Conducting an effective employee performance review provides a significant opportunity for management to shape the work behavior and career of an individual. Unlike the evaluative comments offered in passing, the performance review becomes part of an employee's permanent record. During the official performance review, employees should have the opportunity to share their views and aspirations with management. Effective performance reviews help ensure that the company and the employee achieve their work goals.
Step 1
Get a copy of the organization's employee performance review form. Most organizations have a standard form that includes identifying information such as name, time period covered by the review, review date and sections that cover the manager's evaluation of the employee's performance across several job dimensions. The form often has a comparative rating scale and places for comments. If your organization does not have an official employee review form, Microsoft offers several downloadable templates (See Resources).
Step 2
Obtain a copy of the employee's job description. Some organizations use general descriptions by position while others tailor the description for each individual. In either case, the job description tells employee and manager what tasks and behaviors the review should cover.
Step 3
Collect information about the employee's performance from others in the organization that supervised them at any time during the review period.
Step 4
Use the employee performance review form, the job description, other supervisory comments and your observations to complete each section of the employee performance review. Try to use specific examples of positive or successful behaviors. For example, telling an employee that his attention to detail is excellent does not help generalize this behavior as well as telling an employee that the extra time he spent in testing yielded a superior product. Use specific examples of behaviors or skills that require improvement.
Step 5
Schedule a private meeting with the employee for his performance review. Although not mandatory, employees prepare better for their performance review if they have copies of the evaluation form and their job description before the meeting.
Step 6
Set up the space to facilitate communication by removing barriers, such as a desk between the evaluator and the employee, suggests Mike Mears, management consultant, in his book "Leadership Elements." Remove possible interruptions to the review, such as phones and computers.
Step 7
Listen. Employee performance reviews require two-way communication. Although supervisors begin the meeting by discussing the importance of the process and going item by item through the performance review form, each major discussion area should allow time for the employee to comment or ask questions.
Step 8
Complete the employee performance review by covering plans and expectations. If you require behavior changes, tell the employee in measureable terms the behavior that requires modification and how you will measure that change. If the employee needs job training or has advancement opportunities, build an action plan with expected completion times.
Step 9
Close the performance review by having the employee sign the form. Give the employee a copy and file the original in his personnel record.
Things You'll Need
- Employee performance review form
- Job description
- Observations of employee performance
- Comments from other supervisors
References
- Management Help: Basics of Conducting Employee Performance Review
- University of Oklahoma: Employee Performance Evaluation & Development Guidelines
- Harvard Business Review: Performance Incentives for Tough Times
- Smith College: Employee Preparation Guidelines for the Performance Management Review
- "Leadership Elements"; Mike Mears; 2009
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