Every year organizations spend untold hours conducting performance reviews. It’s an expensive process in terms of time and money and, if not done right, can have a negative impact on manager and employee engagement and morale.
Think about your own experience. When you’ve been part of a performance review process, either for yourself or for those who report to you, have you experienced the time spent as producing high value? Did you have the unusual experience of walking away feeling understood, appreciated, capable, supported, motivated, and energized? Or, were you with the majority who have walked away feeling misunderstood, unappreciated, surprised (or blind-sided), disenchanted, disheartened, stressed out, or frustrated?
What if the performance review process could actually improve employee morale and productivity? What if the annual event was something everyone looked forward to because it was the time for celebration of accomplishments and preparation for next year’s success?
For people to give their best effort on behalf of their organizations, they need to be fully engaged at work. The annual performance review process could go a long way toward engaging them. In these conversations, with acknowledgement of past contributions and with a focused view of the future, managers and employees can connect their day-to-day work with the organization’s purpose. They can feel a sense of belonging and that others care about them and their development. They can figure out how to get the tools and resources they need to do their jobs right. They can come away feeling respected, invested in, and important.
The performance review cycle is a perfect time to give and receive feedback that will help the individual, manager, and organization improve. If done with an eye to motivating engagement and future performance, the money and time spent will prove worth the investment.
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