really helpful at the time of the annual review. Following this method can be quite helpful in many ways.
4. Ask for their Feedback:
The annual review shouldn’t only be all about how an employee has performed. It is also important to learn about their feedback. You will not get the chance to understand the reason for an employee’s behavior or performance unless you are learning about their point of view. If you can learn them, then you will get a much better picture, which will help you to handle the situation in a much better manner. In a corporate organization, it is really essential to maintain a good relationship with the employees. You will not get to do so until you follow this strategy. So, it is an important step that you need to follow.
Stop giving boring feedback every year and make the whole process more interesting. If you can do so, then attaining a fruitful result will become much easier in many ways.
