While most organizations conduct annual performance evaluations, these efforts are often unsuccessful in motivating employees or encouraging improvement.  To make the review process more successful, managers should view them as a development tool that should be implemented through collaboration with a focus on coaching and empowering employees for success. PI Worldwide, a leader in using workforce analytics to optimize the performance and potential of individuals, teams, and organizations, has compiled the following best practices for improving the performance evaluation process:

• Take the Fear Out:  Conduct more frequent formal and informal reviews to ensure that the review process is timely, productive and less intimidating than when they are only conducted annually.

• Make the Conversation More Objective: Capture performance metrics to ensure that coaching efforts are well informed.  Tools such as PI Worldwide's Predictive Index® (PI®) can capture data on an individuals' performance, preferred work styles and strengths prior to a performance review.

• Understand What Motivates the Individual :  Managers should consider what they know about the employee, what the employee's performance potential is, and how the employee is motivated prior to sitting down for an employee's review meeting.  They should also consider how the individual will take the feedback and be sure to engage in constructive coaching behaviors (like listening actively, reinforcing positive behavior through the delivery of feedback, asking open-ended questions, collaborating and confirming coaching outcomes).

• Look to the Future:  Managers should use the performance evaluation process as a springboard for working with the employee to build out a career plan.  Taking an interest in an employee's career goals and interest in advancement opportunities within the organization builds employee loyalty and retention.

• Regularly Re-Evaluate Job Requirements:  It is important to periodically evaluate the job and employee to determine whether and to what degree each has evolved.  PI Worldwide offers an analytic tool called the PRO? to provide insight into the behavioral requirements of any position.  Capturing such information will enable managers to assess whether the behavioral requirements have changed or stayed the same.  This will in turn enable managers to set clear expectations to help cultivate continued success.

Source:  PI Worldwide